Heading up this month’s calendar is Paloma McGregor’s Angela’s Pulse/Dancing While Black at BAAD! (May 3-May 5) in celebration of their fifth anniversary. A full weekend of events is planned: May 3—Dancing While Black comes together with Bronx youth and families in their home for the past five years; May 4—A shared evening of works by current DWB fellows, Alethea Pace, J. Bouey, Jasmine Hearn, Kayla Hamilton, NIC Kay and Shelby Felton; May 5— “A Long Table,” curated by Eva Yaa Asantewaa; film screenings by Gabri Christa; and performances by Bronx youth, special guest artists and a dance party. McGregor launched DWB, “an artist-led initiative that supports the diverse work of Black dance artists by cultivating platforms for process, performance, dialogue and documentation” in 2012, notes the release. Also in 2012, BAAD! hosted the very first DWB event, and after five years of continuous partnership, both artist-run programs have come together again for this momentous celebration. For more information, visit
ALSO THIS MONTH
May 1-May 4—At The Joyce Theater, Kyle Abraham and his company, A.I.M. (formerly Abraham.InMotion), offers two programs of works by Andrea Miller, Bebe Miller and Doug Varone, plus Abraham’s “Meditation” (world premiere), his first solo work in nearly a decade, “INDY” and the revival of “Drive.” For more information, visit
May 2-May 5—Harlem Stage’s dance series E-Moves returns, featuring works by three contemporary African choreographers: Nora Chipaumire (Zimbabwe), Lacina Coulibaly (Burkina Faso) and Ousmane Wiles (Senegal). For more information, visit
May 2-May 5—At Abrons Arts Center, Mariangela Lopez will premiere the evening-length “RAPHAEL,” made with collaborators Laurel Atwell, Anna Azrieli and Mor Mendel, along with composer Jason Grisell, who performs live. For more information, visit www.abronsartscenter.org
May 3-May 26—The Boogie Down Dance Series, BAAD!’s signature monthlong celebration of dance, returns with Dancing While Black’s fifth anniversary events (May 3-May 5), the Itinerant Performance Art Festival (May 22), Dance Your Future: Artists & Mentor – Collaborative Mentorship, presented by Pepatián and BAAD!, and Dancin’ in the Bronx (May 26), with works created by artists from the Bronx and beyond. For more information, visit
May 6—For one-afternoon-only, Ephrat “Bounce” Asherie and her company, Ephrat Asherie Dance, will offer a sneak peek into the making of her new work, “Odeon,” where she and the dancers “…explore what happens when dances from the African Diaspora… intersect and remix with the music of Brazilian composer Ernesto Nazarethas,” according to the release. This event is part of Works & Process, the performing arts series at the Guggenheim. For more information, visit
May 6—Earl Mosley’s Diversity of Dance offers up “Rise Up – A Salon Showing,” aimed at supporting curated rental opportunities for the dance community at Gibney Dance Center. For more information, visit
May 7-May 21—Movement Research at Judson continues their free, ongoing, Monday night performance series of experimentation and works-in-progress with Kim Brandt, Marion Spencer, Alexandra Tatarsky, Jana (JL) Lynne Umipig (May 7); J. Bouey, mayfield brooks, Courtney Krantz, Kate Watson-Wallace (May 14); and J. Bailey Allshouse, Lorene M. Bouboushian and Keith Hennessy (May 21). For more information, visit
May 8-May 13—The Limón Dance Company returns to The Joyce Theater with the revival of Limón’s “Missa Brevis” (1958) and “The Unsung” (1970) for an all-male cast; the premiere of Artistic Director Colin Connor’s “The Body Is a House Without Walls,” for an all-female cast; and three commissioned works by Rosie Herrera, Adam Baruch and Yin Yue. For more information, visit www.joyce.org.
May 10-May 13—As part of Soaking WET at The West End Theatre, on a shared program, is Joya Powell, Rebecca Lazier and Garnet Henderson. For more information, visit www.thebanggroup.com
May 10-June 3—The monthlong series La Mama Moves! returns with 11 companies and nine performances, including a shared bill with Parijat Desai, Paz Tanjuaquio and Angie Pittman. (May 17-May18), Jonathan Gonzalez (May 19-May 20), Anabella Lenzu (May 30-May 31), Ni’Ja Whitson (June 1-June 2) and so much more. New this year will be two off-site events: panel discussions about artists and cultural identity, and screenings of rarely seen films. For more information, visit www.lamama.org.
May 11-May 13—This Mother’s Day weekend marks the 20th annual celebration by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at NJPAC. This year’s lineup includes Jamar Roberts’ “Members Don’t Get Weary,” Artistic Director Robert Battle’s “Mass,” Jawole Willa Jo Zollar’s “Shelter,” audience favorites by Alvin Ailey including “Night Creatures,” the signature “Revelations” and so much more. For more information, visit
May 15-May 20—At BAM Fisher, Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana celebrates its 35th anniversary season with the New York premiere of “Mujeres Valientes” by Belén Maya, and dances by three up-and-coming choreographers from Spain: Emilio Ochando, José Maldonado and Guadalupe Torres. For more information, visit
May 17-May 19—Break dance veteran Gabriel “Kwikstep” Dionisio and street dance matriarch Ana “Rokafella” Garcia of Full Circle Souljahs will premiere “Boxed In” their latest hip-hop theater piece, which “…follows the journey of five artists—a b-boy, two ballerinas, a DJ and a pianist—navigating the limitations of achieving success in their chosen form, and going ‘outside the box’ to try new sounds, new moves and new ideas,” according to the release. For more information, visit
May 19—Following this year’s theme, “The Cabaret of Life!,” join more than 10,000 dancers, DJs and live bands for the annual NYC Dance Parade, this year led by grand marshals Camille A. Brown, Mickela Mallozzi, New York City Council Member Rafael Espinal and DJ Doc Martin. For more information, visit www.danceparade.org.
May 25-May 28—Under Artistic Director Abdel R. Salaam, DanceAfrica, BAM’s longest continuous program and one of its most beloved, returns for the 41st year under the theme, “Remembrance, Reconciliation and Renewal.” This year’s lineup includes South Africa’s Ingoma Kwazulu Natal Dance Company, the Durban-based Siwela Sonke Dance Theatre and BAM/Restoration Dance Youth Ensemble. This year’s program also honors the centennial of Nelson Mandela’s birth. For more information, visit www.bam.org.