New York’s favorite dance festival features prestigious Black choreographers, performers, and companies: Here’s what I recommend

 

Less than a month ago, my thighs were adhering to benches in outdoor amphitheaters and I was trying to find ways to wait out a heatwave. Today, I’m packing pullovers in my daybag “just in case” and opting for outdoor dining. That chill in the air means both fall and Fall For Dance are around the corner. Tickets go on sale this Sunday and what I’ve learned about FFD is that preparation pays off. 5, 6, 7, 8! 

 

What is Fall For Dance? 

Officially, the Fall For Dance Festival “brings the best in dance from all over the world to your neighborhood, with every seat in the house still $30”. During the festival, New York City Center opens its doors for 10 performances spread across 12 days for less than the cost of bottomless brunch. Everyone in the building, orchestra to balcony, will pay the same admission with the best seats going to those who purchase first. The democracy of the flat price point is a pretty big deal in terms of arts access. Fall For Dance is as much for dance enthusiasts as it is for the uninitiated and, for many in the city, attending is an annual tradition. My friend and her now-husband have attended the festival together for more than 5 years. When my friend was pregnant last year, he went without her on the condition that he’d fill her in on what she missed every night.  

 

Let’s talk numbers and schedule. 

 

Each night of the festival features 3 dance acts that are grouped into line-ups called programs. There are 5 programs and each is performed on 2 consecutive days. Five different programs with two performances of each equals 10 total shows. 

 

The 3 acts within a single program are, in my experience, unrelated. The first year I attended, I saw ballet, hip-hop, and traditional Hawaiian dance all on the same night. Since each program is different, you need to know what you want to see and when you can see it before you start the purchasing process.

 

Performers & Performances to Watch

Since this is Black Star Reviews, I’ve done the background work to figure out which programs prominently feature Black creativity so that you can find the night that works for your schedule and your preference. Surely many of the dance companies employ Black dancers, but for the purposes of this list I’m focusing on works by Black choreographers and/or performances by historically Black dance companies.

 

Program 1 (Tues, 9/16 and Weds, 9/17)

Dance Is A Mother choreographed by Jamar Roberts

Jamar Roberts was the Resident Choreographer of Alvin Ailey Dance Theater from 2019 to 2022. He’s performed as a guest with the Royal Ballet in London and he’s been on the cover of Dance Magazine. Dance Is A Mother features five dancers, live vocals and a string quartet. This piece was performed at City Center earlier this year and you can watch a clip to see if it’s your vibe.

 

 

Program 2 (Thu, 9/18 and Fri, 9/19)

BY AND BY choreographed by Lil Buck

Lil Buck has brought “jooking” from his home in Memphis to stages across the world. If you can imagine combining pop-locking, moonwalking, and Jabbawocky-hands you’ve got a vague idea of what it entails, but when you layer in Buck going ‘en pointe’ in white Air Force Ones it becomes the kind of thing you need to see for yourself. You can see him dance at Fondation Louis Vuitton, the Kennedy Center, or a Vogue loft but I prefer the energy of this 2011 dance battle in a Memphis storefront. 

For FFD, Lil Buck will perform solo with musical accompaniment by Davóne Tines, a bass-baritone opera singer. Tines was one of four people who played the lead role of Oedipus in The Gospel at Colonus earlier this summer and his voice, like Buck’s moves, is best experienced first hand. His low notes boom and shake you like a subwoofer while his velvety tone slinks around the space. I have no idea what to expect when these two team up, but you can watch a clip of their collaborative process that also explains their choice to use the gospel song “By And By” just ahead of the world premiere at Vail Dance Festival in 2024.  

