Lincoln Center presents The 2025 BAAND Together Dance Festival
Company:
Lincoln Center
Celebrating Five Years, Five of New York’s Most Celebrated Companies
Return for Five Shows as Part of Summer for the City at Lincoln Center
BAAND TOGETHER DANCE FESTIVAL:
Ballet Hispánico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater,
American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet,
and Dance Theatre of Harlem
July 29-August 2, 2025
Made possible by CHANEL
Five of NYC’s most iconic dance companies—Ballet Hispánico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater,American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem—reunite on one stage to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the BAAND Together Dance Festival, sharing the spotlight and a stage for five performances from July 29-August 2 as part of Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City. The Festival began when the performing arts were coming back after the height of the pandemic in 2021 as a new form of collaboration in celebration of the return to live performance.
This is a rare chance for audiences to experience five exceptional performances of beloved programming curated collaboratively by the artistic directors of each company, featuring repertory favorites. Performances: Tue-Fri at 7:30pm, Sat at 4pm.
PROGRAM:
Dance Theatre of Harlem – Nyman String Quartet No. 2 by Robert Garland
New York City Ballet – After the Rain (Pas de Deux) by Christopher Wheeldon
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater – Many Angels by Lar Lubovitch
American Ballet Theatre – Midnight Pas de Deux by Susan Jaffe
Ballet Hispánico – House of Mad’moiselle by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa
This summer, for the first time, audiences will get an off-stage perspective of the extraordinary on-stage collaboration between these five iconic NYC dance companies during a free panel discussion on Tuesday, July 29 at 5:00pm in the David Rubenstein Atrium, featuring the artistic leaders of all five companies: Eduardo Vilaro, Ballet Hispánico; Alicia Graf Mack and Matthew Rushing, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Susan Jaffe, American Ballet Theatre; Wendy Whelan and Jonathan Stafford, New York City Ballet; and Robert Garland, Dance Theatre of Harlem, moderated by Shanta Thake, Ehrenkranz Chief Artistic Officer of Lincoln Center.
Each afternoon, one of the companies brings its unique teaching style to participants of all ages with free dance workshops in the David Geffen Hall lobby. The series will offer a variety of dance forms, appropriate for all ages and abilities.
The Festival is made possible by CHANEL, representing the fifth year of the House’s support of the BAAND Together Dance Festival. This partnership reflects CHANEL’s long-standing patronage within the world of dance, which has continued for over a century.
Statement from the artistic directors of Ballet Hispánico (Artistic Director & CEO Eduardo Vilaro), Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (Artistic Director Alicia Graf Mack), American Ballet Theatre (Artistic Director Susan Jaffe), New York City Ballet (Artistic Director Jonathan Stafford, Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan), and Dance Theatre of Harlem (Artistic Director Robert Garland):
“BAAND Together began as a gesture of hope during a time of crisis. What started as a response to the challenges of COVID has grown into a celebration of what makes New York extraordinary—its creativity, its diversity, and its spirit. These performances remind us that the arts are not just entertainment; they are a vital force that brings people together and lifts us all.” — BAAND Artistic Directors
To make the arts more accessible, tickets are available on a Choose-What-You-Pay basis here (suggested ticket price $35).
Program Details:
Dance Theatre of Harlem – Nyman String Quartet No.2 by Robert Garland
Set to Michael Nyman’s String Quartet No.2, Robert Garland continues his signature exploration of the intersection of cultures that is contemporary America. Complex and witty, this sophisticated work shows off the unique capacity of the company’s artists to code-switch with abandon.
