Hope Boykin, a petite, curvy Black woman with a shaved head, gives the camera a mischievous, close-mouthed smile. Her palms are pressed together with her fingertips resting against her lips; her elbows are propped on her knees as she leans forward where she sits, arches popping against the floor. She wars white trousers and a denim button-down with the sleeves rolled to her elbows.

First As a Performer and Now As a Choreographer, Hope Boykin Has Nurtured Her Unique Voice

Watching Hope Boykin dance is like watching a musical score come to life: Her speed, her clarity, and her innate understanding of music have captivated audiences for more than three decades. But that outwardly spectacular performer has always nurtured her inner voice, too. In her post-performance life, Boykin has begun to share that voice through choreography, spoken word, and writing.

a group of dancers smiling while in rehearsal

Mark Morris Dance Group Makes Its Debut at New York City Mainstay The Joyce Theater

The choreographer turns 67 in August, three months before his company turns 43, yet Mark Morris Dance Group has never appeared onstage at the venerable­ Manhattan venue—until now. MMDG’s first-ever Joyce engagement, August 1 to 12, features eight shorter works choreographed between 1980 and 2023, including a world premiere set to Bach’s keyboard partita no. 3 in A minor, mischievously titled A minor Dance.

7 Shows Hitting Screens, Stages or Scenic Settings This Month

Spring is in the air, and performance calendars are (dare we say it?) almost as busy as they ever have been, if still largely housed on the internet. This mix of online screenings, outdoor events and indoor performances for limited audiences caught our eye this month. Caged In Stefanie Batten Bland’s Kolonial Maria Baranova, Courtesy […]

What Do Dance Curators Actually Do?

Dance curators do a lot more than program a season. They spot raw talent, develop and shape careers, identify trends and create context around what they are presenting. But what does it take to get into this kind of wide-ranging work—and what do curators actually do on a daily basis? Meg Booth: CEO, Society for the […]

The 5 Shows Our Editors Are Most Excited to See This December

Supplement your visit to the Land of the Sweets with these editor-approved, (mostly) non-Nutcracker shows onstage this month. Power Struggle Russell Lepley in costume for Ursula Kate Sweeney, Courtesy FluxFlow Dance Project COLUMBUS, OH FluxFlow Dance Project’s Ursula was inspired by a cautionary tale: a Joanna Newsom song about a circus bear and her monkey […]

Why Maria Kochetkova Has Said Goodbye to Company Life

Maria Kochetkova knows you can’t have everything. So the international ballet star is prioritizing one thing: Freedom. “The perfect company doesn’t exist,” she says. “For me, it is most important to have freedom as an artist. Our career is so short and I want to have opportunities that exist outside of companies. I want to […]