This October, Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company (DGDC) will present the world premiere of FRICTION, the company’s first full evening-length work in New York City since 2019. Performances will take place at Ailey Citigroup Theater, 405 W. 55th Street, New York, NY, on October 29 and 30 at 7 p.m. and October 31 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $38 general admission and $26 for students and children under 12, and are available at eventbrite.com.
FRICTION explores the volatile space where artificial intelligence, humanity, technology and human relationships collide. Through movement, sound and imagery, choreographer Daniel Gwirtzman examines the question: What is the divide between artificial intelligence and real intelligence?
The work continues Gwirtzman’s longstanding exploration of technology, identity and consciousness, following DGDC’s 1999 evening-length work Plasma Field and 2023’s e-Motion, a collaboration with playwright Saviana Stanescu that investigated AI sentience. With FRICTION, Gwirtzman pushes this inquiry further, examining the tensions and transformations that emerge as technology increasingly shapes human experience.
In the group section “LARGE LANGUAGE MODEL,” which was previewed during New York City Center’s IN THE STUDIO program in June, dancers become data in motion – executing dense, intricate movement phrases at relentless speeds while exploring the relationship between agency and automation. The choreography incorporates fragments from the Company’s existing repertory, with movements dismantled, recontextualized and transformed through a process inspired by machine learning.
The score for FRICTION was generated in collaboration with the large language model Claude, with additional programs used to create a range of voices reflecting the complex layers of information and data within the work.
For Gwirtzman, FRICTION is also deeply personal. As he continues his own career as a dancer, the work considers the forces that shape perseverance and change: overcoming inertia, confronting aging, navigating expectations and continuing to strive despite uncertainty. At its core, FRICTION explores the tension, both external and internal, that ignite transformation.
The performance features dancers Derek Crescenti, Daniel Gwirtzman, Sarah Hillmon, Vanessa Martínez de Baños, Johnny Mathews, and additional artists to be announced.
Prior to the premiere, DGDC will present FRICTION in two free IN THE STUDIO preview performances at New York City Center Studios on Saturday, September 12, 2026 at 4 p.m. and Sunday, October 11, 2026 at 2 p.m. Presented in an intimate rehearsal setting, the programs offer audiences an early look at the developing work.
Founded in 1998, Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company is known for its optimistic ethos, accessible programming and commitment to the belief that everyone can join the dance. The Company’s repertory has been recognized for its humor, musicality, stylistic diversity and storytelling. Its acclaimed educational resource Dance With Us, supported by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, aims to demystify choreography and expand audiences’ comfort engaging with dance.
In 2023, Lincoln Center and The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts presented DGDC’s 25th Anniversary program Everybody Can Dance. The Company was also in residence at the American Dance Festival in 2024, where it developed its evening-length work Flashpoint. In 2025, DGDC’s AI-themed theater/dance work e-Motion premiered in New York at La MaMa’s La MaMa Moves! Festival, receiving praise from Culturebot as “profoundly chilling,” with Gwirtzman’s performance described as “masterful.”
For more information, visit https://gwirtzmandance.org/
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