Upper East Side|Local Event
CUNY Dance Initiative Announces Performances by Pigeonwing Dance and Neave Trio
The CUNY Dance Initiative (CDI), an expansive program providing New York City choreographers and dance companies with creative residencies on CUNY college campuses, announces the New York premiere of Rising by Pigeonwing Dance and The Neave Trio at Baruch Performing Arts Center (55 Lexington Avenue -entrance on 25th Street between Lexington and 3rd Avenues- New York, NY 10010) on April 23, 24, and 25, 2026 at 7PM. Tickets are $35, $20 with a CUNY ID, and can be purchased here.
Dances about water – rivers and oceans – are among the oldest human forms of expression; but in this time of climate change and rising sea levels, Rising takes on heightened significance. An exploration of our connection to Earth’s oceans, this evening-length work intertwines Robert Sirota’s emotive, lyrical music, performed live by the GRAMMY®–nominated Neave Trio, with Gabrielle Lamb’s evocative and articulate choreography for her chamber company, Pigeonwing Dance.
The score includes recorded text from oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer (Flotsametrics and the Floating World) and naturalist Craig Foster (My Octopus Teacher). Rising was developed over three years with The Neave Trio, who handpicked both the composer and choreographer. The musicians and dancers, who perform together onstage, shaped the work’s vision.
Rising premiered on September 27, 2024 at Oregon State University as a co-presentation by the Patricia Valian Reser Center for Art and Creativity (PRAx) and the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences. Rising was made possible by a commissioning grant from the O'Donnell-Green Music and Dance Foundation, with additional support from Ballet Vero Beach, the Riverside Dance Festival, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and the Arts Center at Governors Island.
The program runs approximately 60 minutes with no intermission.
ABOUT THE CUNY DANCE INITIATIVE
The CUNY Dance Initiative (CDI) marked a decade of supporting the NYC dance field in 2024. The program was developed in response to the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s 2010 report, “We Make Do,” which cited how destabilizing the shortage of affordable rehearsal space in New York City is to the dance sector. A successful pilot supporting residencies on four CUNY campuses in 2013 led to CDI’s formal launch in 2014. Since then, CDI has become a key player in New York City’s performing arts ecosystem, leading a consortium of 14 CUNY colleges and four arts organizations to host 20+ residencies for NYC choreographers and dance companies each year. In the past 11 years, CDI has granted 275 residencies to emerging and established choreographers, providing invaluable resources to artists, while enhancing CUNY students’ education and cultural experiences.
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