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American Dance Festival

Les Ballet Afrik

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Program: New York is Burning 
Running Time: 60 minutes, no intermission
Tickets: $30–$45

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Back by popular demand, Les Ballet Afrik’s New York is Burning draws inspiration from the 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning and its depiction of voguing as a powerful expression in the face of racism, homophobia, and the stigma of the AIDS crisis. New York is Burning reflects the aspirations of a diverse group of dancers in a city beset by health, racial, and financial crises. Highlighting the importance of community and connection to ancestry, Les Ballet Afrik provides a space for individual expression and radical acceptance.

“As the first ballroom experience at the Joyce Theatre, Wiles makes history, and continues to claim space. The message is simple: everyone should have the opportunity to live and to be loved. ‘Just open the door, because I’m definitely going to walk through,’ says Wiles.”
– Dance Magazine

“If you don’t go and see New York is Burning, you will regret it as people will talk about it for weeks and months. And you’ll miss out on supporting an incredible young artist, Omari, and his company, ADF, and live theater.”
– Ronald K. Brown
 
“New York is Burning is a whimsical and nostalgic journey back to the 70s and 90s with snippets of Madonna videos, sparkling disco balls, groovy music tracks, and projected archived Vogue ball clips.”
– Miranda Stuck, Dance Enthusiast

Friday, June 28 at 7:00 pm
Saturday, June 29 at 7:30 pm *Post-Performance Discussion

Join Les Ballet Afrik for a Dance Party after the performance on June 28th!

For Parking Information, click here.

For the Large Print Program, click here. 

For Artist Biographies, Company Information, and more, click here. 

Photo credit: Ben McKeown

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This program is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

 

New York Is Burning was commissioned by Works & Process and premiered at the Guggenheim on Nov 5 and 6, 2023. The work’s creation took place in a 2019 Works & Process and Kaatsbaan UpStream® Residency in partnership with Dancers Responding to AIDS Hudson Valley Dance Festival; a 2020 Works & Process bubble residency at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park; a 2021 Works & Process bubble residency at Catskill Mountain Foundation, supported by the Mellon Foundation and Doris Duke Foundation; 2022 Works & Process LaunchPAD residency at The Church, Sag Harbor in collaboration with Guild Hall and Sag Harbor Cinema. This work is a New England Foundation for the Arts NDP Grant Finalist.