New York Latin Dance is both dance theatre and social dancing.
Most Latin dance is social. In traditional communities, dance is an expression of family, faith, community and love.
Dance is prayer in Indigenous and African Diaspora communities. Even if we’re not religious anymore, traditions pass down through families.
African Diaspora dance is having a renaissance. We call it “The Harlem Renaissance 3.0”
New York’s “big four” dance companies are:
New York’s big dance theaters include:
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DANCE THEATERS
DANCE COMPANIES
- Ballet Hispánico. 🇨🇺🇲🇽🇵🇷
- Ballet Nepantla 🇲🇽
- Cali Salsa Pal Mundo 🇨🇴
- Calpulli Mexican Dance Company 🇲🇽
- Dzul Dance 🇲🇽
- Flamenco Latino
DANCE FESTIVALS
DANCE PRESENTERS
- Hostos Center 🇵🇷
- Little Island
- Lehman Center 🇵🇷
- On Stage at Kingsborough
- Purchase College
- Robert Browning Associates
- Schimmel Center
- World Music Institute
DANCE GEAR
- Menkes Theatrical Shoes 🇪🇸
- Worldtone Dance
New York Latin Dance Features
Complexions Contemporary Ballet Dances the Purchase College Performing Arts Center
Saturday, February 4, 2023
PURCHASE COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Purchase, New York
🇺🇸 🇨🇴 🇮🇹
Continue Reading Complexions Contemporary Ballet Dances the Purchase College Performing Arts Center
The Lunar New Year Parade NYC 2023 Has Dragons Dance Through Manhattan Chinatown to the Lower East Side
Sunday, February 12, 2023
MOTT, EAST BROADWAY, FORSYTH
Manhattan Chinatown to the Lower East Side
🇨🇳🇰🇭🇰🇷🇰🇵🇯🇵🇲🇳🇵🇭🇸🇬🇹🇼🇹🇭
Latin Mondays at Taj is One of NYC’s Most Popular Salsa Dances
Mondays
TAJ II LOUNGE
Flatiron District, Manhattan
🇵🇪
Continue Reading Latin Mondays at Taj is One of NYC’s Most Popular Salsa Dances
New York City Ballet Winter 2023 Season Brings New Justin Peck and Classic Sleeping Beauty to Lincoln Center
Tue-Sun, January 17 – February 26, 2023
DAVID H KOCH THEATER
Lincoln Center
Tango La Nacional is NYC’s Most Traditional Tango Dance
Thursdays
LA NACIONAL
Chelsea, Manhattan
🇦🇷
Continue Reading Tango La Nacional is NYC’s Most Traditional Tango Dance
Nélida Tirado Dances Flamenco at Chelsea Table And Stage
Saturday, January 28, 2023
CHELSEA TABLE AND STAGE
Chelsea
🇪🇸🇵🇷
Continue Reading Nélida Tirado Dances Flamenco at Chelsea Table And Stage
The El Destino Milonga is Popular with Good Tango Dancers
Sundays
SOLAS
East Village, Manhattan
🇦🇷🇺🇾
Continue Reading The El Destino Milonga is Popular with Good Tango Dancers
Dance Theatre of Harlem Bids Farewell to Artistic Director Virginia Johnson at New York City Center
Wednesday-Sunday, April 19-23, 2023
NEW YORK CITY CENTER
Midtown, Manhattan
🌍🇺🇸🇧🇷🇨🇺🇭🇹
New York Latin Dance News
January 2023
Ballet Nepantla is holding an open call dancer audition at New York City Center Studios in Midtown, NYC on Sunday, January 8, 2023 at 3pm. 🇲🇽
PUBLIC THEATER’s UNDER THE RADAR FESTIVAL
“KLII,” Kaneza Schaal’s exorcism of the colonial ghost of Belgian King Leopold II; is at Chelsea Factory in Chelsea, NYC; on January 9, 11-14, 18-22, 2023. From $37. 🇧🇮🇨🇩🇨🇬🇷🇼
The 7th American Dance Platform, is an African American dance showcase, curated by Ronald K. Brown; that features Les Ballet Afrik, B Moore Dance, and Waheedworks; at the Joyce Theater in Chelsea, NYC; from January 10-15, 2023. 🇺🇸
Bárbara Martínez sings and dances New York Argentine, Venezuelan, Spanish flamenco at Flamenco Tuesdays at Sala Astoria, a Spanish restaurant in Astoria, Queens, on Tuesday, January 10, 17, & 24, 2023 at 7pm. 🇦🇷🇻🇪🇪🇸
PUBLIC THEATER’S UNDER THE RADAR FESTIVAL
“Moby Dick” by Plexus Polaire; a live puppet play about the great white whale; is at NYU Skirball in Greenwich Village, NYC; on January 12-14, 2023. $40. 🇫🇷
