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The Brooklyn Nutcracker, one of many festive variations on the holiday ballet playing this month. Photo courtesy of the production.
Catch Alvin Ailey, Kyle Abraham, Caleb Teicher, multiple Nutcrackers and more
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There are lots of Nutcrackers twirling around town, from George Balanchine's classic at New York City Ballet to more modern interpretations such as Nut/Cracked and The Hard Nut. But there are also plenty of non-holiday dance events worthy of your calendar this month, including a world premiere by Kyle Abraham at the Park Avenue Armory, a swinging new show from Caleb Teicher at The Joyce Theater, plus beloved seasonal runs by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo.
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Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Avenue between 66th and 67th Streets on the Upper East Side
Runs December 3-14. If you're a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
Kyle Abraham's distinctively personal style fuses a wide variety of influences and has made him a favorite choreographer for major dance companies. For Dear Lord, Make Me Beautiful, a site-specific world premiere commissioned by the Park Avenue Armory, Abraham himself joins the large ensemble of dancers to explore change, aging and nature through movement. Created specifically for the vast Drill Hall, the evening-length work is inspired by themes in Richard Powers' Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Overstory and features an original score performed live by the chamber ensemble yMusic and eye-popping design by Cao Yuxi (JAMES).
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The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs December 3-15. If you're a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
Swing dancing is alive and well and completely up-to-date in the hands of dancer-choreographer Caleb Teicher and company. The latest incarnation of their long-evolving celebration of swing features Teicher's own lithe, spontaneous dancing alongside expert performances of the Lindy Hop, jive and other styles. For the climax, spectators are invited to join a dance jam session on stage. The estimable Eyal Vilner Big Band plays exuberant renditions of holiday tunes throughout.
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Martha Graham Studio Theater, 55 Bethune Street at Washington Street in the West Village
Runs December 4-8. If you're a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
Lydia Johnson has led her intimate namesake ensemble for 25 years, choreographing sensitive works danced to a wide range of scores. For this silver anniversary season, she debuts Legacy set to music by the venerable minimalist Terry Riley, alongside Summer House, Chapters and excerpts from Time …and again danced by former New York City Ballet soloist Craig Hall and set to a recording of American Songbook standards played by pianist Oscar Peterson.
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New York City Center, 131 West 55th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in Midtown West
Runs December 4-January 5, 2025. If you're a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
Alvin Ailey's five-week City Center season is as much a NYC holiday tradition as The Nutcracker and just as thrilling. This season features plenty of beloved works by the troupe's namesake choreographer along with repertory created for the company by Alonzo King, Ronald K. Brown and Elisa Monte, plus world premieres by Hope Boykin, Lar Lubovitch, Jamar Roberts and interim artistic director Matthew Rushing. Throughout the run, the troupe will celebrate the life and legacy of the late Judith Jamison, longtime company luminary and former artistic director, who passed away at age 81 last month.
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92NY, 1395 Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street on the Upper East Side
Runs December 6-7.
Urban Bush Women are marking 40 years of powerful multidisciplinary work that celebrates and amplifies the bodies and voices of Black women. Their anniversary season continues with two evenings of solos, duets and a quartet curated by co-artistic directors Chanon Judson and Mame Diarra Speis for 92NY's cozy and recently refurbished Buttenwieser Hall. There will be contributions from video artist Nick Hussoung and animation by Ausar Johnson, with select pieces danced to live music.
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New York Live Arts, 219 West 19th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in Chelsea
Runs December 10-14. If you're a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
Gibney is an adventurous repertory company that showcases new, often cutting-edge choreographers. For this year's installment of its annual Up Close series, Gibney performs the North American premiere of Trio, a compact work by William Forsythe set to a Beethoven quartet; the world premiere of Emilie Leriche's Beck/Call about running toward the future; and Vukani by South African choreographer Mthuthuzeli November, who mixes elements of traditional Xhosa dance, street dance and traditional Western styles.
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Peter Jay Sharp Theater, 155 West 65th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue in Lincoln Square
Runs December 11-15.
Catch tomorrow's dance luminaries today at this annual showcase starring the talented students in Juilliard's lauded dance program. Each class collaborates with a renowned choreographer on a world premiere. This year's lineup features new works by Houston Thomas, Jennifer Freeman, Pam Tanowitz (collaborating with the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw) and Yue Yin, who is working with Indonesian duo Raja Kirik.
