DanceAfrica at BAM tops this month’s calendar. Celebrating the 49th year as the nation’s largest festival of African dance and culture, the Memorial Day Weekend festivities (May 22-28) will include performances, films, dance classes, and community events. Under Artistic Director Abdel R. Salaam, Uganda is the focus for DanceAfrica 2026, with the theme “Uganda: Umoja/Mirembe/Obulungi!” Uganda’s Ndere Troupe returns to BAM following previous visits in 2001 and 2007, joined by Asase Yaa African American Dance Theater, celebrating their 25th anniversary, The DanceAfrica Spirit Walkers, and The Billie’s Youth Arts Academy Dance Ensemble.
“I am honored to share more of these ancient dances and songs, mixed with shades of contemporary visions of East Africa, vis-à-vis the spirited artistry of the Ndere Troupe,” said Salaam. “Following the success of bringing East Africa’s The Song & Dance Company of Mozambique in 2025, we traveled to Uganda to bring more of the best from this region to our audience. After spending time with Ndere Troupe, we felt the joy and impassioned commitment to their culture and tradition as it aligned with the resurgence of their traditional African identity in Uganda.” For more information, visit bam.org.
STILL RUNNING:
Apr. 9 – May 10: For the 21st annual La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival, at La MaMa’s Ellen Stewart Theatre, The Downstairs Theatre, and The Club and Community Arts Space, dance artists at all stages of their careers will experiment, collaborate, and share new work. Curated by Nicky Paraiso, the festival will include 12 productions across La MaMa’s four venues, and up to four in-person community workshops and public discussions. For more information, visit lamama.org.
Apr. 30: At List Hall at The Met Opera, “Swans of Harlem” is a conversation on carrying legacy forward, exploring Karen Valby’s “The Swans of Harlem,” which chronicles the untold stories of five Black ballerinas of Dance Theatre of Harlem. This event is free. For more information, visit https://www.lincolncenter.org/
Apr. 30 – May 2: EMERGE125 celebrates ten years under Artistic Director Tiffany Rea-Fisher at El Museo del Barrio. On the program are new works by Rea-Fisher and collaborators. For more info, visit emerge125.org.
Apr. 30 – May 2: At Trisk, Dorchel Haqq will present “the underscore,” “an immersive physical theatre work…offering a lens into the Black fragility, Afropessimism, Afrofuturism, and more,” notes the release. For more info, visit triskelionarts.org.
ALSO THIS MONTH:
May 1 – 2: Miro Magloire’s New Chamber Ballet will be at Mark Morris Dance Center with “Horizon,” a program of short ballets. For more information, visit https://www.newchamberballet.com/
May 2: Kizuna Dance, part of CUNY Dance Initiative, under Artistic Director Cameron McKinney, will present repertory works inspired by different aspects of the Japanese language and culture. For more information, visit https://www.kizunadance.com/
May 2: Join Rokafella aka La Roka NYC and DJ KS360 for a night of hip hop, live music, and soul at Bronxlandia in Hunts Point with artwork curated by Graffiti Hall of Fame and more. For more information, visit eventbrite.com.
May 3: At Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels’ “Spring is Blooming” presentation at Rockefeller Center, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham and Pam Tanowitz will be featured. For more information, visit vancleefarpels.com.
May 7 – 9: Jamal Jackson Dance Company will present “Adultification,” which looks at “racial bias in which people perceive Black children as older and less innocent than other children,” notes the release. Find out more at jamaljacksondancecompany.org.
May 7 – 9: In “RISE,” the Sa Dance Company fuses Indian classical and folk traditions with contemporary storytelling. For more information, visit sadancecompany.com.
May 8 – 10: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to New Jersey Performing Arts Center for the annual Mother’s Day weekend tradition with “Jazz Island” by Maija García, “Embrace” by Fredrick Earl Mosley, “Difference Between” by Matthew Neenan, “Song of the Anchorite” by Jamar Roberts, “Blink of an Eye” by Medhi Walerski, and Alvin Ailey’s “Revelations.” For more information, visit njpac.org.
May 9: Orlando Hernández & The Knee-Heart Connection, part of the CUNY Dance Initiative, will offer a work-in-progress showing of “Part III of Too soon to discover planets, too late to discover islands.” The performances are free with rsvp at eventbrite.com.
May 14: Leonard Davis Center for the Performing Arts presents Gerson Lanza in “To Dance Is To Be Free,” blending tap, live music, and spoken word at Aaron Davis Hall. For more information, visit https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/ldcpa
May 15 – 16: In celebration of Asian American Heritage Month, the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company will present a special tribute honoring and reviving Nai-Ni Chen’s “Du” and more at The CitiGroup Theatre. For more information, visit nainichen.org.
May 16: The annual Dance Parade returns with 10,000+ dancers, DJs, and live bands representing more than 150 dance organizations and 100+ styles. This year’s Grand Marshals are Joan Myers Brown, Timmy Regisford, Christine Jowers, and Jeff Selby. For more information, visit danceparade.org.
May 17: Each “Sundays on Broadway” performance is a unique, one-time-only event, curated by Cathy Weis with co-curators David Guzman and Zo Williams. Lysis, Luis Lara Malvacías, and Sakura Shimada share an evening. For more information, visit cathyweis.org.
May 19 – 24: “Tap City” comes to The Joyce, with the annual festivities under the American Tap Dance Foundation. Founder Tony Waag celebrates tap across generations, styles, and artistic visions with performances and more. For more information, visit joyce.org.
May 21 – 23: White Wave Dance, under artistic director Young Soon Kim, will present the current version of the “Here NOW series – Here NOW So Long.” For more information, visit whitewavedance.org.
May 28 – 30: Elinor Kleber Diggs and Kimie Parker share an evening at Trisk in “Split Bill.” Diggs will present the solo “Crimson,” performed by Bryanna Strickland, and Parker, “meet me in the lake, my swan,” a duet with kira shiina. For more information, visit triskelionarts.org.