Ephrat Asherie Dance with Arturo O’Farrill in SHADOW CITIES is Coming to The Joyce
With seven dancers and four musicians, the work examines the spaces where identity fractures and fuses, where memories and rhythms coexist in motion.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Nov. 11, 2025
The Joyce Theater Foundation will present the New York premiere of Shadow Cities, a collaborative creation by Ephrat Asherie Dance and Grammy Award–winning pianist and composer Arturo O’Farrill.
Performances run December 3–7, with shows Wednesday–Friday at 7:30pm, Saturday at 2pm and 7:30pm, and Sunday at 2pm in the Tino & Rajika Puri Auditorium.
Led by acclaimed choreographer Ephrat Asherie, Ephrat Asherie Dance (EAD) joins forces with Grammy Award–winning pianist, composer, and Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra founder Arturo O’Farrill for the New York premiere of Shadow Cities, a vibrant exploration of the liminal space, the in-between—between cities, cultures, and generations.
With seven dancers and four musicians, the work examines the spaces where identity fractures and fuses, where memories and rhythms coexist in motion. Rooted in Afro-diasporic vernacular forms including breaking, hip-hop, house, and waacking, Asherie crafts a kinetic language that is both grounded and transcendent. O’Farrill’s bold and evocative score propels the dancers through shifting emotional terrains, evoking an environment both familiar and otherworldly. Together, they conjure a textured portrait of resilience, belonging, and joy—reminding us that sometimes our fullest selves emerge in the spaces between.
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