The Hong Kong Ballet dances Septime Webre’s “Romeo + Juliet”; at New York City Center in Midtown, Manhattan; Friday-Saturday, January 13-14, 2023. The Shakespeare classic is set in 1960s Hong Kong with kung fu instead of swordplay. Being a universal story, it works everywhere. People are people. From $45. 🇭🇰
Baye & Asa “HotHouse” is a new commission of African and hip-hop dance; at Pioneer Works in Red Hook, Brooklyn; Saturday, January 14, 2023 at 8pm (7pm doors), and Sunday, January 15 at 6:30pm (5:30pm doors). $36. 🇺🇸
The New York City Ballet Winter 2023 Season brings new Peck, the mystical “Firebird,” and a classically grand “The Sleeping Beauty” to the David H Koch Theater in Lincoln Center, Tuesday-Sunday, January 17 – February 26, 2023.
Grammy-winners Third Coast Percussion Movement Art, featuring Cameron Murphy and Lil Buck, premiere new work in “Metamorphosis” to contemporary classical music by Philip Glass, Jlin and Tyondai Braxton; in Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall; on Friday, January 20, 2023 at 7:30pm. 🇺🇸
Natalia Osipova Force of Nature, one of the world’s top ballerinas of her generation, dances a night of classic solos and duets from the ballet repertoire and a new contemporary ballet piece “Ashes” by her and Jason Kittleberger; at New York City Center in Midtown, Manhattan; on Saturday, January 21, 2023 at 8pm. A percentage of proceeds will be donated to the Ukrainian Relief Effort. From $55. 🇷🇺🇺🇦
Bárbara Martínez performs Spanish flamenco; at Mercado Little Spain in Hudson Yards, NYC; on Thursday, January 26, 2023 at 6pm. 🇪🇸🇦🇷🇻🇪
Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company celebrates Lunar New Year 2023 Year of the Water Rabbit; with dancers, acrobats, and musicians at Hostos Center Main Theater in Mott Haven, The Bronx; on Saturday, January 28, 2023 at 3pm. $12.
Award-winning, New York Puerto Rican flamenco choreographer Nélida Tirado dances at Chelsea Table and Stage in Chelsea, NYC; on Saturday, January 28, 2023, at 7pm. From $29. 🇪🇸🇵🇷
February 2023
Complexions Contemporary Ballet performs “Woke” (2019), and “Love Rocks” (2020) to Lenny Kravitz; at the Purchase College Performing Arts Center in Purchase, New York (next to White Plains); on Saturday, February 4, 2023 at 8pm. From $14. 🇺🇸 🇨🇴 🇮🇹
The 25th Lunar New Year Parade NYC 2023 has dragons dancing through Manhattan Chinatown to the Lower East Side on Sunday, February 12, 2023 at 1pm. FREE! 🇨🇳🇰🇭🇰🇷🇰🇵🇯🇵🇲🇳🇵🇭🇸🇬🇹🇼🇹🇭🇺🇸
March 2023
Maurya Kerr (Alonzo King LINES Ballet, ODC) from the Bay Area, brings her contemporary dance to the 92nd Street Y Buttenwieser Hall in Manhattan’s Upper East Side; on Thursday-Friday, March 9-10, 2023. From $20. 🇺🇸
The Flamenco Festival New York 2023 features living legend Sara Baras “Alma” (soul); at New York City Center in Central Midtown, Manhattan; on Thursday-Saturday, March 23-26, 2023. From $45. 🇪🇸
April 2023
The 3rd Future Dance Festival 2023 is at the 92nd Street Y in the Upper East Side, Friday-Saturday, April 14-15, 2023. 92ny.org
The New York City Ballet Spring 2023 Season is at the David H Koch Theater in Lincoln Center, April 18 – May 28, 2023. Tickets went on sale on Monday, August 8, 2022. 🇧🇷🇵🇷🇪🇸
Dance Theatre of Harlem presents New York premieres by William Forsythe and Tiffany Rea-Fisher, George Balanchine’s “Allegro Brillante,” and works by Resident Choreographer Robert Garland at New York City Center in Midtown, Manhattan, Wednesday-Sunday, April 19-23, 2023. From $35. 🌍🇺🇸🇧🇷🇨🇺🇭🇹
International Dance Day is Saturday, April 29, 2023.
