A robust fall/winter for dance in the DMV gives way to a lighter but still bountiful spring, with an impressive variety of utterly inviting events and performances to choose from — from Decolonized Beatz Indigenous World Pride at Atlas Performing Arts, and international troupe Compañía Medusa exploring queer themes at Dance Place, to several collaborators melding tap dance with different genres of movement and music to keep us swinging all through the season.

ATLAS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

1333 H St., NE
202-399-7993
www.atlasarts.org

• Decolonized Beatz Indigenous World Pride — Celebrating the work of Indigenous storytellers, organizers, and performers, the arts and performance series Decolonized Beatz brings Indigenous World Pride to Arena Stage (1101 6th St. NW) on May 30, and the next day to Atlas with music and dance performances, panel discussions, film screenings, a drag show featuring Lady Shug and Ritni Tears, and a closing dance party with beatz by DJ Rivolta Sata (6/1, Lang Theatre, free admission but registration required)

BALLETNOVA CENTER FOR DANCE

Fredgren Studio Theatre
3443 Carlin Springs Rd.
Falls Church, Va.
703-778-3008
www.balletnova.org

• Don Quixote — The eccentric knight and his squire Sancho Panza leap from page to stage in a spirited ballet production based on Cervantes’ classic novel (4/12-13, Capital One Hall)

BALTIMORE BALLET

10534 York Road
Cockeysville, Md. 21030
410-667-7974
www.baltimoreballet.com

• Giselle: Act II — Guest artists Kurumi Miwa and Masanori Takiguchi (formerly of the Washington Ballet, now a demi-soloist with the Houston Ballet) join the BBC to dance the haunting second act of Adolphe Adam’s tragic romantic ballet, followed by a recital performance by the Baltimore Ballet School (5/18, Goucher College Kraushaar Auditorium)

BALTIMORE THEATRE PROJECT

45 West Preston St.
Baltimore, Md.
410-752-8558
www.theatreproject.org

• VTDance: Praise! Project — VTDance teams with Wender Collective for this immersive dance theater performance, co-created and performed by Vincent E. Thomas and Gabriel Thom Pasculli with Desiré Graham and Malia’Kekia Nicolini, “that opens the door into a conversation around sacred bodies, queerness, and coming into ourselves” (5/11-12)

CHAMBER DANCE PROJECT

CDP Media Lounge
700 12th St. NW
202-499-2297
www.chamberdance.org

• Evening with an Artist Series — Choreographer/artistic director Diane Coburn Bruning and director Matt Torney offer a behind the curtain peek at creating their T.S. Eliot-inspired ballet Prufrock, a collaboration with composer James Bigbee Garver (Date TBD, Chamber Dance Project, 700 12th Street, NW)
• Red Angels — A night of electrifying contemporary ballet and live music, including the D.C. premiere of Ulysses Dove’s Red Angels, a world premiere from choreographer Jorge Amarante set to music by iconic Argentinian composers, plus audience favorite works Prufrock and the jazz-inflected Songs by Cole, featuring a jazz trio led by D.C. vocalist Lena Seikaly (6/25-27, Harman Hall)
• Chamber Dance Project Underground — The company heads underground for an immersive ballet and live music experience (6/28, Dupont Underground)

CITYDANCE

301-581-5204
www.citydance.net

• Haydn’s Creation — Performers from CityDance Conservatory add movement to the Choral Arts Society of Washington’s oratorio telling of the biblical creation story, under the creative direction of Marie Bucoy-Calavan, Choral Arts Artistic Director. (3/30, Kennedy Center Concert Hall)
• Elevation Celebration Gala Performance & After Party — Families of the CityDance Conservatory Class of 2025 host this performance that benefits the over $300,000 in scholarships and financial aid for promising young talent, featuring works by in-house choreographer Robert J. Priore and Conservatory faculty and guest appearances by American Ballet Theatre soloists Léa Fleytoux and Jarod Curley, a CityDance alumnus (5/9, Harman Hall)
• CityDance Conservatory Annual Concert — Showcasing repertoire by guest artists, in-house choreographers, and Conservatory faculty, the Conservatory students bring classical ballet, contemporary, modern, jazz, and more to the stage (5/10, Harman Hall)

