The Joyce Theater Foundation presents Ephrat Asherie Dance with Arturo O’Farrill in SHADOW CITIES 

New York Premiere 

December 3–7 

The Joyce Theater 

The Tino & Rajika Puri Auditorium 

175 Eighth Avenue at West 19th Street 

New York City 

The Joyce Theater Foundation (Linda Shelton, Executive  Director) presents the New York premiere of Shadow Cities, a collaborative creation by Ephrat Asherie  Dance and Grammy Award–winning pianist and composer Arturo O’Farrill. Performances run  December 3–7, with shows Wednesday–Friday at 7:30pm, Saturday at 2pm and 7:30pm, and Sunday at  2pm in the Tino & Rajika Puri Auditorium. Tickets, priced $17–$72 (including fees), are available at  www.Joyce.org or by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800. Please note: ticket prices are subject to  change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at West 19th Street. For more information,  please visit www.Joyce.org.  

Led by acclaimed choreographer Ephrat Asherie, Ephrat Asherie Dance (EAD) joins forces with  Arturo O’Farrill, Grammy Award–winning pianist, composer, and founder and artistic director of Belongó (formerly known as the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance) for the New York premiere of Shadow Cities, a vibrant exploration of the liminal space, the in-between— between cities, cultures, and generations. With seven dancers and four musicians, the work examines the  spaces where identity fractures and fuses, where memories and rhythms coexist in motion. Rooted in  Afro-diasporic vernacular forms including breaking, hip-hop, house, and waacking, Asherie crafts a  kinetic language that is both grounded and transcendent. O’Farrill’s bold and evocative score propels the  dancers through shifting emotional terrains, evoking an environment both familiar and otherworldly.  Together, they conjure a textured portrait of resilience, belonging, and joy—reminding us that sometimes  our fullest selves emerge in the spaces between. 

Photos are available here. 

ABOUT EPHRAT ASHERIE DANCE 

Ephrat Asherie Dance (EAD), under the direction of Bessie Award-winning choreographer Ephrat  “Bounce” Asherie, is dedicated to honoring the ethos of NYC’s underground club community. EAD  explores the inherently complex and narrative qualities of various Black and Latine vernacular forms,  including breaking, hip hop, house and waacking. The company has performed at venues including  Jacob’s Pillow, New York City Center, Works & Process at the Guggenheim, and The Joyce Theater. 

EAD is committed to educating, celebrating and bringing awareness to the history and expansiveness of  street and club dance culture by creating and sharing innovative performance work and facilitating  platforms for dialogue across the field. Through Asherie’s dynamic vision and collaborative approach,  EAD brings forth work that is aesthetically innovative, physically rigorous and unceasingly curious,  creating work that pushes artistic boundaries and reminds us how important it is to connect to one  another. 

ABOUT ARTURO O’FARRILL 

A six-time Grammy Award–winning pianist, composer, and educator, Arturo O’Farrill is celebrated as  one of the leading voices in contemporary Latin jazz. Founder and Artistic Director of the Afro Latin  Jazz Orchestra, O’Farrill has performed and recorded with Dizzy Gillespie, Wynton Marsalis, and Tito  Puente. His compositions blend Afro Latin rhythms, jazz improvisation, and classical structure to create  an unmistakable sound that bridges tradition and innovation. O’Farrill is also a dedicated advocate for cultural equity and arts education. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of Belongó (formerly known as the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance), a non-profit institution dedicated to performing, educating about, and preserving the music of all of the Americas emanating from African and indigenous roots through the entry point of jazz that present the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra worldwide.

ABOUT THE JOYCE THEATER 

The Joyce Theater Foundation (“The Joyce,” Executive Director, Linda Shelton), a non-profit  organization, has proudly served the dance community for more than four decades. Under the direction of  founders Cora Cahan and Eliot Feld, Ballet Tech Foundation acquired and renovated the historic Elgin  Theater in Chelsea, transforming it into a space built by dancers for dance. Opening as The Joyce Theater in 1982, the venue was named in honor of Joyce Mertz, beloved daughter of LuEsther T. Mertz, whose  vision and generosity made the theater possible. Ownership was secured by The Joyce in 2015. Since  then, The Joyce has provided an intimate and elegant home for more than 475 U.S.-based and  international dance companies and has expanded its reach beyond Chelsea through off-site presentations  at venues such as Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater, Brooklyn’s Invisible Dog Art Center, and  Hudson River Park. To further support the creation of new work, The Joyce maintains longstanding  commissioning and residency programs, while local students and teachers (grades 1–12) benefit from its  extensive education initiatives. With an annual season of roughly 48 weeks of dance—including more  than 300 performances for audiences exceeding 100,000—The Joyce remains one of the few theaters in  the world devoted exclusively to dance, upholding its mission to champion innovation, preserve tradition,  and celebrate the art form’s boundless possibilities. 

Shadow Cities by Ephrat Asherie Dance with Arturo O’Farrill runs December 3–7 in the Tino &  Rajika Puri Auditorium: Wednesday–Friday at 7:30pm; Saturday at 2pm and 7:30pm; Sunday at 2pm. A  post-performance Curtain Chat with the artists will be held on Thursday, December 4. Tickets $17– $72 (including fees); available at www.Joyce.org or via JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800. The Joyce Theater  is at 175 Eighth Avenue at West 19th Street. For more information, please visit www.Joyce.org.  

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Leadership support for The Joyce Theater Foundation has been received from the LuEsther T. Mertz  Charitable Trust. 

Champion support for The Joyce’s annual programming has been provided by Howard Gilman  Foundation and The Shubert Foundation.  

The Joyce’s presentation of Ephrat Asherie Dance is a HARKNESS FIRST Encore Joyce Theater return  engagement, generously supported by The Harkness Foundation for Dance.  

This project was made possible in part with support from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. 

Underwriting support for The Joyce's presentation of Ephrat Asherie Dance provided by Deborah &  Charles Adelman.  

Major support for The Joyce has been provided by The Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation. 

The Joyce Theater’s Fall ‘25 / Winter ‘26 season is made possible by the New York State Council on the  Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; and supported, in  part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City  Council with special thanks to Council Member Erik Bottcher.