dance

It’s been a banner year (pun intended) in the Boston arts scene. Heading into 2025, we’re looking back at some of our most notable arts stories from 2024. In both local and national categories, diverse stories shone.

On Saturday, dancers from all over New England gathered at Boston Dance Studios for the organization’s first-ever Annual Winter Popping Competition, organized to help Boston Dance Studios fundraise for its “80K Campaign.”

Anthony Williams’s “Urban Nutcracker” opens on the rowhouse streets of Boston with the iconic Citgo sign in the background and a cast of more than 150 mostly local performers. The reimagining of a classic tale on the streets of our city has been warming hearts in Boston for nearly 25 years. 

Tap dancer and choreographer Ayodele Casel is taking to the American Repertory Theater stage to explore the history of the medium, one rat-tat-tat at a time.

When the Martha Graham Dance Company comes to New England this month, it’ll be for the first time in almost 20 years. As it ramps up to its centennial in 2026, the New York-based institution will bring four performances to Boston celebrating and honoring the legacies of icons like namesake founder Martha Graham.

What if Sleeping Beauty suffered from long COVID and was battling deep-seated fatigue rather than a wicked spell? What if audiences identified more with the misunderstood beast than the delicate beauty?

Spanning four centuries of music and multiple genres of dance, Complexions Contemporary Ballet performed two shows last weekend at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre in Boston, presented by Global Arts Live.

When David Orr recognized how especially turbulent the past few years had felt, he set out to create a respite.

The arts in Massachusetts have taken on a new role from culture creator to healthcare solution. In June, Art Pharmacy and Mass Cultural Council, along with Mass General Brigham, announced the launch of the first statewide arts prescription in the nation.

Through its ParkARTS program, the Boston Parks and Recreation Department enlivens pockets of green space across the city, bringing arts workshops, concerts, movies and puppet shows to city-run parks year-round, with a more concentrated calendar in the summer months, all free of charge.

The Mission Hill Arts Festival returns for its fourth year with seven performances this summer by diverse musical and multimedia artists centered on the theme “Elements of Earth: An Uncommon View.”

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to Boston this week as part of the Celebrity Series of Boston, the nonprofit presenting performing arts and artists in venues across the Greater Boston area.