THE CLARICE

Dance Theatre
University of Maryland
College Park, Md.
301-405-ARTS
www.theclarice.umd.edu

• Conrad Tao & Caleb Teicher: Counterpoint ft. Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue — A year after dazzling the internet with their NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert, esteemed composer and pianist Conrad Tao and tap virtuoso Caleb Teicher team up again to give it to you live, juxtaposing music and movement via Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, the Aria from Bach’s Goldberg Variations, original works by Tao, and Teicher’s Bessie Award-winning composition for tap and keys, More Forever (3/30, Gildenhorn Recital Hall)
• TDPS Experimental Performance Series — A collection of self-produced works from undergraduate and graduate students in UMD’s School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies (Series #4: 4/5, Series #5: 5/10, Dance Theatre)
• Hip Hop Anansi — Paige Hernandez directs this modern, all-ages hip-hop spin on a traditional Ashanti folktale, as penned by acclaimed actress, playwright and singer-songwriter Eisa Davis, adding rhyming and breaking to the story of Anansi the trickster (4/18-26, Kogod Theatre)
• Maryland Day — A diverse, family-friendly day of music, dance, and theater, UMD’s annual campus-wide open house is loaded with free performances, dance classes, and interactive experiences (4/27)
• Dorrance Dance: The Center Will Not Hold — Dance innovators Michelle Dorrance and Ephrat “Bounce” Asherie combine their respective genres, tap and breakdancing, for a new collaborative work, featuring original music composed by Donovan Dorrance with live percussion by drummer John Angeles, and performance and choreography by a cast of 11 singular artists rooted in an array of street, club, and vernacular styles (5/1, Kay Theatre)
• UMoves: Undergraduate Concert — TDPS student choreographers offer a vibrant, celebratory program of new works (5/2-4, Dance Theatre)

DANA TAI SOON BURGESS DANCE COMPANY

www.dtsbdc.org

• Asian Journeys: A Dance Performance — Commemorating Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, DTSBDC performs excerpts from four modern dances that focus on the Asian American experience, including mixed-media piece Hyphen featuring a video backdrop of experimental films by Nam June Paik, and Becoming American, based on the real life story of DTSBDC dancer Katia Norri (5/3, MLK Library, 901 G St. NW)

DANCE PLACE

3225 8th St. NE
202-269-1600
www.danceplace.org

• Orange Grove Dance: A & I — As in Artificial Intelligence, represented by an AI interface named Luna who joins a live, presumably human, cast of five performers for this dance and multimedia production that questions “how we see and care for the technologies we have created” (4/4-6)
• Prakiti Dance & Urban Artistry: Through Fish Eyes — Prakriti Dance and Urban Artistry partner for a dance performance designed to create awareness and evoke empathy in audiences about the dwindling marine ecosystems (4/11-12)
• New Releases Choreographers Showcase — Dance Place gives the stage to DMV-based emerging choreographers at all stages for a dynamic mixed-bill showcase of new works (5/3-4)
• Compañía Medusa: Everyone I (N)Ever Loved — The global contemporary dance company, based between D.C. and Buenos Aires, employs movement, spoken word, light, and sound in “an exploration of the duality between queer joy and loneliness and how they truly are two sides of the same coin” (6/13-14)
• Heart Stück Bernie: Wolver Maroon — “A feminine howl at the blood moon,” this performance encompasses intimate solo reflections, as well as an ensemble of 30, and features art direction by Ben Furgal and music by Dan Deacon (7/11-12)
• Christina Robson & Guests: nowhere landing — Current Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane performers Shane Larson and Hui Wang Zhang form a compelling trio with alum Christina Robson for a work navigating themes of displacement, reunion, isolation, dissonance, and fellowship through a blend of rigorous choreography and structured improvisational scores (7/25-26)
• Energizers Creative Arts Summer Camp Show — Dance Place’s six-week summer program for dance enthusiasts ages 5-19 culminates in this celebratory performance (8/7-8)

