New York City Center Reveals Full Programming for 23rd Fall for Dance Festival

New York City Center has revealed complete programming for the 23rd Fall for Dance Festival, September 22 through October 3, 2026, which opens City Center’s 2026–2027 Season. All tickets for Fall for Dance remain just $30 (fees included), upholding City Center’s mission of affordability and accessibility. Highlights of the 23rd Fall for Dance Festival include 11 premiere works, seven international companies and artists from Australia, Germany, Israel, Spain, and the UK, and two New York City Center Commissions.

23RD FALL FOR DANCE FESTIVAL

The Festival opens (Sep. 22 & 23) with multi-award-winning A.I.M by Kyle Abraham and the New York Premiere of In the act of undoing. Choreographed by Jermaine Spivey, the ensemble work is set to an original sound composition also created by Spivey and explores the unity and diversity of movement to animate the essence of what moves people. Skylar Brandt & Aran Bell, both principal dancers with American Ballet Theatre, follow with Gerald Arpino’s romantic and virtuosic pas de deux L'Air D'Esprit, a tribute to the great ballerina Olga Spessivtzeva, set to a seldom-heard section of Giselle. Closing out Program 1 is Martha Graham Dance Company with choreographers Baye & Asa’s war-themed contemporary work Cortege, inspired by Graham’s Cortege of Eagles.

Philadelphia’s PHILADANCO! begins Program 2 (Sep. 24 & 25) with an homage to the Black pioneers who redefined what it meant to rise up in the propulsive New York Premiere of Juel D. Lane’s HEIRBORNE (my mama ain’t never touched the sky, but she gave me wings). Following is Robbie Fairchild’s Players and the World Premiere of Lord Chamberlain’s Men—a New York City Center Commission with Guild Hall. Choreographed by Tony-nominated actor and former New York City Ballet principal dancer Robbie Fairchild with Creative Consultant Christopher Wheeldon, the piece is a blend of movement, storytelling, and electro-acoustic music, inspired by sonnets and the origin story of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. Boston Ballet closes with the New York Premiere of Akram Khan’s Vertical Road (Reimagined) 2023—a powerful, communal journey of transformation that explores humanity’s earthly nature and the consequences of our actions.

A rising star of the new generation of flamenco dancers, Spain’s Juan Tomás de la Molía was last at City Center for the 25th Flamenco Festival. He opens Program 3 (Sep. 26 & 27) with his work Bulería de la Molía—a display of strength, precision, and captivating stage presence. Israel’s Lior Tavori Dance Company follows with the US Premiere of Crust, a total sensory experience of lights, chaos, and powerful dancing, choreographed by Lior Tavori. The Royal Ballet closes out the program with the US Premiere of The McRae/Vassilev Project. Inspired by prodigious violinist Niccolò Paganini, the work features principal dancers Sarah Lamb, on pointe, and Steven McRae, in tap shoes, accompanied by accomplished violinist Vasko Vassilev and exceptional pianist Pamela Nicholson.

Program 4 (Sep. 30 & Oct. 1) begins with San Francisco Ballet performing Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s Faun, set to one of Debussy’s most famous works with additional music by Nitin Sawhney. This contemporary ballet duet refracts myth through a modern lens while echoing the revolutionary sensuality of Nijinsky’s original work. Acclaimed ballet dancer Friedemann Vogel (The Stuttgart Ballet, Germany) follows with a World Premiere work choreographed by Vogel and Thomas Lempertz and set to Chaconne, BV B 24 (after J.S. Bach’s Violin Partita No. 2 in D Minor, arranged for piano). Also from Germany, Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart closes with the US Premiere of Any way the wind blows. Choreographed by the company’s Artist in Residence Hofesh Shechter, this bold choreographic experiment explores what happens when certainty is deliberately discarded.

The final program of the Festival (Oct. 2 & 3) opens with the second New York City Center Commission, the World Premiere of kinda like that, choreographed by Australia’s Pony Cam, creators of the hit Off-Broadway show Burnout Paradise. The award-winning collective reinterprets and re-presents the work of 70 choreographers from across the history of Fall for Dance, weaving together fragments of revived, remembered, and retold performances. Miami City Ballet is next with the New York Premiere of Alexei Ratmansky’s Roses from the South: Three Waltzes for Toby—an elegant and joyful ballet tribute to company founder Toby Lerner Ansin. Finally, The Australian Ballet performs the US Premiere of Seven Days by Resident Choreographer Stephanie Lake. This thrilling display of contemporary athleticism and masterful storytelling is set to Peter Brikmanis’s reimagining of Bach’s Goldberg Variations.

Free pre-show dance lessons will be held in City Center’s Grand Tier Lobby one hour before the second performance of each program, offering ticketholders (for that performance) an opportunity to meet, mingle, and learn a few steps from the artists. Doors for dance lessons will close 45 minutes before the performance begins, or when capacity is reached.