May 2023
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performs modern dance at Prudential Hall in Newark, New Jersey, May 12-14, 2023.
The 17th Dance Parade and Festival is Saturday, May 20, 2023 from 12 noon – 7pm.
The BIG Salsa Festival New York 2023 is a salsa and bachata dance festival at the New York Hilton Midtown over Memorial Day Weekend, Thursday-Monday, May 25-29, 2023. 🇨🇴🇨🇺🇩🇴🇵🇷
The 46th DanceAfrica 2023 festival brings the National Dance Company of Ghana, DanceAfrica Spirit Walkers and the RestorationArt Dance You🇬🇭th Ensemble to the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) in Fort Greene, over Memorial Day Weekend, Fri-Mon, May May 26-29, 2023. From $25. 🇺🇸
June 2023
[To be updated]
The Queensboro Dance Festival is throughout Queens, June through October. queensboroughdancefestival.com
[To be updated]
The Jamaica Dance Festival is in Rufus King Park, Jamaica, Queens on Saturdays in June, 2023. thejamaicadancefestival.com
[To be updated]
The 2022 Drums Along the Hudson Native American and Multicultural festival was at Inwood Hill Park in Inwood, Manhattan on Sunday, June 5, 2022. drumsalongthehudson.org
[To be updated]
The Hudson River Dance Festival was at Pier 63 in Hudson River Park in Chelsea, Wed-Thu, June 8-9, 2022 at 7pm. hudsonriverpark.org
[To be updated]
The 2022 Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Summer Season was at the David H Koch Theater in Lincoln Center June 15-19, 2022.
[To be updated]
2022 NYC Dance Week was June 16-25, 2022.
The American Ballet Theatre Summer Season is at the Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln Center, June 22 – July 22, 2023. 🇦🇷
The 91st Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival is in Becket, Massachusetts, June 28 – August 27, 2023. jacobspillow.org
July 2023
Argentine ballerina Paloma Herrera (former ABT Principal) leads a Kaatsbaan Ballet Intensive with teachers including Martine van Halem (former ABT Principal) and Kevin McKenzie (former ABT Artistic Director), upstate at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park in Tivoli, New York, from July 3 – August 26, 2023. kaatsbaan.org
Ballet Nepantla’s 4th Annual Gala is at 26 Bridge in DUMBO, Brooklyn; on Friday, July 14, 2023 at 7pm. 🇲🇽
[To be updated]
Little Island’s Music & Dance Festival 2022 was at Little Island in Hudson River Park off the Meatpacking District, July 20-31, 2022. $25/$45. 🇺🇸🇦🇹🇨🇺🇮🇳🇵🇷🇪🇸
August 2023
[To be updated]
The 41st Battery Dance Festival 2022 was in Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park in Battery Park City with a closing event at Schimmel Center, August 13-20, 2022. Free with a ticketed closing event. 🌍🇧🇷🇨🇦🇨🇫🇮🇳🇲🇽🇵🇷🇷🇴🇪🇸🇺🇸
[To be updated]
The 2nd BAAND Together Dance Festival 2022 was at Damrosch Park in Lincoln Center, Tuesday-Saturday, August 9-13, 2022. 🇦🇷🇨🇺🇨🇴🇩🇴🇲🇽🇵🇷🇺🇸
September 2023
The 21st New York Salsa Congress 2023 is at the NY Marriot Marquis in Times Square; over Labor Day Weekend, Thursday-Monday, August 31 – September 4, 2023.
