Year: 2025-2026
DanceForce Member: Sukanya Burman
Partnering DanceForce Members: Margaret Kaiser, Ivan Sygoda
Artist: Les Ballet Afrik
Community Partners: Arts Services Initiative, Buffalo; Chautauqua Region Community Foundation; Cullen Foundation; Jamestown Community College; Jamestown Pride; Jamestown Public Market; New Neighbors Coalition; Reg Lenna Center for the Arts; Sheldon Foundation; Torn Space Theatre; Wegmans; YWCA Jamestown
Audience: 800
Counties: Chautauqua, Erie
The Jamestown Dance Festival (JDF) returns from September 4–7, 2025, with a renewed commitment to presenting innovative, culturally rich, and community-centered dance programming in Western New York. This year, Les Ballet Afrik, the groundbreaking company led by Omari Wiles, will serve as the festival’s anchor company, bringing their critically acclaimed work New York Is Burning to audiences in Jamestown and Buffalo, with the possibility of an additional performance in Steuben County. Along with Les Ballet Afrik, two international artists, 2 regional artists and 3 emerging artists will also be featured in the festival performance lineup. The festival will also host a dance film screening, multiple workshops and curtain chats to provide additional access to dance for our community.
With its signature fusion of African diasporic movement, ballroom, and house dance traditions, Les Ballet Afrik embodies a bold and intersectional future for American dance while remaining deeply rooted in history. Their performance of New York Is Burning, originally commissioned by Works & Process at the Guggenheim, honors the legacy of the underground ballroom scene while celebrating the resilience and artistry of Black and Latinx queer communities. The festival will present the company at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts in Jamestown and Torn Space Theater in Buffalo. In addition to performances, community workshops will be hosted at Jamestown Community College and a venue (TBD) in Buffalo, and a brief engagement in Steuben county (TBD) expanding access to dance education and engagement across the region.
The festival’s success is built on strong partnerships with organizations that share JDF’s mission of increasing access to the arts and uplifting underrepresented voices. Key partners include Reg Lenna Center for the Arts, Torn Space Theater, Jamestown Community College, Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, Sheldon Foundation, Cullen Foundation, Wegmans, Jamestown Pride, New Neighbors Coalition, Jamestown Public Market, YWCA Jamestown, and Arts Services Inc. of Western New York. These partnerships not only help facilitate performances and workshops but also strengthen JDF’s ability to reach a diverse and engaged audience.
With an anticipated attendance of over 500 people, the festival will serve a broad spectrum of community members, from young dancers and emerging artists to LGBTQ+ audiences and those experiencing concert dance for the first time.
By presenting Les Ballet Afrik as the festival’s anchor company, JDF is providing a vital platform for a groundbreaking ensemble while helping to create pathways for continued touring and production support. This aligns with the festival’s long-term goal of ensuring that artists who embody innovation and authenticity can reach wider audiences, both regionally and nationally.