Pittsburgh’s dance scene is full of surprises, from boundary-pushing contemporary works to classic ballet. TABLE highlights some upcoming performances and events that promise to get you thinking, feeling, and maybe even moving.
Check Out These Pittsburgh Dance Performances of 2025
ABYSS
slowdanger
June 7, The Rotunda at Smithfield-Liberty Parking Garage
Expect the unexpected at this dance performance unfolding beneath the dome of a Downtown parking garage. Since 2013, co-artistic directors Taylor Knight and Anna Thompson have led slowdanger in creating innovative, experimental works in surprising spaces. ABYSS brings together 17 dancers from Springboard Danse, alongside a visual installation by media artist Projective Objects.
Bodiography Center for Movement Spring Concert
Bodiography
June 14-15, Kelly Strayhorn Theater
Join Bodiography for a performance celebrating the talents and progress of students training across a range of styles. Guided by Maria Caruso — a visionary Pittsburgh-based dancer and choreographer known for blending performance, education, and wellness — the program offers a dynamic look at the next generation of dancers in motion.
House Party 2025
July 12, Kelly Strayhorn Theater
You don’t want to miss KST’s annual summer benefit, one of the largest see-and-be-seen events of the year. Featuring immersive performances and a dance party that goes until midnight, guests will get to both experience watching the joy of movement — and cut loose on the dance floor themselves.
Hill Community Dance Festival
Hill Dance Academy Theatre
August 1-3, Morgan-Lee Arts Centre
Hill Dance Academy Theatre is celebrating 20 years — and one of the city’s newest event spaces — with a three-day community festival filled with dance and arts. Expect live performances from HDAT members trained in Black dance traditions, as well as a community festival featuring art activities and a Second Line performance.
Second Saturdays
The Space Upstairs
September 11, October 11, November 8, and December 13
Every second Saturday, improvisational dance meets live jazz in a warehouse-gallery loft packed with couches, lightbulbs, and creative energy. Hosted by Jaka Zakajinn, The Pillow Project’s long-running series blends postmodern movement, music, and visuals — and keeps things sober with iced coffees and infused waters at the Space Bar.
Stomping Grounds Street Dance Festival
Location and exact date to be announced, September
Stomping Grounds returns this fall with a weekend packed full of jaw-dropping street dance moves. The event is still in the works, with exact dates and location dropping soon, but is well worth the wait. Hosted by Level Up Studios, the highlight of this can’t-miss event is a high-energy open styles battle featuring insane talent from Pittsburgh and beyond.
In This Moment
Texture Ballet
September 19-21, New Hazlett Theater
Texture Contemporary Ballet marks its 15th season with a fall production that celebrates the beauty of live dance performances. Through bold contemporary ballet, the company invites audiences to slow down, tune in, and fully experience the power of presence in each breath and every movement.
Compagnie Hervé KOUBI
September 20, Byham Theater
Compagnie Hervé KOUBI—featuring dancers traveling from as far as France, Algeria, and beyond — is an unforgettable company known for their gravity-defying moves. Presented by the Pittsburgh Dance Council, these incredible dancers blend contemporary and urban movement with capoeira, martial arts, and powerful imagery to create something the New York Times calls “a creation of poetic beauty.”
Sidra Bell Dance
October 17, Pittsburgh Playhouse
Sidra Bell Dance New York brings its powerful, emotionally charged choreography to the Pittsburgh Playhouse for an evening of cutting-edge contemporary dance. In a special collaboration, select Point Park University students join the stage, merging emerging talent with Bell’s distinctive vision in a performance that reimagines the possibilities of movement and narrative.
Dracula
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
October 31-November 2, Benedum Center
Just in time for Halloween, Count Dracula returns to the Benedum in a sensuous, spine-tingling ballet. This Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre favorite blends sweeping choreography, rich storytelling, and haunting special effects into a gothic fever dream set to a gripping score by Philip Feeney. Bonus: the lavish costumes are nearly as captivating as the dancing itself.
Texture Choreography Project
November 14-15, Greer Cabaret Theater
Texture Contemporary Ballet presents an evening dedicated to fresh ideas and new original choreography. This annual program invites guest choreographers to take risks, explore new concepts, and create original works. Expect technical precision with inventive flair.
The Nutcracker
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
December 5-28, Benedum Center
Step into the magic of the season with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s holiday classic with a local twist. Set in turn-of-the-century Pittsburgh, this festive favorite features familiar landmarks, dazzling costumes, and Tchaikovsky’s timeless score, making it the perfect kick-off to the holidays.
The Jazz Nutcracker
Confluence Ballet
December 13-14, Kelly Strayhorn Theater
While PBT’s Nutcracker delivers the magic of tradition, Confluence Ballet’s reimagined take offers a fresh perspective with just as much heart. Set to the jazz sounds of Pittsburgh-native Billy Strayhorn and jazz legend Duke Ellington, this soulful coming-of-age story celebrates love and friendship, while honoring Strayhorn as both a musical legend and a queer trailblazer.
Story by Lisa Cunningham
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