STUDIO 5 | IN PERSON AND ON DEMAND

Also announced today, the starry lineup for City Center’s Studio 5 series features Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Australian Ballet, Juilliard Dance Division, and more. This popular series offers the unique opportunity to get closer to today’s great dance artists in the intimate setting of City Center’s historic studios. Featuring performances by world-class dancers and conversations moderated by leading authorities in the dance world, these events provide insights into the craft of acclaimed performers, choreographers, and rising talents. Additional details and information on select on-demand Studio 5 video content can be found at NYCityCenter.org/Studio5.

On October 5, David Hallberg, former star with ABT and the Bolshoi and the current Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet, shares his artistic vision for the company and offers an inside look at its upcoming New York premiere of Christopher Wheeldon’s OSCAR© with performances by The Australian Ballet. Panelist Stella Abrera, former ABT principal dancer and Prix semifinalist, and moderator Kathryn Bradney, artistic and executive director, take audiences Inside the Prix de Lausanne on November 9, featuring performances by alumni of the world-renowned international ballet competition. The Season Preview: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater on November 30 includes performances by Ailey II, with a special focus on the Ailey classic Night Creature, and insights from Ailey II Artistic Director Francesca Harper and moderator Alicia Graf Mack, Ailey’s Daria L. and Eric J. Wallach Artistic Director. On January 11, moderator and NYCB Principal Dancer Adrian Danchig-Waring and panelist Maureen Footer, author of Feel the Floor, explore the legacy and influence of choreographer Buddy Bradley in From Broadway to Balanchine: The Influence of Buddy Bradley. The final program of the series on February 22 is moderated by Juilliard School President Damian Woetzel with panelist Melissa Toogood, Dean and Director of Juilliard’s Dance Division, and performances by Juilliard Dance Division for a look Into the Future: Juilliard Dance with Melissa Toogood.

PROGRAM 1 │ SEP. 22 & 23

A.I.M BY Kyle Abraham

In the act of undoing — NY Premiere
Choreography: Jermaine Spivey

Skylar Brandt & Aran Bell

L'Air D'Esprit
Choreography: Gerald Arpino

Martha Graham DANCE COMPANY

Cortege
Choreography: Baye & Asa

PROGRAM 2 │ SEP. 24 & 25

Robbie Fairchild’S PLAYERS

Lord Chamberlain’s Men — World Premiere
Choreography: Robbie Fairchild
New York City Center Commission with Guild Hall

PHILADANCO!

HEIRBORNE (my mama ain't never touched the sky, but she gave me wings) — NY Premiere
Choreography: Juel D. Lane

BOSTON BALLET

Vertical Road (Reimagined) 2023 — NY Premiere
Choreography: Akram Khan

PROGRAM 3 │ SEP. 26 & 27

JUAN TOMÁS DE LA MOLÍA (Spain)

Bulería de la Molía
Choreography: Juan Tomás de la Molía

LIOR TAVORI DANCE COMPANY (Israel)

Crust — US Premiere
Choreography: Lior Tavori

THE ROYAL BALLET (UK)

The McRae/Vassilev Project — US Premiere
Choreography: Loughlan Prior

PROGRAM 4 │ SEP. 30 & OCT. 1

SAN FRANCISCO BALLET

Faun
Choreography: Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui

FRIEDEMANN VOGEL (Germany)

Title TBD — World Premiere
Choreography: Friedemann Vogel & Thomas Lempertz

GAUTHIER DANCE//DANCE COMPANY THEATERHAUS STUTTGART (Germany)

Any way the wind blows — US Premiere
Choreography: Hofesh Shechter

PROGRAM 5 │ OCT. 2 & 3

Pony Cam (Australia)

kinda like that — World Premiere
Choreography: Pony Cam
New York City Center Commission

MIAMI CITY BALLET

Roses from the South: Three Waltzes for Toby — NY Premiere
Choreography: Alexei Ratmansky

THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET (Australia)

Seven Days — US Premiere
Choreography: Stephanie Lake

STUDIO 5 │ IN PERSON AND ON DEMAND

All tickets $42 (fees included)
Barbara and David Zalaznick Studio
NEW YORK CITY CENTER
130 W 56th St, 5th Floor

OCT. 5, 2026

David Hallberg’s Australian Ballet

Moderator: David Hallberg
Panelist: Christopher Wheeldon
Performances by: Dancers of The Australian Ballet

NOV. 9, 2026

Inside the Prix de Lausanne

Moderator: Kathryn Bradney
Panelist: Stella Abrera
Performances by: Prix de Lausanne alums

NOV. 30, 2026

Season Preview: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Moderator: Alicia Graf Mack
Panelist: Francesca Harper
Performances by: Ailey II

JAN. 11, 2027

From Broadway to Balanchine: The Influence of Buddy Bradley

Moderator: Adrian Danchig-Waring
Panelist: Maureen Footer
Performers: To be announced

FEB. 22, 2027

Into the Future: Juilliard Dance with Melissa Toogood

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