USE CODE: DANCE2025 for a 25% ticket discount through July 31.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Get ready for a fierce and unforgettable experience as Omari Wiles and his trailblazing company, Les Ballet Afrik, take the stage with their electrifying 60-minute production of New York Is Burning, presented as part of the Jamestown Dance Festival presented by Sukanya Burman Dance.
Blending the fearless spirit of ballroom with African diasporic traditions, house, and contemporary dance, this powerful work, rooted in the legacy of the legendary documentary Paris Is Burning, is a celebration of queerness, resilience, and creative expression. Audiences will be transported into a world of joy, struggle, and style as the company reimagines the ballroom as a space for healing and liberation.
As a prelude to the performance, join Omari Wiles for a Vogueing workshop on September 4 from 5:00–6:30 PM at Jamestown Community College’s Scharmann Theater. This exciting opportunity is open to all levels and offers a hands-on introduction to the history, artistry, and technique of ballroom culture. For more information visit: https://www.sukanyaburman.com/jamestown-dance-festival
Omari Wiles is a force in contemporary dance. Born in Senegal and raised in the Bronx, he is the founder of the House of Oricci and creator of the signature “AfrikFusion” style. He has been named one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch,” featured in Vogue and The New York Times, and worked with global icons including Beyoncé, Janet Jackson, and Madonna. His choreographic work has appeared at Lincoln Center, The Joyce Theater, and the Guggenheim, and he recently received widespread acclaim for his role as co-choreographer of the ballroom-inspired Cats: The Jellicle Ball Off-Broadway.
This powerful weekend of dance is made possible through the generous support of NYS DanceForce, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Chautauqua Regional Community Foundation, the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, Live CHQ, Arts Access through Arts Services Inc. of Western New York, Jamestown Community College, and Sukanya Burman Dance Inc.
Commissioned by Works & Process, New York Is Burning was created in a summer 2020 Works & Process bubble residency at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, a spring 2021 Works & Process bubble residency at Catskill Mountain Foundation, and a January 2022 Works & Process residency at The Church, Sag Harbor in partnership with Guild Hall. New York is Burning is a New England Foundation for the Arts National Dance Project Grant Finalist. Les Ballet Afrik was awarded a 2023-24 CUNY Dance Initiative Residency at City College Center for the Arts. New York Is Burning premiered with Works & Process at the Guggenheim on November 5 and 6, 2022.
Admission requirements subject to change.
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