"This work is dedicated to the memory of two men whom I admire: John Wesley Carlos, former track and field medal winner at the 1968 Summer Olympics, well known for his triumphant salute upon the winners podium that year, and Dance Theatre of Harlem's Founder and Artistic Director Emeritus, Mr. Arthur Mitchell (1934-2018), whose similar stand for his people, his community, and the arts 'has brought us thus far on our way' (Lift Every Voice and Sing)" - Robert Garland
New York City Ballet – After the Rain (Pas de Deux) by Christopher Wheeldon
Christopher Wheeldon’s After the Rain premiered in 2005 at NYCB’s annual New Combinations Evening, which honors the anniversary of George Balanchine’s birth with world premiere ballets. The full ballet, which included a preceding section set to Arvo Pärt's Tabula Rasa, was the last ballet choreographed by Wheeldon for Wendy Whelan and Jock Soto before Soto’s retirement from performing later that year. The second section, presented tonight, is a haunting pas de deux set to Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater – Many Angels by Lar Lubovitch
After 60 years as a choreographer, Lar Lubovitch has frequently been asked: "Why do you make dances?”. The 13th-century theologian St. Thomas Aquinas posed several theoretical questions about the behavior of angels, to which no real answers are possible or necessary. “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” illustrates that some questions have no logical response but are understood as a question of faith. Something may exist in the world simply for the sake of itself—for example, a dance. Many Angels is a dance to music by Gustav Mahler. It is not really about angels. (Well, maybe a little.)
American Ballet Theatre – Midnight Pas de Deux by Susan Jaffe
Choreographed by American Ballet Theatre Artistic Director Susan Jaffe, Midnight Pas de Deux is an introspective and poetic duet, set to the adagio from Alessandro Marcello’s Oboe Concerto in D minor.
Ballet Hispánico – House of Mad’moiselle by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa
Originally created in 2010 as her first full-length work for the company, House of Mad’moiselle by internationally acclaimed choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa is a wild romp through the layered symbols of Latin American femininity. It revels in the drama, elegance, and defiance of iconic women who blur the lines between myth and memory.
Friday, August 1, 2025 at 7:30 pm - Audio Description
Saturday, August 2, 2025 at 4:00 pm - Audio Description, Relaxed Performance
Photos are available here. Additional details may be found here.
The Summer for the City announcement is available here.
More at SummerForTheCity.org.
**In-person press opportunities for Summer for the City must be arranged in advance with the Lincoln Center Press Office, pressoffice@lincolncenter.org.**
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Ballet Hispánico is a trailblazer in the world of dance, redefining the art form through a bold fusion of innovation and cultural authenticity. Now celebrating its 55th anniversary season, the organization continues to elevate the voices and artistry rooted in the Latine experience as a vital part of the American cultural landscape. Recognized by the Ford Foundation as one of America’s Cultural Treasures, Ballet Hispánico advances its mission through its three pillars—the Company, School of Dance, and Community Arts Partnerships—harnessing the power of dance to inspire, educate, and connect communities across generations. Learn more at ballethispanico.org or follow @ballethispanico on social media
About Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, recognized by US Congressional resolution as a “vital American Cultural Ambassador to the World,” grew from a now-fabled March 1958 performance in New York that changed forever the perception of American dance. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has performed for an estimated 25 million people in 71 countries on six continents, promoting the uniqueness of the African American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance tradition. Before his untimely death in 1989, Mr. Ailey named Judith Jamison as his successor, and for 21 years she brought the Company to unprecedented success. Alicia Graf Mack, widely celebrated for her dance artistry during her years with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, was appointed Artistic Director of AILEY as of July 1, 2025. AILEY also includes a variety of performing, training and educational programs, including Ailey II, The Ailey School, Ailey Arts In Education & Community Programs, and Ailey Extension, which began with the opening of AILEY’s permanent home, The Joan Weill Center for Dance—the largest building dedicated to dance in New York City—at 55th Street at 9th Avenue in New York City. For more information, visit www.ailey.org.
American Ballet Theatre is one of the greatest dance companies in the world. Revered as a national treasure since its founding season in 1940, its mission is to create, present, preserve, and extend the great repertoire of classical dancing for the widest possible audience. Headquartered in New York City, ABT is the only cultural institution of its size and stature to extensively tour, enchanting audiences for eight decades in 50 U.S. states, 45 countries, and over 480 cities worldwide. ABT’s repertoire includes full-length classics from the nineteenth century, the finest works from the early twentieth century, and acclaimed contemporary masterpieces. In 2006, by an act of Congress, ABT was designated America's National Ballet Company®.
