dance

On a recent evening, the jolting sounds of string instruments filled a room that was half dance studio, half gym. A quartet stood in the center of a mat-covered section of the space, each member stationed behind a music stand. Three dancers circled the ensemble, cycling through a series of turns and leaps and kicks.

On a recent Monday afternoon, Andrea Herbert Major was in full director mode at the Roxbury Center for the Performing Arts. Wearing an all-black ensemble with pink pointe shoes to match her Barbie-pink nails, she sat in a wood-floored studio fine-tuning a series of dance routines.

Last year, “Show Out Boston!” a vibrant youth arts community engagement program, was an all-out success. This year, community members can look forward to another free installment of the showcase on Feb. 1 at Hibernian Hall in the heart of Roxbury.

Boston-based dance company Subject:Matter conjures works that explore the past, present and future of tap. Its interplay of heritage and innovation was on thrilling display at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston on Oct.20 and 21.

This 2023-24 school year, libraries across the country are a few books short. An increasing number of states have enforced policies banning books that deal with race, history and gender identity. These bans are the inspiration for Abilities Dance Boston’s original piece, “The Banned Ballet.”

The Brazilian contemporary dance company Grupo Corpo crafts compositions specific to Brazilian history, culture and spirituality. This month, the group returns to Boston for the first time since 2018 to perform two Boston premieres.

Boston Ballet company dancer My’Kal Stromile has an impressive stage history. He’s received The Juilliard School’s Choreographic Honors three years in a row, won the Hector Zaraspe Prize for choreography in 2018 and has been executing immaculate work with the Boston Ballet for five years. This fall, Stromile will debut his first mainstage choreographed piece, “Form and Gesture.”

Mireille Tushiminina launched the African Festival of Boston 13 years ago to celebrate the Independence Day anniversaries of many African countries, including her native Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since then, the festival has become a community staple, bringing together African immigrants around Boston to celebrate their heritage and their chosen home here in the Hub.

Back in Boston for the first time since 2013, the Paul Taylor Dance Company made a sensational return this month with three shows at the Boch Center Shubert Theatre, presented by the Celebrity Series of Boston.

This month, Abilities Dance Boston presents the world premiere of “Intersections v2,” the second installment of a performance highlighting BIPOC artists and promoting disability rights.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will grace the Boston stage once again May 4-7, presented by Celebrity Series of Boston at the Boch Center Wang Theatre.

Celebrity Series welcomes 2023 this month with two groundbreaking dance performances by award-winning women choreographers of color: Stefanie Batten Bland’s “Look Who’s Coming to Dinner,” performed by Company SBB January 14-15, and LaTasha Barnes’ “The Jazz Continuum,” running January 19-21.