From tap-infused revivals to genre-bending premieres, this season's lineup proves jazz dance is thriving in unexpected places.
Jazz dance in 2024 refuses to stay in one lane. This spring's programming finds choreographers merging vernacular footwork with contemporary technique, restaging historical works for new audiences, and staging productions in venues that rarely host dance. Whether you're drawn to the precision of concert-stage choreography or the raw energy of musical theater, these five productions—running February through June—offer concrete reasons to buy tickets now.
1. Swingin' at the Savoy — Chicago Human Rhythm Project (February 8–18, 2024)
Venue: Harris Theater for Music and Dance, Chicago
Choreographer: Lane Alexander with guest artists
Lane Alexander's annual winter production returns with a restored 1987 suite by tap legend Bunny Briggs, paired with new work from Michela Marino Lerman exploring the Lindy Hop's acrobatic vocabulary. The program's centerpiece—Air Steps Reimagined—translates Frankie Manning's aerial partner work into seated theater configurations, making the physics of the dance visible to audiences typically distant from the floor.
Why it matters: C.H.R.P. remains one of few presenters treating tap and jazz as continuous traditions rather than separate archives. Briggs's original notation, preserved in the company's archives, receives its first authorized reconstruction since his death.
Tickets: chicagotap.org | $35–$75
2. Bach 25 — Complexions Contemporary Ballet (March 15–17, 2024)
Venue: The Joyce Theater, New York City
Choreographer: Dwight Rhoden
Rhoden's 2018 hit returns with new casting, including American Ballet Theatre principal Catherine Hurlin in her Complexions debut. The work fuses petit allegro precision with grounded, syncopated torso isolations—watch for the ensemble's unison strutting sequence set to a recomposed Brandenburg Concerto, where ballet's verticality collides with jazz's weighted pelvis.
Why it matters: Rhoden, who trained at Dayton Contemporary Dance Company before Broadway, represents a generation of choreographers fluent in both concert and commercial vocabularies. This revival coincides with Complexions' 30th anniversary season.
Tickets: joyce.org | $26–$66
3. Pillow Talk: Jazz Roots — Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival (June 20–23, 2024)
Venue: Ted Shawn Theatre, Becket, Massachusetts
Curator: Dianne Walker with Jason Samuels Smith
This four-day intensive-performance hybrid marks the first time Jacob's Pillow has dedicated a full program to vernacular jazz dance since 2019. Walker and Samuels Smith reconstruct three rarely seen works: Katherine Dunham's "Barrelhouse Blues" (1948), Jack Cole's "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" original film choreography (1953), and a new commission from Dormeshia exploring house dance's jazz foundations.
Why it matters: Archival reconstruction meets living practice. Each performance includes pre-show "show and tell" sessions where dancers demonstrate how they decoded historical footage—transparency rare in restaged commercial work.
Tickets: jacobspillow.org | $45–$78; festival packages available
4. Here to Stay — Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart (U.S. Premiere, April 5–7, 2024)
Venue: UCLA's Royce Hall, Los Angeles
Choreographer: Eric Gauthier with Ayodele Casel
The German company's first West Coast appearance features a double bill: Gauthier's "Fade to Blue" (2022), set to live jazz quartet, and a new co-creation with tap artist Casel. The latter work—"Common Time"—places Casel's rhythmic precision against Gauthier's ensemble of contemporary dancers trained in ballet and release technique. The friction generates unexpected unison passages where footwork becomes melody.
Why it matters: European companies rarely tour with jazz-focused repertory; Gauthier's commercial success in Germany (regular broadcasts on ZDF) has funded this ambitious transatlantic exchange.
Tickets: cap.ucla.edu | $29–$99