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Danspace Project, St. Mark's Church, 131 East 10th Street between Second and Third Avenues in the East Village
Runs December 12-14.
Catch pieces by two artists who recently participated in Danspace's DraftWork series. Glenn Potter-Takata fuses Butoh, improvisation and found materials in Immaterial Supreme, a collaboration with dancer Kimiko Tanabe and musician Chris Ryan Williams interrogating the idea of the self and Buddhist notions of emptiness. Jade Manns' Kingdom is a collage of shifting images and sounds with a wide range of inspirations, from cave paintings to modern memes.
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The Theater at City Tech, 275 Jay Street between Tillary Street and Tech Place in Downtown Brooklyn
Runs December 12-15.
Diversity and inclusion overflow in this festive seasonal production, conceived and choreographed by Brooklyn Ballet artistic director Lynn Parkerson in collaboration with nearly a dozen other dance-makers. The music is the traditional Tchaikovsky, but the movement reflects our city's melting pot by combining ballet with hip-hop and assorted world dance styles.
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BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, 30 Lafayette Avenue between Ashland Place and St. Felix Street in Fort Greene, Brooklyn
Runs December 12-22.
Mark Morris' delightful and witty reimagining of The Nutcracker returns to BAM. Tchaikovsky's score is complete and glorious as conducted by music director Colin Fowler, but Morris sets the action far from the 19th century at a Christmas party in the swinging suburban 1970s where children and grown-ups indulge in outrageous antics. This dreamlike spin on the holiday ballet has become a classic in its own right.
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Martha Graham Studio Theater, 55 Bethune Street at Washington Street in the West Village
Runs December 13-14.
One of the most magnetic members of the Martha Graham Dance Company, Lloyd Knight presents a preview of The Drama, his new, very personal solo work inspired by two influential women in his life: Graham and his mother. Jack Ferver co-choreographs.
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Triskelion Arts, 106 Calyer Street at Banker Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Runs December 13-14.
Peter Stathas' work draws on contemplative ideas and reflective investigation. For this program of dances and films, he explores what it means to ascend, physically and mentally, as we evolve and shift perspectives.
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92NY, 1395 Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street on the Upper East Side
Runs December 14-20.
David Parker's whimsical deconstruction of the Tchaikovsky ballet is not for purists. He takes a playful approach to this old chestnut filled with tap, disco and vaudeville performed to jazzy arrangements of the score by Duke Ellington and Glenn Miller. The Thursday evening and Saturday matinee performances are followed by a family-friendly party in a winter wonderland setting. Can't make it in person? Nut/Cracked will stream for three days starting December 20 at noon.
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The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs December 17-January 5, 2025.
The beloved Trocks, those paragons of ballet history and style with a gender-bending twist, return to The Joyce for the holidays. Their humorous yet technically formidable approach to classical dancing allows each member of the comedic all-male troupe to take on identities of all genders with hilarious Russian-inspired names. In addition to their distinctive takes on 19th-century classics such as Giselle and Swan Lake, the two alternating programs include the premiere of Durante Verzola's Symphony inspired by George Balanchine's Symphony in C but designed to showcase the Trocks' signature blend of skill and slapstick.
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Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College, 524 West 59th Street between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues in Midtown West
Runs December 19-22. If you're a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
Choreographer Francis Patrelle resets the classic Christmas ballet in 1895 New York City, with Clara and her Prince dancing through historic landmarks such as Gracie Mansion, the Crystal Palace in the New York Botanical Garden and Central Park. New York City Ballet's Miriam Miller and Tyler Angle appear as the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, while Ballet Academy East students fill out many roles.
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Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street between Madison and Park Avenues in Midtown East
Runs December 21-22
Keith Michael choreographed this hour-long version of the iconic holiday ballet, and it's filled with invention and charm. While its short running time and eye-popping Art Nouveau design make it an ideal introduction to The Nutcracker for young children, there are plenty of surprises that will delight adults, too, including clockwork imps and an owl that flies above the audience. There are three performances each day with additional treats such as a Land of the Sweets party.
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Susan Reiter covers dance for TDF Stages.
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