National Dance Day is Saturday, September 16, 2023.
[To be updated]
The 19th Fall For Dance Festival was at New York City Center in Midtown, Manhattan, September 21 – October 2, 2022. $20. Tickets went on sale on Sunday, August 28, 2022 at 11am. 🇩🇿🇦🇷🇧🇷🇫🇷🇮🇳🇳🇱🇵🇹🇪🇸🇺🇦🇺🇸
[To be updated]
2022 New York City Ballet’s George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker tickets went on sale on September 26, 2022 at 12pm.
October 2023
[To be updated]
The American Ballet Theatre 2023 Fall Season is likely in October (October 20-30, 2022).
November 2023
World Ballet Day is a streaming behind-the scenes look at a day in the life of a ballet company including American Ballet Theater, Alvin Ailey American Dance Company, and many leading global ballet companies on Thursday, November 2, 2023.
UNESCO’s International Flamenco Day is Thursday, November 16, 2023. 🇪🇸
[To be confirmed]
The Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular is at Radio City Music Hall in Midtown almost daily, Friday, November 18, 2023 – Monday, January 1, 2024.
[To be confirmed]
New York City Ballet’s George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker is at the David H Koch Theater in Lincoln Center; from Friday, November 24 to Saturday, December 30, 2023.
December 2023
The Bessies, or New York Dance and Performance Awards were in December last year (Friday, December 16, 2022).
New York Dance Companies
- Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is the African American dance company that popularized modern dance around the world. 🇺🇸
- American Ballet Theatre is a traditional ballet company that is a leader in diversity.
- Ayodele Casel is one of the great tap dancers of her generation. 🇵🇷
- Ballet Hispánico is a contemporary dance company with a New York Mexican Puerto Rican founder, and a New York Cuban artistic director. 🇨🇺🇲🇽🇵🇷
- Ballet Nepantla is an award-winning, contemporary dance company that explores cultural in-between-ness by dancing Mexican folklore as contemporary ballet. 🇲🇽
- Cali Salsa Pal Mundo is a salsa dance company that brings Cali, Colombia’s salsa culture to New York. 🇨🇴
- Calpulli Mexican Dance Company 🇲🇽
- Dance Theatre of Harlem 🇺🇸
- Dorrance Dance is a popular New York tap dance company.
- Dzul Dance is a Mexican Mayan circus dance company. dzuldance.org 🇲🇽
- Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana flamenco 🇪🇸
- Limón Dance Company 🇲🇽
- Mark Morris Dance Group is a modern dance company. markmorrisdancegroup.org
- Nélida Tirado Puerto Rican flamenco 🇵🇷
- New York City Ballet is a neoclassical ballet company that is the legacy of George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins.
- Paul Taylor Dance Company is a modern dance company. paultaylordance.org
- Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE
- Soledad Barrio & Noche Flamenca Spanish flamenco 🇪🇸
Visiting Dance Companies
- Fouad Boussouf: Näss Moroccan contemporary, hip-hop, folk dance. 🇫🇷🇲🇦
Fouad Boussouf: Näss blends hip-hop, contemporary dance with traditional Moroccan dance in their debut at the Joyce Theater in Chelsea, Manhattan, Tuesday-Sunday, October 18-23, 2022. From $10. 🇫🇷🇲🇦
New York Dance Theaters
- Chelsea Factory
- David H Koch Theater
- Joyce Theater
- New York Live Arts
- Metropolitan Opera House
- New York City Center
New York Dance Presenters
These theaters present some dance.
- On Stage at Kingsborough is a college performing arts center.
