BAM’s signature Next Wave offers a panoramic view of contemporary innovation in dance, music, performance art, theater, visual art, and more, bringing iconic and emerging artists together with curious audiences.
To mark his centennial, Alfreda’s Cinema presents a film festival honoring Malcolm X’s enduring love for his people and belief in cinema as a tool for political education and global connection.
Enchanting Brooklyn for the 48th year, DanceAfrica 2025 culminates in an extraordinary dance and music performance celebrating the culture of Mozambique.
To mark his centennial, Alfreda’s Cinema presents a film festival honoring Malcolm X’s enduring love for his people and belief in cinema as a tool for political education and global connection.
Showing little patience for hagiography, Alex Ross Perry’s sorta-documentary about beloved indie-rock band Pavement takes a nonlinear, absurdist approach while evincing a deep love for its subject.
A rich exploration of childhood curiosity centering on two bored teenagers left alone by their parents, Fernando Eimbcke’s award-winning film creates a timeless portrait of enduring friendship.
FilmAfrica presents over 30 contemporary and classic films, honoring veteran creators who first trained an activist lens on Africa and young filmmakers using cinematic storytelling to emphasize potential.
A 4K restoration of Marva Nabili’s long-underseen masterpiece, and the earliest complete surviving feature film directed by an Iranian woman, screens at BAM for one week only.
Wes Anderson assembles an arresting ensemble cast for a wooly espionage caper concerning one of the richest men in Europe and his daughter, a nun, targeted by tycoons, terrorists, and would-be assassins.
MUBI Notebook presents a special screening of Sophie Calle and Greg Shephard’s deeply personal road movie turned romantic tragicomedy, featuring a guest intro by filmmaker Kit Zauhar.
An actress is haunted by voices as she attempts to inhabit the role of surrealist writer Suzanne Césaire in this “gorgeously allusive” (Variety) debut feature from Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich.
English director Peter Brook’s artful three-hour distillation of The Mahabharata, famously mounted as a nine-hour stage drama at BAM in 1987, comes to the Steinberg Screen in a stunning new 8K restoration.
Reggae icon and activist Linton Kwesi Johnson recites his poetry in his first US theatrical appearance in close to two decades, preceded by a potent 1979 documentary in a new restoration.
Curated by Hanif Abdurraqib, a constellation of artists, writers, and performers activate BAM’s spaces, illuminating the truths of our moment via poetic imagination.
In an intimate eight-show series, new-music powerhouse Sō Percussion explores new fusions in a theatrical event with Caroline Shaw and collaborations with pop polymaths This Is the Kit and Helado Negro.
Dominican singer, guitarist, percussionist, and sound engineer Riccie Oriach has forged a musical style that fuses punk and hard rock with Caribbean rhythms like merengue, bachata, and samba.
Live music returns to BAM in a major way with BAM Free Music, a concert series showcasing local, national, and global artists in a welcoming space suitable for listening, mingling, and dancing.
Celebrated Mexican singer-songwriter, composer, producer, and activist Natalia Lafourcade fuses beloved traditional Latin idioms with a modern sensibility for her stripped-down, intimate Cancionera tour.
Juliana F. May creates thrillingly elaborate cycles of song, text, and movement from the wreckage of difficult experience, probing the intractable contradictions of family, eroticism, and motherhood.
Curated by Hanif Abdurraqib, a constellation of artists, writers, and performers activate BAM’s spaces, illuminating the truths of our moment via poetic imagination.
Combining in-depth social reporting with original music, this theatrical radio show probes the intellectual undermining of women confronted with sexism, and invites audience members to add their voices.
Richard Foreman and Michael Gordon’s raucous post-rock opera is remounted for the first time in two decades, directed by Annie-B Parson and Paul Lazar.
William Christie and Les Arts Florissants, one of the world’s most renowned early-music groups, return to BAM with a holiday program featuring works by French Baroque composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier.
In this sprawling theater piece, a Parisian fashion house receives an extraordinary commission, and a fascinating story unfolds across continents and generations.
Recreating a 1963 interview between the iconic choreographer Martha Graham and dance critic Walter Terry, Richard Move embodies Graham live on stage, evoking her indomitable spirit.
Combining in-depth social reporting with original music, this theatrical radio show probes the intellectual undermining of women confronted with sexism, and invites audience members to add their voices.
Choreographer Leslie Cuyjet investigates the value of Black life and death in a performance, film, and social experiment that draws upon the life insurance industry for method and metaphor.
Richard Foreman and Michael Gordon’s raucous post-rock opera is remounted for the first time in two decades, directed by Annie-B Parson and Paul Lazar.
Enchanting Brooklyn for the 48th year, DanceAfrica 2025 culminates in an extraordinary dance and music performance celebrating the culture of Mozambique.
Creative Outlet marks its 30th anniversary by honoring Juneteenth through the sharing of historical stories and vignettes that underscore the enduring struggles of African Americans, even post-emancipation.
