Kinesis Project Dance Theatre To Perform BRIDGE MATTER/THE REACH At Riverside Park

Summer on the Hudson and Kinesis Project dance theatre, the large-scale outdoor dance company led by Melissa Riker, will present Bridge Matter/The Reach on Sunday, September 21, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. at Riverside Park South, Hudson River Greenway and West 62nd Street. Known for creating colorful and surprisingly intimate works in expansive outdoor settings, Kinesis Project will offer an hour-long performance that begins at Locomotive Lawn and traverses the Hudson River waterfront to the historic Transfer Bridge at 68th Street.

The production features costumes by Rebecca Kanach and quilt-inspired art installations by Celeste Cooning, evoking the tension between the finished and unfinished. Choreographer Melissa Riker describes the piece as “a dance of care, echoes, and how our very human ways of bridging our cracks parallel the Earth’s constant processes.” The work marks the company’s second collaboration with geologist Dr. Missy Eppes and colleagues Dr. Stephen Laubach and Rob Lander, all award-winning scientists whose research informs the choreography.

Audiences will encounter movement that appears in unexpected spaces, inviting them to walk along the edge of the Hudson while witnessing dances that mimic the colors of the sunset. Performers Aryanna Allen, Jorgie Ingrahm, Ryan G. Smith, Stephanie Shin, and Gioia von Staden will be accompanied by improvised music led by Grammy-winning saxophonist Johnny Butler, joined by Matt Nelson and Nick Lyons.

Bridge Matter/The Reach has been developed in New York City and Seattle since 2024, supported by MAP Fund and Summer on the Hudson. Butler, a Grammy Award winner for his arranging on Beyoncé’s “Love on Top,” brings his unique soundscapes created through electronics and live performance to the project. Cooning, best known for large-scale integrated art installations, and Kanach, a Barrymore Award-winning Costume Designer, both bring nationally recognized artistry to the production.

Melissa Riker, Artistic Director and choreographer, has led Kinesis Project since 2005, creating site-specific works across the U.S. and internationally, often in collaboration with scientists and local communities. Her work layers training in ballet, modern dance, martial arts, theatre, and circus into expansive outdoor experiences.

Summer on the Hudson, produced by the Riverside Park Conservancy in partnership with NYC Parks, offers more than 300 cultural events annually between May and October. Kinesis Project has been part of the festival for several years, creating performances that transform Riverside Park into a site of movement, art, and community.

Event Details

Date: Sunday, September 21, 2025
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: Riverside Park South, Hudson River Greenway & W. 62nd St., New York, NY 10069