For questions about the 2024 Annual Festival, see our FAQs for more information.
Kaatsbaan’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Sept 28 at 7:00 PM — SOLD OUT
Sept 29 at 2:00 PM— SOLD OUT
75 minutes
$25 General Admission
Black BoxTheater, INDOORS
Join a mixed bill of dance performances built during residencies at Kaatsbaan, which highlights Kaatsbaan’s dual role as incubator and presenter. Limón Dance Company previews a performance of a new creation by Bessie Awardee Kayla Farrish that examines two thematically aligned works by José Limón. Redes (Nets) (1951) is a representation of collective work and unity, and El Grito (The Scream) (1952) is an awakening of consciousness. Farrish, who has roots as an African American woman from the south, connects the work to the displacement of colored bodies and a continuous seeking for identity and community—themes Limón explored over 70 years ago.
Boca Tuya performs Like Those Playground Kids at Midnight, a shapeshifting duet developed at Kaatsbaan in 2023. Boca Tuya is led by queer Puertorriqueño choreographer and director Omar Román De Jesús. He describes this piece as “a beacon of defiance, encouraging everyone to embrace their uniqueness and challenge the boundaries that confine them.” The rhythmic complexity and daring physicality invite us to explore the mysterious landscapes of desire, identity, and aspiration. Omar was the inaugural Baryshnikov Arts Fellow at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, a 2023 Dance Magazine Harkness Promise Awardee, and a 2022 Princess Grace Award Winner in Choreography.
The program also features a performance by Music From The Sole, including material from a new work-in-development that explores the profound link between tap dance, Afro-Brazilian, and house music. The work is being created by 10 dancers and musicians in an intertwined process, demonstrating the movement and music of tap. Company dancers perform with their trademark embrace of tap’s Afro-diasporic roots and connection to various forms of music, such as jazz, funk, soul, house, samba, and hip-hop. Support for Music From The Sole provided by Works & Process LaunchPAD.
Photo by Jacob Jonas
Oct 5 at 5:00 PM Autobiography v100
Oct 6 at 2:00 PM Autobiography v101
70 minutes
$40 General | $50 Premium
Mountain Stage, OUTDOORS
World-renowned ballet group, Company Wayne McGregor, concludes our Annual Festival with the groundbreaking work Autobiography. This work explores choreographer Wayne McGregor’s signature “body as archive,” a developing series of unique dance portraits inspired and determined by the sequencing of his genetic code. Performed by 9 of his classically trained dancers and an original score by electronic musician Jlin, Autobiography layers choreographic imprints over personal memoir in dialogue with an algorithm based on McGregor’s DNA data. The 70-minute, full-length work upends traditional dance-making as artificial intelligence and instinct converge in creative authorship.
Wayne McGregor CBE is a multi-award-winning British choreographer and director internationally renowned for trailblazing innovations in performance that have radically redefined dance in the modern era. McGregor’s multi-dimensional works resulting from interactions with an array of artistic forms, scientific disciplines, and technological interventions have ensured his position at the cutting edge of contemporary arts for almost three decades. He is the Artistic Director of Studio Wayne McGregor, encompassing creative collaboration in dance, film, music, visual art, technology, and science; learning and research programs; and a touring company of dancers Company Wayne McGregor. McGregor is also Resident Choreographer at The Royal Ballet, Director of Dance for the Venice Biennale, and is regularly commissioned by and has works in the repertories of the most important dance companies around the world.
Photo by Andrej Uspenski
6:00 PM
40 minutes plus Q+A
$5–10 suggested donation. Free for all members.
Black Box Theater
Pioneers Go East Collective shares a work-in-progress showing of their latest piece, A Sea In-MOTION. At the crossroads of dance, music video, and archival documentation, the project looks back at the groundbreaking works of Françoise d'Eaubonne, who founded the ecological and social movement of Eco Feminism. The performers shape a powerful gender-fluid landscape by reimagining cartoons that inhabited their childhoods to address climate change and corporate greed. The work will blur the lines between our fantasies and everyday realities to champion gender-nonconforming voices and launch a dialogue on LGBTQ+ agency in today's socio-political climate.
The work is being collaboratively conceived by Gian Marco Riccardo Lo Forte (director/filmmaker), ALEXA GRÆ (composer/performance artist), Symara Sarai (choreographer), Philip Treviño (production designer), with performing artists syd island (musician/performance artist), Jesse Timm (musician), Darrin Wright (dancer/performance artist), and Noa Rui-Piin Weiss (dancer/performance artist).
ALEXA Grae in Electric Blue by Pioneers Go East Collective. La MaMa Moves 2024. Photo by Steven Pisano.
Dec 20 at 8:00 PM
Dec 21 at 8:00PM
Dec 22 at 2:00 PM
65 minutes
$45 General | $36 students
Black Box Theater
Nut/Cracked — The Bang Group’s beloved, witty response to The Nutcracker — has enthralled audiences for more than two decades. Choreographer David Parker draws inspiration from across the dance spectrum, blending tap, ballet, disco, and even bubble wrap to create a unique performance that reimagines Tchaikovsky’s iconic score. With renditions ranging from Duke Ellington to Glenn Miller, Nut/Cracked transforms the familiar into something delightfully unexpected. Praised by the New York Times as “immensely entertaining” and “intensely musical,” this production combines humor and artistry in a way that will leave you seeing The Nutcracker in a whole new light.
Photo by Nicholas Burnham
