Forces of Nature at NJPAC
(NEWARK, NJ) -- New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) has announced their 2024-25 Season of Dance. The season includes performances by Malevo, State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine, Nature Dance Theatre, MOMIX, Nai-Ni Chen Dance, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. The series is sponsored by M&T Bank.
Friday, October 25, 2024 @ 7:30pm - MALEVO (NJPAC debut). The thrilling dance sensation Malevo is an all-male Argentinian dancing-and-drumming troupe created by the choreographer/dancer Matias Jaime. Hailed for its lightning-fast footwork, high-energy athleticism and exhilarating rhythms, Malevo is a fiery combination of Malambo (the traditional folk dance of Argentine Gauchos), dramatic flamenco and synchronized percussion. Malevo burst on to the scene with their thrilling performances on America’s Got Talent in 2015. After being named an official “Cultural Ambassador to the National Identity of Argentina,” and on the tail of numerous successes including events and performances in Las Vegas, New York, Dubai, Paris, Cairo, St Petersburg and Montreal as well as special performances with Latin pop-star Ricky Martin, Cirque du Soleil, a year-long residency at Universal Studios Japan, Malevo have earned worldwide recognition and a dedicated legion of fans with multiple sold-out tours. Tickets: $59. Location: NJPAC’s Victoria Theater.
Sunday, December 15, 2024 @ 2:00pm - THE NUTCRACKER: State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine. In what has become an annual NJPAC tradition, the State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine returns with the beloved holiday favorite The Nutcracker. Set to Tchaikovsky's classic score and featuring brand new choreography and productions by Andrey Litvinov, the State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine premiered this revised version of The Nutcracker in Dnipro, Ukraine, in 2020. Choreography and design lasted for many months with the pandemic constantly disrupting the process. Fortunately, this new interpretation of a timeless classic still managed to be completed. The company is recognized as one of the most prestigious institutions of classical ballet in Ukraine. With no fewer than 55 of Ukraine's finest performers, this esteemed ensemble has performed to the delight of audiences worldwide. Tickets: $39-$89. Location: NJPAC’s Prudential Hall.
Sunday, December 22, 2024 @ 3:00pm - FORCES OF NATURE CELEBRATES KWANZAA. “Abdel R. Salaam’s choreography is unusual, transcendent, ecstatic! It’s imaginative fused ideas… Visualized against an amalgam of rhythms… Was the spirit of positive energy… Truly a welcome gift!” – Attitude: The Dancers’ Magazine
The Harlem-based Forces of Nature Dance Theatre returns to NJPAC for a festive Kwanzaa celebration that combines traditional West African and neo-African dance, hip hop, ballet, contemporary modern dance and martial arts. It’s a powerful homage to the ancestors—an invitation to connect—and a vibrant way to honor the holiday with the entire family. Utilizing a unique blend of performing arts, including modern dance, traditional West African dance, live and recorded music, and the martial arts, Forces of Nature specializes in choreo-dramatic theater, earning the praise of critics and audiences wherever they perform. Forces of Nature’s cultural matrix is centered in an African and an American intelligence that is global and environmental. Its aesthetic has been critically acclaimed as visceral, thought provoking and creatively brilliant. Executive Artistic Director/Choreographer Abdel R. Salaam and Executive Managing Director Olabamidele Husbands co-founded the company in 1981. Salaam’s choreography has been described as “a collage of ballet, modern, and African movements, performed with exacting beauty (Dance Magazine).”
In recent years Forces of Nature received the Kwanzaa 50th Anniversary Award in Excellence from the Apollo Theater, The Kuumba Award from the New York Kwanzaa Holiday Foundation, The 41st Annual Dance Company of the Year Audelco Recognition for Excellence in Black Theater, and the 2017 Outstanding Production Bessie Award for the “Healing Sevens”. Tickets: $49-$59. Location: NJPAC’s Victoria Theater.