New York City Ballet, one of the foremost ballet companies in the world, was founded in 1948 by the legendary choreographer George Balanchine and arts patron Lincoln Kirstein and quickly became world-renowned for its athletic and contemporary style. Jerome Robbins joined NYCB the following year and, with Balanchine, helped to build its extraordinary repertory. Today NYCB continues to be inspired by its founders who envisioned an authentically American expression of ballet with a company that reflects the rich cultural diversity of our city and nation. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Jonathan Stafford, Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan, and Executive Director Katherine Brown, NYCB is deeply committed to creating and sustaining an organizational culture that values diversity, inclusion, and equity, promoting creative excellence, and nurturing a new generation of dancers and choreographers.
Dance Theatre of Harlem is a leading dance institution of unparalleled global acclaim, encompassing a world-class company, a professional studio school, a leading arts education program - Dancing Through Barriers®, and community engagement activities. Each component of Dance Theatre of Harlem carries a solid commitment towards enriching the lives of young people and adults around the world through the arts. Founded in 1969 by Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook, Dance Theatre of Harlem was considered “one of ballet’s most exciting undertakings” (The New York Times, 1971). Shortly after the assassination of The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mitchell was inspired to start a school that would offer children — especially those in Harlem, the community in which he was born — the opportunity to learn about dance and the allied arts. Now in its fifth decade, Dance Theatre of Harlem has grown into a multicultural dance institution with an extraordinary legacy of providing opportunities for creative expression and artistic excellence that continues to set standards in the performing arts. For more information about Dance Theatre of Harlem, please visit www.dancetheatreofharlem.org. Follow Dance Theatre of Harlem on Instagram and Facebook: @DanceTheatreOfHarlem; and YouTube: Dance Theatre of Harlem.
About Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) is a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring the Lincoln Center campus is a destination that welcomes all—where every visitor, whether a native New Yorker or New Yorker for a day, can find inspiration, artistic innovation, inspiration, and community in the creative achievements realized on campus. Year-round, we offer robust seasons of programming, representing a broad spectrum of performing arts disciplines and complementing the artistic and educational activities of the 10 fellow resident arts organizations with whom we share a home. LCPA presents hundreds of programs each year, offered primarily for free and Choose-What-You-Pay, helping ensure that the arts are at the center of civic life for all.
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BAAND Together Dance Festival is made possible by CHANEL
The BAAND Together Dance Festival is proud to be part of Summer for the City
A Project of Arnhold Dance Innovation Fund
Major support provided by Arnhold Dance Innovation Fund
Additional support provided by the Mertz Gilmore Foundation and the Harkness Foundation for Dance
Endowment support provided by the Blavatnik Family Foundation Fund for Dance and the Doris Duke Foundation
Lead support for Choose-What-You-Pay is provided by the Family of Robert Wood Johnson III
Major support is provided by the Scully Peretsman Foundation
Additional corporate support is provided by Capital One
Additional support is provided by the PNC Foundation
Lead Support for Summer for the City Community Programming is provided by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)
Major support for Summer for the City is provided by Chase
NewYork-Presbyterian is the Official Hospital of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
United is the Preferred Airline of Lincoln Center Presents
Steinway & Sons is the Preferred Piano Partner of Lincoln Center
Major support for Lincoln Center Presents and Summer for the City is provided by the Shubert Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, and MOVADO Group Foundation
BAAND Together Dance Festival is made possible by CHANEL
Additional support is provided by Park Lane New York and Fairfield by Marriott Central Park
Endowment support is provided by the Blavatnik Family Foundation Fund for Dance, The Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Foundation, Oak Foundation, and PepsiCo Foundation
Lincoln Center’s artistic excellence is made possible by the dedication and generosity of our board members
Operation of Lincoln Center’s public plazas is supported in part with public funds provided by the City of New York
Programs are made possible, in part, with public funds provided by National Endowment for the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Empire State Development, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor, Mayor of the City of New York, the New York State Legislature and the New York City Council
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