New York Dance Festivals
- BAAND Together
- BIG Salsa Festival is a Memorial Day Weekend salsa and bachata dance festival. 🇵🇷
- City Center Dance Festival
- Dance Film Festival
- Dance on Camera film festival
- Fall For Dance
- Flamenco Festival brings top dancers from Spain to New York. 🇪🇸
- International Dance Day is Apr 29.
- Little Island Music & Dance Festival presents New York artists on a Hudson River Pier.
- Harkness Dance Festival
- Mobile Dance Film Festival
- National Dance Week is April 14-23, 2023.
- New York Dance Festival (ballroom competition) nydancefestival.com
- New York Salsa Congress is a Labor Day Weekend salsa dance festival. 🇵🇷
New York Latin Dance Parties
- El Destino is an Argentine Tango milonga. 🇦🇷 🇫🇷 🇺🇾
- Talia Castro’s Latin Mondays at Taj has been one of NYC’s most popular Latin dance parties for over 15 years. 🇨🇴🇨🇺🇩🇴🇵🇷🇵🇦🇵🇪🇻🇪
- Tango La Nacional is NYC’s most traditional Argentine Tango milonga. 🇦🇷🇫🇷🇺🇾
New York Latin Dance Clubs
- Avant Gardner: House
- Bembé: Latin
- Club Cache: Latin
- Elsewhere: House
- Marquee: House
- Swing 46: Swing
New York Latin Dance Studios
- Alvin Ailey School and Ailey Extension is one of NYC’s leading dance and social dance schools. 🇺🇸
- Baila Society bailasociety.com
- Ballroom Basix is Sidney Grant’s youth dance program. ballroombasix.com
- Emmanuel Pierre-Antoine is Haitian Emmanuel Pierre-Antoine’s dance studio. epadancestudionyc.com 🇭🇹
- Lorenz Latin Dance Studio lorenzdancestudio.com
- New York Tango School is Jon Tariq’s Argentine Tango studio. tangoschool.nyc 🇹🇷🇦🇷
- Nieves Dance Studio nievesdancestudio.com
- Piel Canela pielcaneladancers.com
- Sensual Bachata is popular with Eastern Europeans. sensualbachatanewyork.com
- Strictly Tango NYC is Sergio Sergura’s Argentine Tango studio. learnargentinetango.com 🇦🇷
- Triangulo is Carina Moeller’s Argentine Tango studio. It has a more European perspective. tangonyc.com 🇩🇪🇦🇷
- You Should Be Dancing has a younger Tango crowd led by Adam Hoopengardner and Ciko Tanik. youshouldbedancing.nyc 🇹🇷🇦🇷
Bronx
- Balmir Dance Society is a Latin and Afro dance school. balmir.com
- Nieves Dance Studio nievesdancestudio.com
- Yamulee Dance School yamulee.com
Brooklyn
- Cumbe is a center for African and Diaspora dance in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. cumbedance.org 🇺🇸
- Dance Fever Studios is in Brooklyn. dancefeverstudios.com
- Nieves Dance Studio nievesdancestudio.com
Queens
- Nieves Dance Studio nievesdancestudio.com
- Sol Dance Center is in Astoria, Queens. soldancecenter.com
About New York Latin Dance
In traditional cultures, dance is an expression of family, faith, community and love. It is how we pray, so everyone dances. Dance is the core of traditional Latin communities. In the colonial context, preserving your heritage is a form of resistance. Even today, dance marks important steps in life’s journey.
Ballet is a Latin dance. It’s an Italian court dance traditionally set to classical music, that developed in France.
Music and dance are two sides of the same coin.
American ballet and modern dance, largely developed in New York City. It takes two to tango, so NYC played key roles in the development of Argentine tango, twice. Lindy Hop Swing is from Harlem. Tap dance matured in New York City during the vaudeville years and is having a renaissance. Salsa on 2, hip-hop, and urban bachata are from The Bronx.
Latin bachata, ballet, bomba, cumbia, flamenco, folk, hip-hop, jazz, merengue, plena, perreo, rumba, salsa, samba, seis, tango, and timba