The 92nd Street Y, New York, proudly introduces Women Move the World, the Harkness Mainstage Series for the 2025/26 season, marking the first time the organization has dedicated an entire year to works curated, created, and choreographed exclusively by women. This vibrant season showcases a diverse lineup, including performances by established dance companies, and emerging artists, and an all-women cohort of artists in residence, with additional creators to be announced. The program will unfold across two iconic venues: the historic Kaufmann Concert Hall and Buttenwieser Hall at the Arnhold Center, celebrating the transformative power of women in dance.
The season opens with LaTasha Barnes and an all-female swing band, inviting everyone to become part of the season as they lead a swing dance party, and closes with acclaimed choreographer Aszure Barton bringing renowned dance artists and companies from different parts of the world in their 92NY debuts. YY Dance Company premieres Elsewhere, the final installment of a triptych that also includes Somewhere and Nowhere; celebrated choreographer/dancer Jodi Melnick joins New York City Ballet principal dancer Sara Mearns for their first-ever performance in historic Kaufmann Concert Hall in works that draw inspiration from such groundbreaking female choreographers as Doris Humphrey, Hanya Holm, Sara Rudner, and Trisha Brown; and Andrea Miller’s GALLIM, Hélène Simoneau Danse, and Heidi Latsky bring thoughtful works to this unique season.
The 2025/26 season also includes three vastly different festivals. The Uptown Rhythm Dance Festival – which memorably tapped into the connections between such rhythmic forms as flamenco, hip-hop, swing, Kathak, Appalachian clogging and tap in its inaugural outing last season – returns for a sophomore series of performances and workshops showcasing the impact of women in rhythmic dance. The festival’s second edition welcomes Dormeshia’s “Ladies in the Shoe” as a presenter along with Works & Process at Guggenheim New York. The Future Dance Festival returns for a fifth season as a talent incubator, with this season’s applications open exclusively to women and female identifying artists. And following her performance last season, Rachna Nivas returns to curate 92NY’s first-ever festival of India’s classical arts, a full-day summit that includes Michelle Dorrance.
Artists in residence are Naomi Funaki, Dual Rivet (Chelsea Ainsworth/Jess Smith) and Keerati Jinakunwiphat.
“Something unprecedented is happening on our stage this season — and it feels both long overdue and exactly on time,” comments Alison Manning, Co-Executive Director, Harkness Dance Center. “For what we believe is the first time in history, our season is fully devoted to works created, curated, and choreographed by women and female-identifying artists.”
“We made this choice with purpose, and this season is personal for us — rooted in care, conviction, and a belief that who tells the story matters.” Manning continues. “In a moment when the rights, voices, and bodies of women are under renewed threat — in our country and across the world — we are claiming space. The stage becomes our platform, our protest, our offering. We lift up the creators who have always shaped dance but haven’t always been centered in it. Women Move the World is not just a season. It’s a statement.”
92NY invites you to witness these artists as they move the world — not quietly or carefully, but with power, precision, and purpose. Visit 92ny.org to learn more and book now for the 2025/26 season.
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