Dive In: Where to Find the Cool Kids This Summer Festival Season

June 18, 2017

Summer festival season has arrived! From Bill T. Jones to Michelle Dorrance, Monica Bill Barnes to Marcelo Gomes, we got the inside scoop on where your faves will be appearing this year.

American Dance Festival

Mark Dendy Projects. Photo by Stephen Donovan, Courtesy ADF.

It begins with Monica Bill Barnes & Company’s Museum Workout at the North Carolina Museum of Art and ends with the first ever presentation of the completed Analogy: A Trilogy by Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. In all there will be 71 performances by 30 companies and choreographers, 17 of which are making their ADF debuts. June 3–July 29. americandancefestival.org.

Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival

Faye Driscoll is making her Pillow debut. Photo by Maria Baranova, Courtesy Jacob’s Pillow.

The Pillow’s 85th-anniversary programming is a comforting mix of old favorites and Pillow premieres. Of particular interest is an all-tap program curated by Michelle Dorrance, a site-specific work from Pilobolus for the Inside/Out stage and, on July 22, the newest installment of Eiko Otake’s A Body in Places series. June 21–Aug. 27. jacobspillow.org.

Bates Dance Festival

David Dorfman Dance. Photo by Adam Campos, Courtesy Bates.

For Bates’ 35th anniversary, expect strong contemporary dance spiced with wit and humor. The lineup includes Bates alums Christal Brown, David Dorfman and Zoe Scofield, and the July 28–29 gala program abounds with other festival faves, like Doug Varone, Tania Isaac, Bebe Miller, Sara Pearson and Larry Keigwin. Site-specific wizard Stephan Koplowitz premieres a dance Aug. 3–4 with a cast of 60 that plumbs the history of the Bates Mill Complex. July 7–Aug. 5. batesdancefestival.org.

Ballet Festival at The Joyce Theater

Claudia Schreier’s Vigil. Photo by Nir Arieli, Courtesy Richard Kornberg & Associates.

The Joyce Theater’s ballet showcase returns with Emery LeCrone DANCE, Claudia Schreier & Company, Cirio Collective, Gemma Bond and Amy Seiwert’s Imagery. Notably, Seiwert brings her first evening-length ballet, set to Schubert’s Winterreise cycle, which was supported by a national creative residency from the Joyce Theater Foundation, the first to be awarded to a company outside of NYC. July 18–29. joyce.org.

Vail Dance Festival

Pam Tanowitz’s Day for Night for Vail. Photo by Erin Baiano, Courtesy Vail.

First-timers Francesca Hayward, Marcelino Sambé, Patricia Delgado, Marcelo Gomes and L.A. Dance Project join Vail’s list of regulars, while the NOW: Premieres performance focuses on female choreographers with commissions from Lauren Lovette, Claudia Schreier, Pam Tanowitz and artist-in-residence Michelle Dorrance. July 29–Aug. 12. vaildance.org.