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Upcoming Events & Performances

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ESL Rochester Fringe Festival

September 17–20, 2026 | Garth Fagan Dance Studio Theater, Rochester, NY​

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Celebrating 55 years of groundbreaking artistry, Garth Fagan Dance returns to the ESL Rochester Fringe Festival, where GFD has proudly participated every year since the Festival’s inception in 2012. This year’s program features excerpts from Garth Fagan’s vibrant Never Top 40 (Jukebox), Priestess Hill by Artistic Director Norwood “PJ” Pennewell, and Messages To The Storm by Executive Director Natalie Rogers-Cropper. Weekend matinees will also feature special performances by the Garth Fagan Dance Student Ensemble. Performances are Thursday, September 17 at 7 p.m.; Friday, September 18 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, September 19 at 2 p.m.; and Sunday, September 20 at 2 p.m. Tickets begin at $20. Use code "GFD" for $5 off online tickets. 

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Garth Fagan Dance at the Smith Opera House

September 26, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. | Smith Opera House, Geneva, NY

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As part of Geneva Concerts’ 80th season, Garth Fagan Dance returns to the historic Smith Opera House for a special 55th anniversary performance. GFD brings its signature blend of musicality, athleticism, rhythm, and emotional depth to the Finger Lakes with beloved revivals by Garth Fagan alongside exhilarating recent works by Bessie Award-winning company leaders Norwood “PJ” Pennewell and Natalie Rogers-Cropper.

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Smith Opera House

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Fashion Week Rochester

October 17, 2026 | The Fedder Building, Rochester, NY​

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Garth Fagan Dance joins Fashion Week Rochester on Saturday, October 17, for a special performance bringing movement and fashion together on the runway. The company will perform original choreography by Artistic Director Norwood “PJ” Pennewell, featuring costume design by Rochester local and renowned fashion designer Nate Johnson. Now in its 16th year, Fashion Week Rochester celebrates local designers, artists, and creative voices while supporting The Center for Youth and its work addressing youth homelessness in the Rochester community.​ 

Fashion Week Rochester

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Garth Fagan Dance at The Joyce Theater

November 4–8, 2026 | The Joyce Theater, New York, NY

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Garth Fagan Dance returns to The Joyce Theater for its 55th anniversary season with an electrifying program celebrating the company’s unmistakable fusion of modern, postmodern, Afro-Caribbean, and ballet influences. Honoring Distinguished Artistic Director Emeritus Garth Fagan, the program features his seminal Prelude: Discipline is Freedom and the revival of Never Top 40 (Jukebox), alongside the New York City premieres of Priestess Hill by Artistic Director Norwood “PJ” Pennewell and Messages To The Storm by Executive Director Natalie Rogers-Cropper. Together, the works celebrate the rhythm, rigor, innovation, and soul that have defined Garth Fagan Dance for more than five decades.

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Photos by Jim Dolan

Calling all presenters, venues, businesses, and universities:

bring Garth Fagan Dance to your community in 2026 & 2027

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Contact alec@garthfagandance.org for our EPK, tech rider, scheduling inquiries, and general information.

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We look forward to connecting with you!

Past Performances

2026

  • Determined To Be: The Scultures of John Rhoden in collaboration with Memorial Art Gallery | March 29–August 23, 2026

  • Summer Movement Institute Culmination Performance at the Sklarsky Glass Box Theater | July 26

  • Caribbean Currents: A Rochester Film Experience at WXXI Studios  | July 23

  • Juneteenth Celebration at Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Park at Manhattan Square | June 20

  • ​55th Anniversary Performance Celebration at Nazareth University Arts Center | May 7-10

  • 55th Anniversary Gala at MAG's M&T Bank Ballroom | May 1 | see photos

  • Town of Brighton Black History Month Celebration at the Golisano Institute of Business & Entrepreneurship | February 20 

  • Rochester Academy Charter School: Lecture Demonstration | February 13

  • ​Video Lecture: History of Garth Fagan and its Significance in Dance at MAG | February 5

  • Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Dance Festival: American Masters with Garth Fagan Dance at Kodak Hall in Eastman Theater | January 24

  • The Bessie Awards at The Dixon Place | January 20

2025

  • First Friday Rochester  at GFD Studio Theater | April 4, June 6, Nov 7 and Dec 5

  • ESL Rochester Fringe Festival at GFD Studio Theater | Sept 11-20

  • Carifesta XV at Frank Collymore Hall in Bridgetown, Barbados | August 27

  • Rochester Summer Soul Music Festival at Innovation Field | August 10

  • Summer Movement Institute Culmination Performance at GFD Studio Theater | July 26

  • Finger Lakes Opera's "The Anonymous Lover" at  RIT/NTID's Panera Theatre | July 20

  • Finger Lakes Residency at Fort Hill Performing Arts Center in Canandaigua, NY | June  20-22

  • Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra's Gala at Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center | May 16

  • Sonnenberg Gardens Mother's Day Duet at Sonnenberg Gardens in Canandaigua, NY | May 11

  • ​Memorial Art Gallery Gala at MAG's M&T Bank Ballroom | May 3

  • Rochester Climate Summit at Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center | April 4

  • RIT's Expressions of King's Legacy | January 29

  • APAP Showcase at Ailey Citigroup Theater in New York, NY | January 12

2024

  • Home Showcase at Monroe Community College Auditorium | December 6-8

  • NYC Season at The Joyce Theater in New York, NY | October 29-November 3

  • COCO Dance Festival at Queen's Hall in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago | October 12-13

  • Rochester Fringe Festival at GFD Studio Theater | September 12-21

  • Summer Movement Institute Culmination Performance at GFD Studio Theater | July 27

  • OSAD/BSLF/EOP Reunion at GFD Studio Theater | July 19

  • Finger Lakes Opera's world premiere of "Two Corners" | June 28 & 30

  • First Friday Rochester at GFD Studio Theater | May 3 & June 7​

  • University of North Carolina, Greensboro | April 5

  • State University of New York, Brockport | March 13

  • ​Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra's "The Rite of Spring" | January 11 & 13

Book The Company Today!

For performance, lecture demonstration, or masterclass bookings, contact Rachel Cohen at Cadence Arts Network, Inc. via rachel@cadencearts.com. For inquiries about repertoire, technical riders, or sample excerpts, reach out to Alec Shiman, Executive Assistant/Company Manager at alec@garthfagandance.org.

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