Celebrating its 75th anniversary, New York City Ballet presents George Balanchine’s treasured Jewels amidst the grandeur of the Opera House. Witness Balanchine’s artistry at its peak from the world-renowned company he cofounded 75 years ago.

Members of New York City Ballet will lead older adults of any ability through a dance warm-up and movement combinations inspired by repertory in the current season.

Join us for this 45-minute workshop led by artists from New York City Ballet, designed for families with children age 10 and under.

Launched as a partnership between Mark Morris Dance Group and the Brooklyn Parkinson Group, this program offers internationally acclaimed dance classes for people with Parkinson’s Disease in more than 250 communities and 24 countries. 

Join us for free film screenings outdoors on the REACH Video Wall. Films start at dusk.

This week’s Extraordinary Cinema is curated in conjunction with the Kennedy Center’s upcoming engagement of 10,000 Dreams: A Celebration of Asian Choreography. This week’s film screening presents a series of short films—some dance films, others dance documentaries—all led, directed, choreographed, or featuring the stories of Asian creatives in dance.

Join us as we celebrate the Festas Juninas (June Festivals) and journey to the North East of Brazil to explore forró, the Brazilian partner dance traditionally at the heart of the festivals, and other Brazilian partner dances that originated in the North and North East of Brazil. 

The Pan American Symphony Orchestra will perform music by Spain's most prominent composers such as Isaac Albéniz, Manuel de Falla, and Enrique Granados, showcasing the rhythms of Spanish folkdances while reflecting on different cultural traditions. Allegra De Vita, a mezzo-soprano from the Washington National Opera's Cafritz Young Artist Program, will join PASO to sing Manuel de Falla's El Amor Brujo and Siete Canciones Españolas, while Maria Juncal, a flamenco dancer, will perform her percussive interpretations and graceful movements on stage.

A blossoming initiative to recognize and elevate Asian creatives working in ballet will grace Kennedy Center stages as a weeklong festival! Curated by the Kennedy Center and Phil Chan, 10,000 Dreams: A Celebration of Asian Choreography shines the spotlight on Asian and Asian American choreographers.

This conversation will focus on the choreographic voice alongside the Asian experience in the ballet world, and how the panelists’ identities and life journeys have informed their choreographic processes. Panelists include Phil Chan, Edwaard Liang, Dana Tai Soon Burgess, and Georgina Pazcoguin, along with moderator Jane Raleigh.

For this special Dance Sanctuaries class, learn salsa from the Ferocity Dance Company. Following the class there is the opportunity to attend A Night of Salsa Music and Dance with Edwin Perez; the composer, producer, and vocalist brings his signature style and chart-topping Latin sounds to Skylight Pavilion at The REACH

Join us for a continuation of the work that began during our 2022 Reframing the Narrative celebration recognizing Black contributions to classical ballet. This two-performance engagement features a newly commissioned ballet and excerpts of recently premiered works by Black choreographers.

Dance Sanctuaries After Dark moves Dance Sanctuaries class from the morning to the night and are 18+ only. Fierce is for Everyone - that means you! Learn from Ferocity Dance, as they focus on Bachata Fusion pieces: mixing ballroom as well as other dance styles with Bachata to create a distinct viewpoint and style. This date will feature 2 classes and a 2 hour dance hall accompanied by a live DJ.

Dance Sanctuaries After Dark moves Dance Sanctuaries class from the morning to the night and are 18+ only.

Curated by Greater Washington Chinese Dance learn Chinese dance styles from the dancers of the Xuejuan Dance Ensemble. The GWCD’s mission is to focus on community outreach in order to promote cross-cultural understanding and appreciation.

Fierce is for Everyone - that means you! Learn from Ferocity Dance, as they focus on Bachata Fusion pieces: mixing ballroom as well as other dance styles with Bachata to create a distinct viewpoint and style.

Learn movement from Capoeira Barro Vermelho as they teaches classes for every one of every age, size, and origin to “play” capoeira with them and become a part of this dynamic and diverse community.

Find joy in the communities we create through dance! Join us for another exciting National Dance Day celebration with FREE classes, performances, and parties.

This year, Japan Society’s annual Kennedy Center presentation highlights traditional Japanese puppet theater through the National Theatre, which for the first time in nearly two decades returns to the U.S. See two quintessential masterpiece scenes from the Theatre’s repertoire.

Founded in 2001 by choreographer Shin Chang Ho, Laboratory Dance Project is famous for its highly physical, acrobatic choreography. The Korean ensemble blends martial arts, hip hop, and contemporary dance for stunningly unique creations that have brought critical acclaim.

Full of warmth and holiday cheer, George Balanchine’s beloved classic The Nutcracker returns in a whimsical production from Philadelphia Ballet (formerly Pennsylvania Ballet). Marvel at the magic of swirling snowflakes, dancing candy canes, and enchanted toys.

BalletX is Philadelphia’s premier contemporary ballet lauded for producing nearly 130 world premiere ballets by over 70 choreographers from around the world. The acclaimed company returns with works by Justin Peck, Takehiro Ueyama, Matthew Neenan, and more.

With its dazzling hybrid of western ballet and Chinese culture, National Ballet of China returns to thrill audiences with its luminous fusion of traditions, telling the story of a family’s Chinese New Year celebration—set to Tchaikovsky’s treasured Nutcracker score.

For its annual Kennedy Center engagement, the beloved company presents Ailey classics and new works, including Ailey’s signature Revelations.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s novel Crime and Punishment is a devastatingly modern psychological thriller that provided choreographer Helen Pickett and director James Bonas with a startling source for a ballet. Watch as striking movement depicts a young man’s journey towards redemption.

The Paul Taylor Dance Company makes a triumphant return to the Kennedy Center as the company commemorates 70 years of extraordinary dance, featuring a world premiere by Hope Boykin (Artistic Advisor for Dance Education at the Kennedy Center).

Complexions Contemporary Ballet is recognized for its new, exciting vision of human movement. Its first full company engagement at the Kennedy Center includes a new work by Dwight Rhoden, set to songs from U2’s acoustic album Songs of Surrender.

The whole family will delight in the misadventures of the spirited Swanilda, her foolish sweetheart Frantz, and mad inventor Dr. Coppélius in New York City Ballet’s Coppélia. The New York Times calls it a “story ballet done to perfection.”

Celebrate 60 years of impeccable dance from this legendary, ever-changing dance company! Kennedy Center Honoree Twyla Tharp is a living legend—she created Twyla Tharp Dance in 1965 and is renowned for technically precise works that expand the boundaries of ballet and modern dance.

Akram Khan is one of the most innovative choreographers in the world, drawing on the Indian classical dance form kathak along with contemporary movement. In his new work GIGENIS, The generation of the Earth, Khan boldly stages Greek mythology, ancient legends, and even family memories.

Acosta Danza is one of the most exciting new dance companies today, touring the world with a vibrant combination of classical, contemporary, and Cuban dance. The company makes its Kennedy Center debut with five vibrant works, each by a different choreographer putting a twist on Cuban culture. 

Birmingham Royal Ballet makes a thunderous debut with its thrilling, headbanging hit Black Sabbath – The Ballet. Get ready for sparks to fly in the first true heavy metal ballet experience, honoring Birmingham–born band Black Sabbath.

As Local Dance Commissioning Project Awardees, Jamison Curcio and Shanice Mason will present a new work entitled I have a secret to tell you…, an invitation to discover, reframe, and practice being in community with Black women and femmes.