DANCE
New York City Ballet
The comic ballet “Coppélia” was originally in-
spired by a pair of eerie stories by E. T. A. Hof-
mann, about a gullible young man who is tricked
into falling in love with the title character, an
automaton. The choreographer George Bal-
anchine danced a version of the piece by Petipa
when he was a student in St. Petersburg. In an
uncharacteristic moment of nostalgia, he adapted
it for New York City Ballet in 1974, in partnership
with the Russian ballerina Alexandra Danilova.
(She had triumphed in the role of Swanilda—
the human girl who saves the young man from
falling for Coppélia—with the Ballet Russe de
Monte Carlo.) The pair imbued the dance with
high spirits and warmth, and the music, by Léo
Délibes, is incredibly catchy. • May 23 at 7:30:
“Dance Odyssey,” “Pictures at an Exhibition,”
and “Year of the Rabbit.” • May 24 and May 29
at 7:30: “Mozartiana,” “Not Our Fate,” “Pulci-
nella Variations,” and “Glass Pieces.” • May 25
at 8, May 26 at 2 and 8, and May 27 at 3: “Cop-
pélia.” (David H. Koch, Lincoln Center. 212-721-
- Through June 3.)
American Ballet Theatre
In the only mixed bill of the season, the com-
pany performs a recent work, Alexei Ratman-
sky’s “Firebird,” from 2012, and a newly minted
one, by Wayne McGregor. The British chore-
ographer McGregor is known for his stretchy,
fast-paced, and convoluted movement style, and
the ornate, high-tech lighting that accompanies
it. “Afterite,” his irst piece for A.B.T., is set to
Igor Stravinsky’s famously hard-driving bal-
let score from 1913, “The Rite of Spring.” In-
triguingly, one of the casts includes Alessan-
dra Ferri, who retired in 2007, only to return to
the stage in 2013. In Ratmansky’s postmodern
take on the more mysterious Stravinsky ballet
“Firebird,” from 1910, the story—a young man
encounters a magic bird, with whose help he
breaks a sorcerer’s spell—takes place in a post-
apocalyptic landscape of laming trees. One can
read its dénouement in many ways, including as
a metaphor for the end of Soviet rule. • May 22
and May 24-25 at 7:30, May 23 at 2 and 7:30,
and May 26 at 2 and 8: “Firebird” and “After-
ite.” • May 29 at 7:30: “La Bayadère.” (Metropol-
itan Opera House, Lincoln Center. 212-477-3030.
Through July 7.)
Parsons Dance
Enthusiastic, athletic, and eager to please, the
company of David Parsons returns to the Joyce
with a few premières. One is “Microburst,” cre-
ated by Parsons in collaboration with the tabla
player Avirodh Sharma, who contributes live
classical Indian rhythmic complexity. Another
is “Relections,” a solo that Parsons has made
with the longtime company member Abby Silva
Gavezzoli, who performs it as a farewell to the
troupe. (175 Eighth Ave., at 19th St. 212-242-0800.
May 23-27.)
Tap Family Reunion
New York celebrations of National Tap Dance
Day (Bill Robinson’s birthday, May 25) have
been muted in recent years. But now three
of tap’s leading lights—Dormeshia Sumbry-
Edwards, Derick K. Grant, and Jason Samu-
els Smith—are resurrecting the occasion with
a weekend of workshops, performances, and
events. On Friday at the Schomburg Center,
they present “Raising the Bar,” a jazz revue that
honors tradition with present-day hipness. On
Saturday at the Ailey Studios, hoofers battle in
a cutting contest. It all wraps up on Sunday af-
ternoon, with an open-spirited jam session at
Swing 46 Jazz and Supper Club. (Various loca-
tions. May 24-27.)
La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival
The third week of the festival begins with Ellen
Fisher’s “Time Don’t Stop for Nobody,” a text-
and-movement piece built from responses to a
questionnaire concerning how people feel about
age. Fisher, acclaimed for her spiritually lumi-nous dancing with Meredith Monk, is joined
by three other performers of diferent genera-
tions: her fellow Monk veteran Pablo Vela, the
dancer-choreographer Mina Nishimura, and
Leonardo Garcia, who is twelve years old. (La
Mama, 74A E. 4th St. 800-838-3006. May 25-27.
Through June 3.)
DanceAfrica
In honor of the centennial of Nelson Mande-
la’s birth, the festival focusses on South Africa
this year. Ingoma KwaZulu-Natal Dance Com-
pany is a kind of supergroup, bundling together
just for this occasion four companies whose
styles range from Zulu traditions to pantsula,
the leet-footed street dance that originated as a
response to apartheid. Siwela Sonke Dance The-
atre, from Durban, combines the dance forms
of many cultures, a mix representative of its
region: Zulu dances and pantsula, plus classi-
cal Indian and hip-hop. (BAM Howard Gilman
Opera House, 30 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn. 718-
636-4100. May 25-28.)ABOVE & BEYOND
World Science Festival
Scientists are in the business of wonder, observing
the world closely in order to engage in discovery,
explain its mysteries, and overcome its challenges.
This weeklong gathering comes at the scientiic
process from every which way, allowing research-
ers and thinkers to exit their labs and share some
of the questions that intrigue them while show-
ing of the most fascinating data. At various sites
throughout the city, there will be discussions about
topics that include space, artiicial intelligence,
antimatter, and engineering; lab tours for girls of
research facilities run by women; speakers such
as the Harvard physics professor Cumrun Vafa,
the cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker, and
the Times columnist Carl Zimmer; a sunset sail
to learn about the sea; a panel on gene modiica-
tion moderated by Lesley Stahl; a conversation
between Alan Alda and the meteorologist Ber-
nadette Woods Placky on climate change; and a
trivia night in the American Museum of Natural
History’s whale room. (For more information, visit
worldsciencefestival.com. May 29-June 3.)
Lower East Side Festival of the Arts
The twenty-third installment of the Theatre for
the New City’s summer-welcoming performance
fair once again takes over a patch of E. 10th St.
between First and Second Avenues, for three
afternoons of dance, theatre, ilm, music, and
comedy. Among the scheduled performers are
F. Murray Abraham, the Tony Award winner
Mario Fratti, and Penny Arcade. (155 First Ave.,
at E. 10th St. theaterforthenewcity.net. May 25-27.)1
READINGS AND TALKS92nd Street Y
Though the weather lately may suggest other-
wise, Memorial Day weekend means one thing
for certain: cookout season is upon us. In a talk
entitled “How to Grill Everything,” the best-
selling food writer Mark Bittman goes deep on
the subject with Carla Hall, a co-host of ABC’s
“The Chew.” They’ll discuss the staples of out-
door cuisine as well as a few things you might not
expect, like Hall’s recipes for pizza and grilled
pound cake. (Buttenwieser Hall, 1395 Lexington
Ave., at 92nd St. 92y.org. May 24 at 8.)
Brooklyn Public Library
“There is a diference between remembrance
of history and reverence of it.” When Mitch
Landrieu, the former mayor of New Orleans,
uttered those words, a year ago, he was address-
ing the people of his city about a long-fractious
issue: the removal of four local statues of Con-
federates, including General Robert E. Lee. His
eloquence instantly put Landrieu, a member
of one of Louisiana’s key political families, on
the national stage. He has now written a mem-
oir, “In the Shadow of the Statues,” which talks
about how grappling with racial issues inally
led to his decision. He is in town to deliver the
library’s Kahn Humanities Lecture, an annual
forum for progressive ideas that shape the na-
tion. (10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn. 718-230-- May 29 at 7:30.) ILLUSTRATION BY PABLO AMARGO