Sunday, January 19, 2025 @ 3:00pm - SWAN LAKE: State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine. After an enchanting production of The Nutcracker, the State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine returns to NJPAC with this performance of Swan Lake. Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece is considered one of the greatest of all time — a favorite of ballet fans and first-timers alike. Experience all the iconic moments of Petipa and Ivanov’s original choreography, including the Black Swan pas de deux and the dance of the little swans. The State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine is recognized as one of the most prestigious institutions of classical ballet in Ukraine. With no fewer than 55 of Ukraine's finest performers, this esteemed ensemble has performed to the delight of audiences worldwide. Tickets: $39-$79. Location: NJPAC’s Prudential Hall.
Sunday, January 26, 2025 @ 7:00pm - MOMIX: ALICE. Travel down the rabbit hole MOMIX-style with Moses Pendleton's newest creation, ALICE, inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. With mind-bending acrobatics, dancers transform into Caterpillars, White Rabbits, Mad Hatters, the Queen of Hearts and other characters from the classic tale. As Alice’s body grows and shrinks and grows again, Pendleton’s dancers extend themselves by means of props, ropes, and other dancers.
Known internationally for presenting work of exceptional inventiveness and physical beauty, MOMIX is a company of dancer-illusionists under the direction of Moses Pendleton. In addition to stage performances worldwide, MOMIX has worked in film and television, recently appearing in a national commercial for Hanes underwear and a Target ad that premiered during the airing of the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards. With performances on PBS’s “Dance in America” series, France’s Antenne II, and Italian RAI television, the company’s repertory has been broadcast to 55 countries. For 40 years, MOMIX has wowed international audiences with work of exceptional inventiveness and physical beauty under the direction of Moses Pendleton. The company returns to NJPAC for the first time since its presentation of Best of MOMIX in 2019. Tickets: $39-$79. Location: NJPAC’s Prudential Hall.
Satury, February 1 and Sunday, Febuary 2, 2025 @ 2:00pm - NAI-NI CHEN DANCE | THE YEAR OF THE SNAKE. A Newark tradition for over two decades, Fort Lee-based company Nai-Ni Chen Dance returns to NJPAC to welcome the coming of the Spring of 2025, the Year of the Snake. It is a spectacular experience for all ages, combining traditional Chinese celebrations with modern flair. The Company dancers, acrobats and musicians evoke the spirit of the Snake with festive costumes in red, gold, blue, and purple colors symbolizing their prayer for a peaceful and harmonious New Year with plenty of prosperity and good fortune. Tickets: $35. Location: NJPAC’s Victoria Theater.
Friday, May 9; Saturday, May 10 at 8:00pm; and Sunday, May 11, 2025 @ 3:00 p.m. ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER. “Watching Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater can change your life.” – The New York Times. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is woven into the fabric of Newark—dancing at NJPAC’s opening night 27 years ago, and returning every year since. Each performance reveals new layers, new depth and new meaning, which is why so many return again and again for this Mother’s Day Weekend tradition. The mixed-repertory program will include the beloved bring-the-house-down classic, Revelations—a thrilling exaltation of African-American cultural heritage set to spirituals, song-sermons, gospel and holy blues. The Ailey company has earned a reputation as one of the finest international ambassadors of American culture, promoting the uniqueness of the African American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of American modern dance. Complete programming for these performances to be announced at a later date. Tickets: $25-$94. Location: NJPAC’s Prudential Hall.
M&T Bank Corporation is a financial holding company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. M&T’s principal banking subsidiary, M&T Bank, operates banking offices in New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. Trust-related services are provided by M&T’s Wilmington Trust-affiliated companies and by M&T Bank. © 2019 M&T Bank. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.
New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located at One Center Street in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is among the largest performing arts centers in the United States. It is the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey — where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. As New Jersey’s anchor cultural institution, NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the State’s and the world’s best artists, while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted more than 11 million visitors (including more than two million children) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents.
