JUNE 6 (8 PM) – 7 (7 PM): DANCE NOW BOSTON
The Dance Complex, at 536 Mass. Ave. in Cambridge brings to their stage this annual showcase event that was launched more than a decade ago by New York-based dance-makers David Parker and Jeffrey Kazin, founders of The Bang Group. The Bang Group is a contemporary, rhythm-driven dance company directed by choreographer David Parker and dancer/director Jeffrey Kazin. Dance Now Boston generates lasting relationships between Boston and New York dance artists who thrive on mutual inspiration. Their notoriously funny, Velcro-infused “Slapstuck” will be featured this year. Each season of DNB features artists from both cities in new commissioned work as well as cherished repertory. The event focuses on a number of creative dynamic movement programs featuring collaborations between artists from Boston (where Parker grew up) and New York. Other presenters include Kelli Edwards, Sara Hook, Emily Jerant-Hendrickson, Kristin Wagner, and Cassie Wang. For this season’s new initiative Kelli Edwards was commissioned to create a duet for Parker and Kazin in the tradition of Isadora Duncan. Thus Boston-based choreographer Kelli Edwards and her company, Dances by Isadora/Boston brings this new duet for the Bang Group pair, in the tradition of her company’s namesake, the great Isadora Duncan. llinois-based dancemaker Sara Hook, whose work self-reflexively spotlights the nature of performance and the tragicomic way dancers and their works are perceived, guests in a duet co-created with Parker, a long-time collaborator. Kristin Wagner/Bodies Moving presents MILK, which explores the intimate labor of feeding a baby, the cultural weight placed on bodies, and the struggles and joys of loving and nourishing ourselves and our children. Cassie Wang presents SHEER (parcel of her breathing body), a solo performance that investigates containment, sociocultural conditioning, and the cycles and repetitions in which humans find themselves. Emily Jerant-Hendrickson’s BECOMING reflects how it feels to move forward in seasons of change. Where progress faces resistance, this dance embodies openness, surrender and emergence as momentum reshapes and reroutes human behavior. Tickets for these evenings of exciting and innovative dance may be obtained at www.dancecomplex.org
THROUGH JUNE 7: SLEEPING BEAUTY
Boston Ballet’s 62nd season concludes with the grand classical production of Marius Petipa’s Sleeping Beauty. It is one of the Company’s trademark works. Petipa’s ballet has been enhanced with some additional choreography by Sir Frederick Ashton,.This ballet is a spectacular achievement of classical choreography, set to one of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s greatest compositions . It is set within sumptuous sets with exquisite costumes designed by Emmy Award-winning designer David Walker. The ballet tells the timeless fairy tale of the beautiful Princess Aurora.
Chyrstyn Fentroy with Artists of Boston Ballet in The Sleeping Beauty by Liza Voll When she was born the fairies were all invited to the celebration. That is all, but the evil fairy Carabosse. In her anger, she cursed the new baby, stating she would die on her 16th birthday after pricking her finger on a spindle. Despite her parents attempt to destroy all spindles, Aurora is drawn to one forgotten one and true to the curse, she falls into a deep sleep along with all residents—from the King and Queen to the servants and animals so Aurora would not be alone when the spell is broken.
Artists of Boston Ballet in The Sleeping Beauty by Liza Voll Tickets for this magnificent ballet surrounding the power of true love’s kiss may be obtained at www.bostonballet.org
JUNE 17 (7pm): ¡BAILAREMOS!
The Dance Complex at 536 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge brings this vibrant celebration of passion and rhythm that invites the community to experience the soul-stirring art of Flamenco. The special evening features the collective artistry of Alfonso Cid, Dustin Carlson, Sabrina Avilés, and Yu-Ling Hu, alongside the talented students of the Flamenco Dance Project and Yuling Spanish Dance. It is an invitation to gather, witness the power of movement, and strengthen our community bonds through the shared language of music and dance. Flamenco Dance Project is a company of artists dedicated to the evolving art of Flamenco dance and music. Its mission is to promote intercultural understanding, community growth, and cultural diversity by showcasing the talents of US-based flamenco performers. Artistic Director Sabrina Avilés also strives to improve understanding and appreciation of Flamenco through quality performances, lectures, and classes. The result is a convergence of artists from different backgrounds and diverse styles performing together in a cohesive and dynamic way, while evoking the intensity, strength, and magic of Flamenco.
Yuling Spanish Dance is a New England-based performing arts collective centered on the art of Flamenco. The collective is dedicated to making dance accessible to all, regardless of age, race, or physical ability. By blending rhythmic Flamenco traditions with a focus on individual expression, they create inclusive performances that foster community connection. Led by Director Yu-Ling Hu—a former dancer with Ensemble Español and a Board Certified Dance/Movement Therapist—the group collaborates with local and national artists. Yuling Spanish Dance uses the vibrant energy of Flamenco to bridge diversities and bring creative, high-quality movement to the community. Tickets for this exciting evening of dance may be obtained at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bailaremos-tickets-1989422648696
JUNE 20 (8 pm) & 21 (7 pm: THE GATHERING
Kia The Key & C0mpany brings this dance event to the Dance Complex at 536 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge. The Gathering is an evening length performance experience that brings communities together through the joy, power, and history of Street and Club dance. Weaving live DJ sets, poetry, storytelling, and movement, the work creates an immersive environment where rhythm, memory, and shared presence take center stage. Rooted in African Diasporic social dance traditions, The Gathering honors the cultural spaces where these forms were born, including family gatherings, clubs, parks, basements, basketball courts, and outdoor cyphers (in hip-hop culture, a circle of rappers/dancers improvising). For this Dance Complex Series performance, the theater is intentionally re-imagined as a communal space, cultivating the same energy, freedom, and connection found in those original gathering places. The audience is not just watching; they are part of the exchange. At its core, The Gathering is about togetherness. It creates a space for dancers, non-dancers, and community members to connect across differences, feel with one another, and recognize shared humanity. They are full of joy, rhythm, and spirit, with the performance being both a celebration and a declaration that affirms Street and Club dance as living cultural practices that are powerful sites of community, belonging, and joy. Created in collaboration with professional dance artists from New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, the work reflects inter-generational knowledge, lived experience, and collective joy. Inspired by the artist’s upbringing immersed in Hip-Hop culture in Springfield, Massachusetts, The Gathering invites audiences into a personal and communal journey through American social dance shaped by resilience, creativity, and celebration. KIA THE KEY & COMPANY was established in 2022. This project-based dance company is one of the primary spaces where Shakia “The Key” Barron develops and shares choreographic research. Based in Western Massachusetts, the company is grounded in Street and Club dances. Through this work, Shakia explores how these forms carry cultural memory, communal wisdom, and embodied knowledge that is deeply connected to the African Diaspora. The company brings together a diverse group of dancers across race, nationality, and background. Working with dancers that reflect a wide range of lived experiences and diversity deeply informs the company’s creative process and stories told. Shakia “The Key” Barron is an accomplished choreographer, performer, and educator specializing in African Diasporic Street and Club dance forms, with a focus on Hip-Hop, House, and Funk styles. She is the Dr. Virginia Apgar Assistant Professor of Dance at Mount Holyoke College and the Artistic Director of Kia The Key & Company. She has choreographed and directed over 70 works presented at colleges, festivals, and renowned dance institutions including Bates Dance Festival and Jacob’s Pillow. As a performer, Barron has toured nationally and internationally with Face Da Phlave Entertainment, Illstyle and Peace Productions, and Rennie Harris Puremovement, and has shared stages with major Hip-Hop artists and NBA halftime productions.Tickets for this event may be obtained at www.dancecomplex.org