This year’s Black history dance calendar finds dance everywhere all month. Featured is Roderick George’s kNoname Artist at New York Live Arts, Feb. 12 -14. George brings the North American premiere of “The Grave’s Tears,” a full-length work that expands on themes first explored in “Venom” (2024). “The Grave’s Tears” takes “a deeper and more expansive look at the psychological toll of systemic oppression and the hatred directed toward the LGBTQIA+ community.
Begun with seven male dancers, the work centers queer bodies as vessels of memory — sites where grief, resistance, intimacy, and survival coexist. Drawing from the liberatory spirit of the Disco era, ‘The Grave’s Tears’ reflects on a time when joy, music, and collective celebration became radical acts of defiance for queer communities forced to the margins. As gay men were alienated from society — denied safety, visibility, and institutional care — they built refuge through chosen family, physical closeness, and shared movement. Love emerged not as sentiment, but as a necessary practice of survival,” notes the release. For George, “The Grave’s Tears” is “a love letter to gay men.” For more information visit newyorklivearts.org.
STILL RUNNING:
Jan. 27-Feb. 8: Soledad Barrio & Noche Flamenca return to The Joyce with “Irrationalities,” “ … drawing connections to Sophocles’s ‘Women of Trachis’ and to the films of Federico Fellini — the work creates a bridge between Romantic-era Spanish horror and Italian cinematic surrealism,” according to the release. For more information visit joyce.org.
ALSO THIS MONTH:
Feb. 1: Celebrate the Lunar New Year of the Horse with Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company at Kupferberg Center for the Arts as they blend ancient Chinese traditions with contemporary movement. For more information visit kupferbergcenter.org.
Feb. 6-7: Miro Magloire returns to the Mark Morris Dance Center with his New Chamber Ballet in “Stargazing” (2024) and the company’s signature, in-the-round style with the audience seated on all sides of the stage, plus live music. For more information visit newchamberballet.com.
Feb. 7: As part of the CUNY Dance Initiative, The NEW Jack Cole Dancers’ CLUB ACT will offer an evening of jazz dance and music taking audiences on a journey via a mid-century Jazz club that is a 21st century homage to dance pioneer Jack Cole. For more information visit lpac.nyc.
Feb. 8: At Hostos Center, Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company continues their Lunar New Year celebration for audiences of all ages and cultural backgrounds. For more information visit hostos.cuny.edu.
Feb. 12: The choreographer and director, Camille A. Brown brings her “I AM,” which deepens her explorations of Black joy to PEAK Performances. Featured will be Camille A. Brown & Dancers plus live and original music. For more information visit peakperfs.org.
Feb. 12: Nazareth Hassan curates “Open Studios” at CPR with Garrett Allen, Matthew Jamal and Liana Zhen-ai. For more information visit cprnyc.org.
Feb. 14-15: Follow Nai-Ni Chen as they continue to celebrate the Year of the Horse at New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC). For more information visit njpac.org.
Feb. 21: As part of the “What Flows Between Us” program at 92NY,
Kathak artist, educator, arts activist, and 92NY Artist in Residence Rachna Nivas curates a day-long celebration of Indian classical dance and music. The day will include community gatherings with morning and afternoon performances by musicians and dancers, traditional food, and space for togetherness across generations, leading up to the New York premiere of “SPEAK” — a collaboration between Nivas, Fulbright scholar Rukhmani Mehta, MacArthur Fellow Michelle Dorrance, and tap legend Dormeshia. For more information visit 92ny.org.