“Rock star of downtown dance” (Dance Journal) nora chipaumire combines sound, painting, sculpture, and performance in a fearless, immersive experience confronting colonial legacies.
Eiko Otake and Wen Hui weave a complex tapestry of language, movement, and video, excavated from recollections of war, political upheaval, and their aftermath.
Recreating a 1963 interview between the iconic choreographer Martha Graham and dance critic Walter Terry, Richard Move embodies Graham live on stage, evoking her indomitable spirit.
Juliana F. May creates thrillingly elaborate cycles of song, text, and movement from the wreckage of difficult experience, probing the intractable contradictions of family, eroticism, and motherhood.
Choreographer Leslie Cuyjet investigates the value of Black life and death in a performance, film, and social experiment that draws upon the life insurance industry for method and metaphor.
Writer Arundhati Roy comes to BAM to discuss Mother Mary Comes to Me, a new memoir detailing Roy’s relationship with her mother, in a conversation with author and scholar Imani Perry.
Reggae icon and activist Linton Kwesi Johnson recites his poetry in his first US theatrical appearance in close to two decades, preceded by a potent 1979 documentary in a new restoration.
Claus Guth, one of Europe’s leading directors, helms the Met’s first new production of Strauss’ tragedy in 20 years, giving the biblical story a psychologically perceptive Victorian-era setting.
+ Pre-screening lecture with Marc Scorca begins at 12pm with screening to follow at 1pm
The Metropolitan Opera’s 2024–25 Live in HD season ends with a live transmission of Rossini’s effervescent comedy, with Russian mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina headlining a winning ensemble.
+ Pre-screening lecture with Fred Plotkin begins at 12pm with screening to follow at 1pm.
Richard Foreman and Michael Gordon’s raucous post-rock opera is remounted for the first time in two decades, directed by Annie-B Parson and Paul Lazar.
Curated by Hanif Abdurraqib, a constellation of artists, writers, and performers activate BAM’s spaces, illuminating the truths of our moment via poetic imagination.
This amazing group of Brooklyn-based, global majority parents and guardians have made a year-long commitment to regularly meet with BAMkids staff to reflect, dream, and help co-curate new experiences and programs.
Our programming partners at The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA) showcase a recent painting by Mozambique-born artist Cassi Namoda, depicting African women caring for each other.
Franklin Furnace, a crucial downtown New York arts space and archive currently based at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, is the subject of a gallery show marking its 50th anniversary in 2026.
Revisit work by 2016 DanceAfrica visual artist Omar Victor Diop, a self-taught Sengalese photographer working within the rich tradition of the West African portrait studio, in a blog post featuring four of his photographs.
Franklin Furnace, a crucial downtown New York arts space and archive currently based at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, is the subject of a gallery show marking its 50th anniversary in 2026.
Experience the profundity and excitement of African culture, art, and history in classes designed to teach the fundamentals of African Diasporic movement and music.
BAM Members (Level 3+) are invited to a working dress rehearsal of DanceAfrica 2025’s mainstage event, Mozambique: Movement! Magic! Manifestation!, featuring The Song & Dance Company of Mozambique and more.
Members can enjoy a free small popcorn every first Friday of the month at the cinemas with the purchase of a ticket! Simply show your digital membership card at concessions to redeem.
BAM Patrons are invited to attend many special events throughout the year, including Opening Night Parties, artist talks, and other behind-the-scenes events.
DanceAfrica’s beloved bazaar returns, transforming the streets around BAM into a global marketplace with more than 150 vendors offering African, Caribbean, and African-American food, crafts, and fashion.
This traditional tribute to those who have passed features music and drumming, dance performances, and a libation ceremony conducted by the DanceAfrica Council of Elders.
DanceAfrica 2025 gets started with our annual Restoration DanceAfrica Community Day Kickoff, featuring special guest artists, Billie Holiday Theatre Youth Arts Academy students, and more!
The Memorial Room is dedicated to preserving the tradition of paying homage to the ancestors of DanceAfrica festivals past and present, as well as the ancestors of the visiting companies.
Keep the DanceAfrica celebration going after hours with DJ YB, called the “General of Afrobeats,” who brings a mix of Afrobeats, funk, soul, rock, jazz, and hip-hop stylings to the dance floor of BAMcafé.
Council of Elders Roundtable: Legacy & Preservation
Sun, May 25 at 12pm
Council of Elders Roundtable: Legacy & Preservation
Sun, May 25 at 12pm
Members of DanceAfrica’s Council of Elders discuss preserving the festival’s legacy, and creating connections among the ancestors, the art and culture of Africa and its diaspora.
From discounted tickets and transportation for special needs groups to opportunities for local arts organizations and businesses, BAM places special emphasis on its commitment to the community.
A wide-ranging list of resources—from arts education activities to food assistance programs—to help you and your loved ones navigate these difficult times safely.
William Christie and Les Arts Florissants, one of the world’s most renowned early-music groups, return to BAM with a holiday program featuring works by French Baroque composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier.