Occurence #14 | April 9-12
by Spectrum Dance Theater
Directed by Donald Byrd
About
Spectrum Dance Theater’s OCCURRENCE series is a bold and imaginative choreographic format first introduced on March 20, 2016, at La Usina del Arte in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as the culminating public presentation of a U.S. Embassy residency. The series is modeled on the spirit of a Merce Cunningham EVENT—a performance constructed of complete dances, excerpts, and new sequences arranged specifically for the site, often layered with multiple actions occurring simultaneously.
A retrospective of Mr. Byrd’s experience of 9/11, OCCURRENCE #14 combines old and new movement ideas, showcasing them together and offering a new perspective on this world-altering event. “This is my playtime,” says Byrd. “It’s when I get to nerd out as a choreographer. I recombine past work with new material, guided by imagination and the pursuit of the next right thing to do.”
Artist Credits
CHOREOGRAPHY & DIRECTION – Donald Byrd
ORIGINAL LIGHTING DESIGN – Ryan A. Dunn
REVIVAL LIGHTING DESIGN – Jack Mehler
COSTUME DESIGN – Doris Black
SOUND DESIGN – Robertson Witmer
PROJECTION IMAGE DESIGN – Jesse Allain-Marcus
ORIGINAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANT – T. Ibn Sahali
ORIGINAL PRODUCTION SUPPORT – Arts Tech
ORIGINAL STAGE MANAGER – Amanda Balter
REVIVAL STAGE MANAGER – Cricket Neiss
SPECTRUM COMPANY ARTISTS – Birdy Adler, Natalie Johnson, Cody Krause, Katarina Lee, Isabella Smith, Cooper Sullivan, Serene Wong
APPRENTICE – Colleen McKibben
La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival 2026
La MaMa Moves! 2026, the 21st season of La MaMa’s annual dance festival, brings together
dance artists at all stages of their careers to experiment, collaborate, and share new work.
Curated by Nicky Paraiso, the festival will take place over five weeks in April and May of 2026
and will include twelve productions across La MaMa’s four venues, and up to four in-person
community workshops and public discussions. This year’s festival line-up features dancemakers Donald Byrd, Beth Corning with guest puppeteer Tom Lee, Vangeline, Patricia Hoffbauer, Dancers Unlimited, Sun Kim Dance Theatre, Green Cow, Iver Findlay, BamBam Frost & Ori Flomin, Pioneers Go East Collective, and ms. z tye & Mina Nishimura in a shared evening curated by La MaMa Curatorial Residents Martita Abril & Blaze Ferrer.
La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival continues to support La MaMa’s commitment to presenting diverse performance styles that challenge audience’s perception of dance by featuring performance/installations, experimental film screenings & public symposiums which address dance artists’ engagement with the current political climate, as well as honoring diasporic histories and legacy, ancestral inspirations and inter-generational dialogue.