DANCE LOFT ON 14

4618 14th St. NW
202-621-3670
www.danceloft.org

• Dance Loft Presents!: Effervescence Collective — The collective founded by D.C.-based dance artists Sarah Coady, Meghan Letizia, and Faith Rokowski premieres the new work fast and… (4/5-6)
• Springtime Variations and Tales — A whimsical production featuring students from the Dance Loft youth program, Moveius Contemporary Ballet company members, and other community dancers (5/3-4)
• Dance Loft Presents!: GRIDLOCK Dance — The cutting-edge contemporary dance company led by Madeline Maxine Roman premieres Between Myself, a one-woman show inspired by a series of near-death experiences, hilarious first dates, and childhood diary musings (5/9-10)
• Moveius Contemporary Ballet: Muse — The troupe’s season finale performance of works from esteemed local choreographers, plus an exciting new work created by Artistic Director Diana Movius, followed on 6/7 by the Spring Soirée (6/7-8)

GMU CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Concert Hall
4373 Mason Pond Drive
Fairfax, Va.
888-945-2468
www.cfa.gmu.edu

• 2025 Mason Dance Company Gala Concert — Internationally-acclaimed guest artists join the Mason Dance Company to perform works including The Hunt by Robert Battle, Cloudline by Robyn Mineko Williams, a premiere by Christopher d’Amboise, and The Fracture of Light by Yin Yue, preceded on 3/28 by the fundraising Mason Dance Fête (3/28-29, Concert Hall)
• Spring: Dance Innovations — A showcase of new choreography by School of Dance students, performed by the Mason Dance Company (5/2-3, Harris Theatre)
• Spring Studio Series — An intimate studio performance of new works by GMU’s School of Dance (5/6, deLaski Performing Arts Bldg)

HYLTON PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Merchant Hall
10960 George Mason Circle
Manassas, VA.
703-993-7759
www.hyltoncenter.org

• Virginia National Ballet: Bohemian Rhapsody — Last year, it was Led Zeppelin, this year the troupe Queens out dancing Bohemian Rhapsody, in addition to tango-infused neo-classical ballet Tango Nights, and Moonlight, a world premiere set to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata (4/27)
• Manassas Ballet Theatre: Sleeping Beauty — MBT closes its season with Tchaikovsky’s magical fairy-tale ballet, with live accompaniment by the Manassas Ballet Theatre Orchestra (5/9-11)
• Northern Virginia Ballet: Peter and the Wolf plus Paquita — Set to Prokofiev’s famous score, a mischievous all-ages adventure into the woods with Peter and his animal friends attempting to capture their fanged, furry foe (5/24)
• Virginia National Ballet: Spring Recital — VNB students of all ages present dance and musical performances in ballet, contemporary, jazz, tap, acro, hip hop, musical theater, voice, and piano (5/31)

JANE FRANKLIN DANCE

Theatre on the Run
3700 S. Four Mile Run Dr.
Arlington, Va.
703-933-1111
www.janefranklin.com

• Farewell Athenaeum — A fond farewell at the Athenaeum celebrating 28 years of creativity with works by Jane Franklin, a Forty+ Project premiere by Emily Crews, dances in response to visual art by Elsabe Dixon and Sharon Fishel, and a reunion piece featuring former JFD company members, followed by a reception (5/29, The Athenaeum, 201 Prince St., Alexandria, Va.)

