Nimbus Dancer Catherine Escueta, photo by Megan Maloy
(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- Nimbus Dance, Jersey City's acclaimed contemporary dance company, presents the world premiere of Through the Golden Door, November 14-15, 2025 at the Nimbus Arts Center. The new production invites audiences to step into the lived histories of Jersey City residents—stories of migration, creativity, activism, and resilience—woven together through the expressive language of dance.
Created in collaboration with best-selling author Helene Stapinski (Five-Finger Discount), Through the Golden Door features original choreography by Nimbus company dancers and is supported in part by the Hudson County History Partnership Program. The project bridges oral history, community storytelling, and contemporary performance, bringing local narratives to the stage in moving, inventive new works.
Performances take place Friday, November 14 at 7:00pm and Saturday, November 15 at 8:00pm, with a pre-show talk with Helene Stapinski on November 15 at 7:00pm in the Nimbus Arts Center lobby. The November 15 performance will also include a special tribute honoring Anthony Catanio— proud Jersey City native, former Nimbus Board Member, and patron of the arts, whose devoted friendship has lifted so many in the Jersey City community.
Tickets range from $30-$42 and are available for purchase online. Nimbus Arts Center is located at 329 Warren Street in Jersey City, New Jersey.
“In Through the Golden Door, Nimbus’ dance artists become choreographers, storytellers, and interpreters of the words of Jersey City’s iconic residents,” says Nimbus Artistic Director Samuel Pott. “This work honors the people who have shaped Jersey City’s identity—its dreamers, fighters, artists, and advocates—and reimagines their words through movement, sound, and light.”
Through the Golden Door integrates excerpts from audio interviews with prominent and beloved Jersey City figures, including:
Mary “Ms. Mary” Aiken, Jazz Singer, Educator, Jersey City Icon
Sam Pesin, Activist, President of Friends of Liberty State Park
Tina Maneca, Visual Artist, Curator, Arts Organizer, JC Art & Culture Trust Fund Fellow Ben Jones, Artist
Danielle Scott, Mixed Media Artist
Joe Waks, Attorney and Artist
Catherine Hecht, Curator, Arts & LGBTQ+ Cultural Ambassador
Juan Cartagena, Civil Rights Attorney, Professor, Cultural Activist
Also featured on the program is a revival of Pott’s signature 2006 work Memo, a deeply moving and contemplative piece that blends audience memories into the performance in real time. Memo features Nimbus company dancers alongside a multigenerational community cast, and asks the question: “What do you never want to forget?”
Nimbus Dance bridges the gap between world-class performance and community engagement by presenting work that challenges, speaks to, and elevates diverse audiences across the nation. Founded in 2005 by visionary Artistic Director Samuel Pott (former soloist with Martha Graham Dance Company), Nimbus stands at the forefront of excellence in the arts, civic engagement, and equitable impact. With a highly physical and visually engaging aesthetic, Nimbus’ international company of dancers “split the difference between traditionalism and modernism... A Nimbus Dance piece can pivot from ballet to Broadway to Beyoncé in a few beats.” (Tris McCall, Jersey City Times).
The company tours nationally impacting over 16,000 people annually; and collaborates regularly with some of the nation’s most storied arts organizations including the New Jersey Symphony, Boston Symphony, Gordon Parks Foundation, NJPAC, and heralded artists like Jason Samuels Smith, Qasim Naqvi, Pedro Giraudo, Nicola López. Nimbus maintains its home base in Jersey City, NJ, at the Nimbus Arts Center, a 14,500 sq ft venue which supports interdisciplinary arts, incubates diverse arts entities, and houses Nimbus’ educational programs including the School of Nimbus. Nimbus recently opened a new 8,800 sq ft location in Summit, NJ, offering classes and performances, and fostering creative work. Nimbus produces the annual Acadia Dance Festival in Bar Harbor, Maine.
