Our guide to dance performances happening this weekend and in the week ahead.
ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER at New York City Center (Nov. 28, 7 p.m.; through Dec. 30). In 1958, a small group of African-American dancers performed at the 92Y, and now, six decades later, that company is one of the largest and most popular modern dance troupes in the country. Ailey begins its annual monthlong winter season with a gala program on Wednesday celebrating its diamond anniversary. The program includes a new work by its artistic director, Robert Battle, and a performance of the company’s beloved signature dance, “Revelations,” featuring live music and a gospel choir. Still to come this season are works by Ronald K. Brown, Jessica Lang and a new two-act creation by the hip-hop choreographer Rennie Harris called “Lazarus,” inspired by Ailey’s life.
212-581-1212, nycitycenter.org
BARNARD/COLUMBIA DANCES at New York Live Arts (Nov. 29, 7:30 p.m.; through Dec. 1). The talented dance students of Barnard College and Columbia University once again head downtown to take the stage in Chelsea, as part of an ongoing Live Arts Plus Partner program. This year, they’ll present new works by David Dorfman, Amy Hall Garner and Adrienne Truscott, as well as choreography by Merce Cunningham in the form of a MinEvent, which is a series of excerpts from Cunningham’s pieces strung together to fit the performance space. That project is overseen by the former Cunningham dancers Jamie Scott (a Barnard alum) and Dylan Crossman.
212-924-0077, newyorklivearts.org
BODYSTORIES: TERESA FELLION DANCE at Triskelion Arts (Nov. 29-Dec. 1, 8 p.m.). Who doesn’t feel dispirited reading the headlines these days? But what do you do with those feelings? The choreographer Teresa Fellion wants to help you figure it out. In her new piece, “Reeling —> Healing,” Fellion deploys her alternately tender and dynamic movement while creating space for her dancers and audience members to collectively grapple with their existential despair using a homegrown concept she calls the “emotional architecture of a bridge.” This weighty work is paired with a lighter one called “The Warm-Up,” which highlights the performative aspects of stretching.
718-389-3473, triskelionarts.org
NEW YORK CITY BALLET at the David H. Koch Theater (Nov. 23, 8 p.m.; through Dec. 30). A New York holiday tradition returns as City Ballet embarks on another season of “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker.” That magical growing Christmas tree is as glorious as ever, and as usual, a rotating cast of the company’s top ballerinas, and some promising up-and-comers, take turns as the regal Sugar Plum Fairy. There are subtle recent changes as well, notably in Act II’s visit to the Land of Sweets, which the company has reworked to tone down long-ingrained cultural stereotypes.
212-496-0600, nycballet.com
SALLY SILVERS & DANCERS at Roulette (Nov. 29-Dec. 1, 8 p.m.). Imagine a team of superheroes converging on a desert island, except they all speak different languages and have to learn to communicate. Such is the premise of Silvers’s “Along,” which she calls a sci-fi “girl power adventure.” The superheroes here are a group of fantastic dancers, among them ubiquitous local talents like Melissa Toogood, Dylan Crossman and Cori Kresge, who are joined by an unlikely squad: three members of the Gotham Girls Roller Derby All-Stars. That unexpected mix allows for a broad range of movement styles, which is an ongoing interest for Silvers.
917-267-0368, roulette.org
LARISSA VELEZ-JACKSON at Abrons Arts Center (Nov. 29-30, 7:30 p.m.; through Dec. 8). This fall, Velez-Jackson taught a weekly dance-exercise class for residents of the Henry Street Settlement Senior Center on the Lower East Side. That experience has informed her latest piece, “Zapatografía/Shoegraphy,” which she calls a “community-based conceptual work” and which she created in collaboration with some of the seniors. The resulting solo explores the relationship between New York’s working-class residents and its experimental artists, which Velez-Jackson does using humor and a large collection of footwear.
866-811-4111, abronsartscenter.org
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