Wynton Marsalis' Spaces combines modern dance with big band jazz in a playful and wildly entertaining exploration of the animal kingdom. Performed for the first time (to sold-out crowds) in 2016, this visually captivating Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis production returns to kick off our 31^st season before embarking on a national tour.

Each of Spaces’ ten movements corresponds to a different animal, from “King Lion” to “Bees, Bees, Bees,” offering a dazzling array of sights and sounds that express the diversity, humor, and quirky majesty found in nature. The same two singular dance geniuses from the Spaces premiere—Lil Buck and Jared Grimes—reprise their roles, leaping, sliding, flipping, and tap dancing across the stage.

Lil Buck is a groundbreaking young dancer who has performed with Yo-Yo Ma, Madonna, the New York City Ballet, and Cirque du Soleil. Grimes is a versatile tap dancer who has won the Astaire Award, choreographed for multiple Broadway shows and Cirque Du Soleil, and performed internationally with artists ranging from Wynton Marsalis and Gregory Hines to Mariah Carey and The Roots.

Damian Woetzel, choreographer and retired Principal Dancer with the New York City Ballet, returns as director and choreographic consultant, seamlessly integrating the dance with Marsalis’ musical compositions. Spaces is a one-of-a-kind collaboration that is both an ode to the glory of nature and an extraordinary display of human achievement.

Free pre-concert discussion nightly at 7pm.