KENNEDY CENTER

2700 F St. NW
202-467-4600
www.kennedy-center.org

• New York City Ballet: Coppélia — One of the world’s foremost dance companies returns to the Opera House with this comedic ballet about an eccentric toymaker and the life-like doll he creates named Coppélia (3/25-30, Opera House)
• Twyla Tharp Dance — Kennedy Center Honoree Twyla Tharp marks 60 years of dance with two ambitious works: Diabelli, which takes its title from Ludwig van Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations and features ten performers dancing to the composer’s waltz, performed live on the piano by Vladimir Rumyantsev, and SLACKTIDE, a piece inspired by Philip Glass’s Aguas da Amazonia, featuring Third Coast Percussion performing Glass’ score live with guest flutist Constance Volk (3/26-29, Eisenhower Theater)
• New York City Ballet Dance for Seniors — Members of NYCB lead older adults of any ability through a dance warm-up and movement combinations inspired by current repertory (3/29, Studio F)
• New York City Ballet Family Dance Workshop — A FREE 45-minute workshop led by artists from NYCB designed for families with children age 10 and under (3/29, Studio F)
• Masters of Nuevo Tango — The Pan American Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Maestro Sergio Alessandro Buslje, presents a concert of nuevo tango by the famous Argentine tango composer and bandoneon player Astor Piazzolla, featuring Latin Grammy-winning tango ensembl the Pedro Giraudo Quartet (3/29, Terrace Theater)
• Mark Morris Dance Group: MOON — Last at the Kennedy Center in 2022, MMDG returns with this world-premiere work, commissioned by the Kennedy Center, inspired by the Golden Record on the 1977 Voyager meant to communicate with extraterrestrials (4/4-5, Eisenhower Theater)
• winter guests: Still Life — From Norway, writer, director, and choreographer Alan Lucien Øyen brings a new dance creation that “innately deals with nature, exploring how we can mend our relationship with ourselves, each other, and the living world around us,” with the participation of members of the Georgetown University Chamber Singers Ensemble (4/9-10, Eisenhower)
• Malavika Sarukkai: Beeja – Earth Seed — A new dance piece in the traditional bharatanatyam style, conceived and choreographed by Malavika Sarukkai, “draws our attention to the potential within planet Earth suspended in the universe,” featuring a live singer and percussionist (4/10-12, Opera House)
• Akram Khan — Drawing on the Indian classical dance form kathak along with contemporary movement, choreographer Akram Khan stages Greek mythology, ancient legends, and even family memories in new work GIGENIS, The generation of the Earth (4/17-19, Eisenhower Theater)
• Dance for Parkinson’s Disease — Dance for Parkinson’s Disease-certified instructor Lucy Bowen McCauley leads free dance classes for people with Parkinson’s (Mondays at 2:30 p.m., 4/21-7/7, The REACH)
• Dance Sanctuaries: Kaimana Chee — Free, movement-based class for new to advanced movers, curated by Kaimana Chee, hula cultural ambassador and Kumu Hula (master instructor) (4/26 and 8/2, Studio F)
• Pasión por Tango: The Music of Spain — Led by Maestro Bušljehe, the PASO performs its signature tango show featuring 25 musicians, Javier Sanchez, Heyni Solera, and Rodrigo Àvalos on bandoneóns, and three pairs of international award-winning tango dancers (4/26, Terrace Theater)
• Acosta Danza: Cuban Ecléctico — The Cuban dance company, founded by classical ballet star Carlos Acosta, makes its Kennedy Center debut with five vibrant works, each by a different choreographer putting a twist on Cuban culture (5/1-3, Eisenhower Theater)
• Dance Sanctuaries: The Lion’s Den DMV — Free, movement-based class for new to advanced movers, curated by Filipina-founded, DMV-based dance & wellness community The Lion’s Den (5/3 and 7/12, Studio F)
• Dance Sanctuaries: Soka Tribe — Free, movement-based class for new to advanced movers, curated by Soka Tribe, a community that brings carnival culture to life through dance fitness classes, experiential activities, and branded apparel (5/24 and 8/9, Studio F)
• Birmingham Royal Ballet: Black Sabbath – The Ballet — Following sold-out performances in its 2023 world premiere and UK tour, BRB makes a thunderous Kennedy Center debut with a true heavy metal ballet experience, honoring Birmingham–born band Black Sabbath (6/4-8, Opera House)
• Dance Sanctuaries — Free, movement-based class for new to advanced movers (7/26, Studio F)
• Local Dance Commissioning Project: I have a secret to tell you… — Local Dance Commissioning Project Awardees Jamison Curcio and Shanice Mason present new work I have a secret to tell you…, an invitation to discover, reframe, and practice being in community with Black women and femmes (8/22-23, Theater Lab)
• Dance Sanctuaries: KanKourann West African Dance Company — Free, movement-based class for new to advanced movers, curated by KanKouran West African Dance Company, dedicated to preserving and sharing the culture of Africa (9/13, Studio F)

