Hudson River Park and The Joyce Theater present the Hudson River Dance Festival, assembling some of today’s most exciting dance companies for two spectacular free shows, Thursday, June 8 and Friday, June 9.
The showcase celebrates the vibrant voices and diverse styles our city has to offer. Set against the incomparable backdrop of a Hudson River sunset, this two-day festival brings world-class performances to HRPK’s Pier 63 lawn. This year, street dance and tap performances come to our stage, along with ballet and modern dance.
2023 performers (lineup subject to change):
- Ayodele Casel
- Complexions Contemporary Ballet
- The Missing Element, commissioned by Works & Process
- Paul Taylor Dance Company
We hope you will join us for one, or both, nights of the Festival and enjoy this truly stunning event in the Park.
Our 25th Anniversary event season is presented by Hudson River Park Friends, the Park’s designated fundraising partner. HRPK Friends is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the completion, care and enhancement of the Park.
Hudson River Park is not part of NYC Parks, and we rely on private funds for our free programs, maintenance and operations. That means your donations are essential to ensuring our event season remains free for the public. Show your support today.
Photographed by Tony Turner
Photographed by Diego Quintanar
Photographed by Danica Paulos
Photographed by Justin Chao
About The Joyce:
The Joyce Theater Foundation (“The Joyce,” Executive Director, Linda Shelton), a non-profit organization, has proudly served the dance community for almost four decades. Under the direction of founders Cora Cahan and Eliot Feld, Ballet Tech Foundation acquired and renovated the Elgin Theater in Chelsea. Opening as The Joyce Theater in 1982, it was named in honor of Joyce Mertz, beloved daughter of LuEsther T. Mertz. It was LuEsther’s clear, undaunted vision and abundant generosity that made it imaginable and ultimately possible to build the theater. Ownership was secured by The Joyce in 2015. The theater is one of the only theaters built by dancers for dance and has provided an intimate and elegant home for over 400 U.S.-based and international companies. The Joyce has also expanded its reach beyond its Chelsea home through off-site presentations at venues ranging in scope from Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater, to Brooklyn’s Invisible Dog Art Center, and outdoor programming in spaces such as Hudson River Park. To further support the creation of new work, The Joyce maintains longstanding commissioning and residency programs. Local students and teachers (K–12th grade) benefit from its school program, and family and adult audiences get closer to dance with access to artists. The Joyce’s annual season of about 48 weeks of dance now includes over 340 performances – both digital and in-person – for audiences of over 150,000.