 

 

Program 3 (Sat, 9/20 and Sun, 9/21) 

The Missing Fruit (Part 1) choreographed by Roderick George

Last year, I saw Houston native Roderick George’s piece titled Venom. The dancers start under a disco ball in white skivvies, by the end no one is dancing and all that remains is the dirt-covered floor. Oral history voiceover, stripped-down dance music, and the vulnerability of human form combine to relay an interpretation of the way HIV/AIDS decimated queer communities in the 80s and 90s. Out of all the acts I saw across three programs last year, this one moved me most. 

City Center commissioned The Missing Fruit (Part 1) for the festival, which means it’s a world premiere performance. There are YouTube videos of Missing Fruit parts 1, 2, and 3 but I’m linking them here without watching because I want to experience the work in person.     

 

 

Program 5 (Fri, 9/26 and Sat, 9/27)

Grace choreographed by Ronald K. Brown

Grace, which was first performed by Alvin Ailey Dance Theater in 1999, also features a strong narrative drive. It tells the story of “individuals on a journey to the promised land” set to jazz by Duke Ellington, house music, and afrobeats by Fela Kuti. Grace is the first work Mr. Brown choreographed for AADT and has since produced six more pieces. You can see action shots of Grace on the Ailey website as well as a video preview of the performance. The Ailey team never disappoints and as a long-time AADT fan, I’m looking forward to seeing Grace for the first time.  

 

Getting Tickets

Tickets go on sale on Sunday, August 24th at 11:00am. There are two ways to buy tickets and each has an upside. Even though all the tickets are the same price, you are buying a ticket with a specific row and seat number. If you’re planning on going with friends, your best chance of sitting together is to have one person in charge of getting tix. Think of it like a (non-GA) concert ticket: you buy your seat and have your friend send you the money — rather than strategizing to buy adjacent seats separately.  

 

Buying Online

To buy online, you’ll go to the City Center website anytime between 9:30am and 11:00am to join a virtual waiting room. Everyone in the room by 11:00am will be assigned a random place in the queue; this means there’s no advantage to joining the waiting room at 9:30am vs. 10:59am. At 11:00am, you’ll wait your turn to make your purchase. Every seat will cost $30 and you can purchase tickets to multiple nights in a single transaction. The upside here is you can do it from anywhere. The downside is you don’t have any control over your spot in the line.

 

 

Buying In-Person

To buy in-person, you’ll go to the box office on 55th Street sometime before it opens at 11am. I’ve heard that the line can wrap around the block, but I’ve never seen it myself. At 11:00am, you’ll wait your turn to make your purchase. Every seat will cost $23 (since you won’t have to pay the $7 online handling fee) and you can purchase tickets to multiple nights in a single transaction. The box office attendant will have a laminated seat map to show you what area you’ve purchased. The upside here is that you’re saving $7 on every ticket and that adds up. Let’s talk numbers again, if you went to all 5 nights you’d pay $115 at the box office versus $150 online. You could use the $35 you save to buy concessions, or a ticket for a friend, or something even more responsible. The downside is that it will cut into your Sunday plans. 

 

Last Words

This year, I’m going to try buying in-person for the first time because I’m prioritizing thrift. If you’re really serious about getting a good seat, there’s nothing to stop you from standing in line on 55th Street and joining the virtual waiting room at the same time. You also don’t have to purchase the first day the tickets go on sale. You can visit the box office or buy online at any time between now and the festival if you’re flexible with what days you’re free and where you sit.     

 

In close, these are all the things I wish I’d known before the first time I attended the Fall for Dance Festival (and the work I wish someone else would do for me so I know which programs to see). If this guide was helpful for you, let me know! If you’re new here, I hope you’ll consider joining the mailing list. Let’s get dancing (from our seats)!  

 

blacklove 🖤 and starlight 🌟 

 

The 22nd Fall For Dance Festival will take place from September 16-27, 2025 at New York City Center in Midtown. Tickets for Fall For Dance will go on sale on Sunday, August 24th at 11am via in-person box office and online. Tickets purchased online are $30 (inclusive of fees) and tickets purchased in-person are $23 (inclusive of fees).