LISNER AUDITORIUM

730 21st St. NW
202-994-6800
www.calendar.gwu.edu

• Bhangra Blowout — Back for a blowout 31st year, this high-energy, inter-collegiate dance competition hosted by the South Asian Society attracts Bhangra teams from all over the country (4/5)
• Benise: 25 Years of Passion! — Elaborately choreographed dancers are just one component of this night with “the Prince of Spanish Guitar,” Benise, marking 25 years of taking audiences on a musical journey through Spanish Flamenco, Cuban Salsa, Brazilian Samba, Parisian Waltz, exotic drumming, and more (4/6)

MOVEIUS CONTEMPORARY DANCE

Dance Loft on 14
4618 14th St. NW
202-621-3670
www.danceloft.org

• Muse — The troupe wraps its season with works from esteemed local choreographers, plus an exciting new work created by Artistic Director Diana Movius, followed on 6/7 by the Spring Soirée (6/7-8)

STRATHMORE

The Music Center at Strathmore
5301 Tuckerman Lane
North Bethesda, Md.
301-581-5100
www.strathmore.org

• Step Afrika!: Celebrating 30 Years — The world-renowned percussive dance troupe toasts three decades of exciting performances with a new production featuring two world premieres, along with choreographic works nurtured and refined in Johannesburg, South Africa (6/27-28)

THE WASHINGTON BALLET

3515 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
202-362-3606
www.washingtonballet.org

• ALICE (in wonderland) — Fall down the rabbit hole with this vibrant production choreographed by TWB Artistic Director Edwaard Liang, complete with whimsical costumes and playful puppetry, accompanied on 4/26 by Alice’s Brunch: A Tipsy Turvy Tea Party (4/24-27, Capital One Hall)

WEINBERG CENTER FOR THE ARTS

20 W. Patrick St.
Frederick, Md.
301-600-2828
www.weinbergcenter.org

• The World Ballet Company: The Great Gatsby Ballet — Gorskaya-Hardwick Productions debuts this all-new Roaring ’20s ballet, based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s timeless novel, featuring a multinational cast of 40 dancers, hand-crafted costumes, lavish sets, and an original score (5/4)
• Center Stage: Enjoy Every Moment — Annual Recital Showcase Center Stage Performing Arts Academy presents its 8th annual recital showcasing their talented students (Shows A, B, C on 5/10, Shows D, E on 5/11)

WOLF TRAP

Filene Center
1551 Trap Road
Vienna, Va.
703-255-1900
www.wolftrap.org

• Mohan Sisters Live — The talented trio of Mohan sisters combine powerhouse singing and high-energy interpretations of Indian classical and hip-hop dance in a show with larger-than-life visuals, dazzling costumes, captivating choreography, and immense vocal talent (6/13, Filene Center)
• Maryland Youth Ballet: Cinderella — Ballet students bring to life this classic fairy tale of dreams and adventure (7/25-27, Theatre-in-the-Woods)
• Indigenous ACE & Anoli Dancers — Indigenous ACE (Arts, Culture, and Education) and the Anoli Dancers honor and share the rich traditions of the Indigenous people of North America through songs, dances, and stories (7/30, Theatre-in-the-Woods)
• Côté Danse: The Tragedy of Hamlet — Shakespeare’s tale of revenge, love, and madness danced by Toronto-based company Côté Danse, offering a fusion of theater and dance that combines the artistic visions of theater legend Robert Lepage and Côté Danse founder Guillaume Côté (9/17, Filene Center)