CUNY Dance Initiative

CUNY Dance Initiative Residency program offering NYC choreographers rehearsal and performance space on CUNY campuses.

05/20/2026

“Thanks to Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning and the CUNY Dance Initiative, I’ve been able to spend countless hours in the studio bringing this solo to life.” - Elinor Kleber Diggs

Elinor is about to premiere "Crimson" at Triskelion Arts, a bold piece exploring the place past a threshold, asking where the body stops and the world begins.

MAY 28-30 at 8PM
106 Calyer St, Brooklyn, NY 11222

GET TICKETS: triskelionarts.org/spring-2026-performances/split-bill-48

A rising artist to watch, Elinor’s work has been presented at Kaatsbaan, Gibney, and Q***R NOISE NYC, with recent honors including the 2025 Baryshnikov Arts Center Fellowship and Jerome Robbins Dance Division's Early Career Residency.

🎥: Dancer, Bryanna Strickland, as part of York College Performing Arts Center partnership with JCAL

05/14/2026

(50% off code ⬇️) PERFORMANCES START TODAY!

Gerson Lanza, one of tap’s most exciting rising artists brings his acclaimed dance-theater work "To Dance Is To Be Free" to Manhattan for just TWO performances.

MAY 14-15 | 7:30PM
The City College of New York

Blending explosive tap, live music, and spoken word, this immersive experience transforms rhythm into resistance—exploring race, immigration, identity, and liberation with breathtaking physicality and emotional force.

USE CODE ToBeFree for 50% off (only $12.50 tickets!)

GET TICKETS NOW: eventbrite.com/e/to-dance-is-to-be-free-featuring-gerson-lanza-tickets-1984461745501

Powerful storytelling. Virtuosic dancing. Limited seats. Secure yours now.

Video by Amy Guarino

50% OFF CODE BELOW! Experience the power of rhythm, resistance, and storytelling in "To Dance Is To Be Free" by a tap ar...
05/12/2026

50% OFF CODE BELOW! Experience the power of rhythm, resistance, and storytelling in "To Dance Is To Be Free" by a tap artist on the rise, Gerson Lanza.

Through explosive tap, live music, and spoken word, this immersive performance transforms dance into testimony, exploring race, immigration, identity, and what it means to move freely in America today.

MAY 14-15 | 7:30PM
The City College of New York

USE CODE ToBeFree for 50% off (only $12.50!)

GET TICKETS NOW: eventbrite.com/e/to-dance-is-to-be-free-featuring-gerson-lanza-tickets-1984461745501

Originally from Honduras, Lanza has headlined The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, performed at New York City Center in a program curated by tap legend Ayodele Casel, and developed work through residencies at Jacob's Pillow, Lincoln Center, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and Strathmore.

Photo credits: Margot Schulman, MK Ford, Matthew Murphy

Ahead of his showing THIS SATURDAY at Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture, Orlando Hernández digs deep into the lineage...
05/05/2026

Ahead of his showing THIS SATURDAY at Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture, Orlando Hernández digs deep into the lineage behind his work for Café con Pam Podcast.

In a candid conversation, he opens up about his journey with OCD, redefining masculinity and using tap and masks to honor Afro-Indigenous legacies. LEARN MORE: cafeconpam.com/the-pour-over/196

SEE THE WORK IN PROGRESS

Caribbean and Taino stories collide with colonial myths in Knee-Heart Co’s "too soon to discover planets, too late to discover islands".

WHEN: Saturday, May 9 @ 7:30pm
WHERE: Hostos Community College | Bronx, NYC

FREE with RSVP: eventbrite.com/e/orlando-hernandez-the-knee-heart-connection-free-event-tickets-1985827163503

05/05/2026

For the latests Whisper in the Wings from Stage Whisper, we welcomed on the creator Orlando Hernàndez, to talk about his latest work, Too soon to discover planets, too late to discover islands (Part III). This was such a beautiful and exciting piece of dance, that just like this conversation, should not be missed. So hit play and reserve your seat today! supportartists supportfriends spring2026

CUNY Dance Initiative Presents
Too soon to discover planets, too late to discover islands (Part III)
May 9th at 7:30pm
@ Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture
Admission is free with RSVP
To RSVP and to find more information visit www.eventbrite.com/e/orlando-hernandez-the-knee-heart-connection-free-event-tickets-1985827163503

And be sure to follow Orlando to stay up to date on all his upcoming projects and productions:

orlyhernandez.com

05/03/2026

COMING SOON! Tap becomes testimony. Rhythm becomes resistance. Joy becomes rebellion.

Gerson Lanza's "To Dance Is To Be Free", is an immersive night art and advocacy. Through live music, spoken word, and percussive dance, Lanza turns every step into a story about Blackness and American society at large.

MAY 14-15, 2026 | 7:30PM
Leonard Davis Center for the Performing Arts
The City College of New York's City College Center for the Arts

GET TICKETS: eventbrite.com/e/to-dance-is-to-be-free-featuring-gerson-lanza-tickets-1984461745501

A powerhouse on the rise, Lanza has developed work at Lincoln Center, Jacob's Pillow, as well as with CDI alum Music from the Sole. Gersen earned his Masters from The University of Maryland, where he focused on the Afro-Latinx diaspora.

Video by Amy Guarino

05/01/2026

Nubian Nene was awarded a joint residency with Works & Process and Kupferberg Center for the Arts. Take a peek at her master class exploring the history of waacking for the Queens College dance department.

Cheer her on as she begins a week-long W&P residency at Bethany Arts Community. And, keep a lookout for potential end-of-residency showings or workshops!

04/30/2026

JUNE 11! Our Choreographer, Composer and Performance Fellows cross the disciplinary divide to create something truly original for an open showing, after a week of spontaneous creation.

Join us for the 2025 Composer / Choreography Workshop.

THURSDAY, JUNE 11 | 7:30pm
Gibney (Lower Manhattan)

Free Tickets or by Donation:
eventbrite.com/e/the-next-festival-of-emerging-artists-composerchoreographer-workshop-tickets-1987781272295

Composers will be mentored by Festival Director Peter Askim, and the Pulitzer Prize and GRAMMY-winning Aaron Kernis. Choreographers will be mentored by the Bessie-nominated Sidra Bell Dance New York.

Image by Joel Peter Johnson

THIS WEEK! Dive into the mind of Kizuna 絆 Dance founder Cameron McKinney in his latest interview with DancEnthusiast bef...
04/29/2026

THIS WEEK! Dive into the mind of Kizuna 絆 Dance founder Cameron McKinney in his latest interview with DancEnthusiast before they hit the Gerald W. Lynch Theater stage.

In the article, McKinney explores his "Nagare" technique- a powerhouse fusion of street dance, capoeira, and contemporary floor-work, and his mission as a cultural ambassador between the U.S. and Japan.

READ THE ARTICLE: dance-enthusiast.com/features/the-dance-enthusiast-asks/view/Cameron-McKinney-Kizuna-CUNY-Dance-Initiative-

Experience it live in a triple bill that pushes physical boundaries:

SAFE HARBOR: A gorgeous U.S.-Japan contemporary-ballet collaboration.

E.X.P.L.O.D.E: An Akira-inspired solo reaching the point of physical breakdown.

BREAD AND CIRCUS: A surreal, Alice in Wonderland dreamscape inspired by visual artist Oscar Oiwa.

SATURDAY, MAY 2 | 7PM
John Jay College of Criminal Justice's Gerald W. Lynch Theater

TICKETS: eventbrite.com/e/kizuna-dance-2026-nyc-season-gerald-lynch-theater-tickets-1984648467993

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