Join a mixed bill of dance performances built during residencies at Kaatsbaan, which highlights Kaatsbaan’s dual role as incubator and presenter. Limón Dance Company previews a performance of a new creation by Bessie Awardee Kayla Farrish that examines two thematically aligned works by José Limón. Redes (Nets) (1951) is a representation of collective work and unity, and El Grito (The Scream) (1952) is an awakening of consciousness. Farrish, who has roots as an African American woman from the south, connects the work to the displacement of colored bodies and a continuous seeking for identity and community—themes Limón explored over 70 years ago.

Boca Tuya performs Like Those Playground Kids at Midnight, a shapeshifting duet developed at Kaatsbaan in 2023. Boca Tuya is led by queer Puertorriqueño choreographer and director Omar Román De Jesús. He describes this piece as “a beacon of defiance, encouraging everyone to embrace their uniqueness and challenge the boundaries that confine them.” The rhythmic complexity and daring physicality invite us to explore the mysterious landscapes of desire, identity, and aspiration. Omar was the inaugural Baryshnikov Arts Fellow at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, a 2023 Dance Magazine Harkness Promise Awardee, and a 2022 Princess Grace Award Winner in Choreography.

The program also features a performance by Music From The Sole, including material from a new work-in-development that explores the profound link between tap dance, Afro-Brazilian, and house music. The work is being created by 10 dancers and musicians in an intertwined process, demonstrating the movement and music of tap. Company dancers perform with their trademark embrace of tap’s Afro-diasporic roots and connection to various forms of music, such as jazz, funk, soul, house, samba, and hip-hop. Support for Music From The Sole provided by Works & Process LaunchPAD.

Commissioned by Works & Process, this work has been developed in a Works & Process LaunchPAD residency at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park (2024) and an upcoming residency in January 2025 at Guild Hall William P. Rayner Artist-in-Residence.

This new work is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation & Development Fund Project co-commissioned by Works & Process, the Joyce Theater Foundation, The Yard, Guild Hall, Dance Place, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, and NPN. More information: npnweb.org. Additional support was provided by the Harkness Dance Foundation, a 2023 Alan M. Kriegsman Creative Residency at Dance Place, and as 2023 William P. Rayner Artist-in-Residence at Guild Hall.

Gregory Richardson and Leonardo Sandoval of Music From The Sole. Photo: SaulZ