DIFFRACTION DANCE FESTIVAL Returns to Mark Morris Dance Center in Brooklyn

Samaw Dance has announced the return of Diffraction Dance Festival on Saturday, May 31, 2026 at Mark Morris Dance Center's Duffy Theater in Brooklyn. Now in its second year, Diffraction gathers 16 artists and companies for a single afternoon of performance spanning house, hip hop, commercial dance, waacking, flexN/Bruk Up, contemporary, and jazz - all under AAPI+ authorship. Artists are traveling from California, Washington DC, and New Jersey to share the stage in Brooklyn during AAPI Heritage Month.

Diffraction was created to give AAPI choreographers working across a wide range of styles a dedicated home during the month built to celebrate their communities. "AAPI choreographers are making incredible work across every style of dance, and there wasn't a space in New York City during AAPI Heritage Month to see it all in one room," said David Cartahena Lee, founder and artistic director of Samaw Dance.

The festival launched in 2025 at The Tank with 24 choreographers and approximately 180 audience members, drawing artists from New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, California, and beyond. It returns in 2026 with full production support for all participating artists, including lighting, photography, and videography.

At its core, Diffraction is a festival by AAPI+ artists, for AAPI+ audiences and communities. "This is a space that is fully ours - created by us, for us, where we can show up as our full selves and celebrate the entire spectrum of who we are," said Lee. "Watching artists come together across styles, generations, and coasts during the month that was made for our communities - that's what this was built for."

Diffraction Dance Festival 2026 features: Ande Godwin, Carl Ponce Cubero, DCL Arts Collective, Damir Tasmagambetov, Destiny Nguyen, Emma Conrad, Gabriel Aniel, Yugen Dance Project, Jubilee Moore, Kayleigh Morrison, Kyoko Fujimoto, Lyssy Salvador, Samaw Dance Company, Sky Pascual, The Lamp Dance Theatre, Toru Sakuragi, and Wan Rong Tseng.

Tickets are on sale now at givebutter.com/diffraction-2026-lyz8ey. Pricing: $25 Student/Artist, $35 General Admission, $50 Community Supporter, $75 VIP with reserved center seating.

About Samaw Dance

Samaw Dance is a Brooklyn-based dance organization founded and directed by choreographer, educator, and cultural producer David Cartahena Lee. Built as a cultural ecosystem with four branches - Samaw Dance Company, Resonance, Diffraction Dance Festival, and DCL Arts Collective - the organization centers AAPI+, BIPOC, and queer artists through performance, education, and community activation. Resonance, Samaw Dance's flagship annual immersive performance and night market, is supported by Brooklyn Arts Council and the Howard Gilman Foundation. Work has been presented at Dixon Place, The Tank, Mark Morris Dance Center, Dance Parade, the Guggenheim Museum, and beyond.