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Saying it through dance
The Month in Philly Dance for April 2026
Camille Bacon-Smith
Dance is magical. It speaks when we don’t have the words to express what we need to share: our joy or sorrow or grief or pain. It beats to the drum of our hearts, and makes music visible in the bodies of dancers in motion. And sometimes, it speaks in a secret language of courage and pride and resistance. Philly is amazing for all the dance that crops up everywhere, from so many voices, telling so many stories and April is another month bursting with choices. So much dance!
Roger Lee Dance Company: Glam
Friday, April 3, and Saturday, April 4, 8pm
Performance Garage, 1515 Brandywine Street
Roger Lee Dance returns to the Performance Garage for another family-friendly performance. This time, the company takes audiences to a glamorous celebrity party, so I’m expecting lots of glitz. The show includes an exhibit of Lee’s art based around the themes of the program.
PHILADANCO! Explosive!
Friday, April 17, 7:30pm
Saturday, April 18, 2pm and 7:30pm
Sunday, April 19, 2pm
Perelman Theater, 300 South Broad Street
PHILADANCO! returns to the Perelman with two world premieres, by new-to-DANCO! choreographers Nicole Clarke-Springer and Roderick George. Returning favorite Christopher Huggins’ 2003 Blue challenges the men of the company, and Thang Dao’s Without Witness, seen in 2021 as Roked returns as well. It’s always exciting to see the work of new choreographers, and Huggins is one of my favorites.
Koresh Dance Company: Never/Mind
Friday, April 17, 7:30pm
Saturday, April 18, 7:30pm
Sunday, April 19, 3pm
FringeArts, 140 North Christopher Columbus Boulevard
Ronen Koresh’s unique choreography feels like it’s torn right from the heart. Never/Mind, he says, is about the creative state of mind that stays true to its own authentic self, and is not swayed by expectations or negative opinions. As the world outside the arts grows increasingly hostile to the diverse creative community, and antisemitism gathers like a storm cloud, it’s an important reminder to us all to listen to our hearts and not the noise. Frequent Koresh collaborator Sage DeAgro-Ruopp will be creating the musical score.
Paul Taylor Dance Company: Speaking in Tongues
Friday, April 17, 7:30pm
Saturday, April 18, 2pm and 7:30pm
Harold L. Zellerbach Theater, 3680 Walnut Street
Speaking in Tongues seems even more relevant today than it was in 1988, when it premiered at the Annenberg. In it, the fanatical preacher is guilty of all the things he preaches against, and the most sanctimonious in the town are the most cruel.
The 40 Year Old Ballerino
Saturday, April 25, 5:30pm
Saturday, May 2, 7pm
Studio 34 Yoga Healing Arts, 4522 Baltimore Ave
Chris Davis, the 40-year-old ballerino has been taking dance class for a few years now, but he still brings the humor and sharp perception to the story of a man in midlife replacing other obsessions—drugs, alcohol, John Cusack movies—with ballet.
Putty Dance Project: Dance Like It’s 1829
Thursday, April 30, through Saturday, May 2, 7pm
Christ Church Neighborhood House Theater, 20 North American Street
Dance Up Close returns with Dance Like It’s 1829, Philadelphia Dance Project’s contribution to the America250 celebration. Choreographer Lauren Putty White and musician/composer Brent White explore the music of Black composers Francis Johnson and William Appo. Johnson created the most popular music of his time for both white audiences and the Black assemblies of the 1820s. Putty Dance reimagines Johnson’s LaFayette Ball for today, with live music composed and arranged by Brent White.
Philadelphia Ballet: Romeo and Juliet
Thursday, April 30 through Sunday, May 10
Academy of Music, 240 South Broad Street
This is another Philadelphia Ballet offering that I’ve been anticipating since it was announced. Resident choreographer Juliano Nunes has created a version of Shakespeare’s tale of youthful infatuation and the deadly feud between their families that leads to disaster. He’s using the Prokofiev score, which guides so much of the ballet’s emotional context, and we all know the story, so it will be interesting to see his perspective. I’ve been following Nunes’ work since his first piece for the company, Connection, and I am excited to see how he does with a full-length ballet.
And also
Performa Choreographic
Saturdays and Sundays, April 4 through 26, 1-3pm
Pig Iron Studios, 1417 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia
A four-week choreographic incubator program with shared studio space and mentorship by local choreographer Adam Kerbel, a Philadelphia Dance Projects Trilateral Exchange artist for 2026.
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Featured image: Dance Up Close returns with ‘Putty Dance Project: Dance Like It’s 1829.’ (Photo by Erin Keough.)
Image description: Two people on a dark blue couch. One has a trombone, the other sits on edge of chair, an arm and leg out, as if in step.
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