Event Details
A season about what we carry forward
Modern and Contemporary Dance in Cincinnati for its 55th year! Mutual Dance Theatre (formerly known as Contemporary Dance Theater and MamLuft&Co. Dance) puts powerful dance on Cincinnati stages via touring troupes and Mutual's own thrilling company.
Join Mutual Dance Theatre for its 26-27 season: Heritage, Unfolding: A Season of Histories. Through captivating and supercharged dance, we will leap, unfurl, and reach through personal and collective histories, examining what we carry forward.
This year's lineup brings together impressive craft and immense talent. Two highly-acclaimed companies make their Cincinnati debut: South Chicago Dance Theatre with rigor and vulnerability at the heart of their dancing, and the daring yet seamless Boca Tuya of New York City. Our own tour-de-force Mutual Dance Theatre will perform 3 new commissions and 3 reprisals at the immersive, always sold-out Up-Close and its mainstage concert, Modern Mix.
Heritage, Unfolding also coincides with America250, the nation's 250th anniversary, asking what we inherit: from family we knew and family we didn't, from communities, and from a nation. Across four programs, that inheritance is found in our values, in customs, and in movement itself.
WHY SUBSCRIBE?
1) Secure your favorite seats and get first access to "Director's Choice Seats" that Artistic Director Jeanne Mam-Luft has hand-picked as the best seats in the house.
2) Save time and money up-front while squaring yourself for the whole season: beat the rush before each show and get yourself sorted for the year.
3) The immersive Up-Close series sells-out more than a month in advance every year. It's now featured as an optional add-on: subscribers get first access to the limited studio experience.
4) Did you know that the earlier you purchase your tickets, the more we can do as a non-profit organization? The better ticket sales are leading up to a production, the less marketing we have to do, and thus, the more other good work we can accomplish.
SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGE
All subscriptions are unbelievably priced and include 3 shows:
South Chicago Dance Theatre (October 2-3, 2026),
Boca Tuya of New York City (February 26-27, 2027), and
Modern Mix (April 30- May 1, 2027).
Subscribers also have first access to perennially-sold-out Up-Close (December 3-5 and 11-12, 2026) through just a $24 add-on!
PRICING
Director’s Choice Seats: $130
Tier 2: $100
Up-Close Add-on: $24
South Chicago Dance Theatre
October 2-3, 2026
South Chicago Dance Theatre opens the Mutual season this fall, led by Kia S. Smith. Smith's rise has been described as "meteoric," earning her repertory company a spot on Dance Magazine's "must see list" and described as "the next big thing in dance." On this mixed program, a short excerpt from Smith's Josephine Project traces her great-grandmother's journey out of the Jim Crow South. Smith's work is joined by a multicultural mix of three other remarkable choreographers: David Dorfman, Stephanie Martinez, and Natasha Adorlee.
Boca Tuya
February 26-27, 2027
Boca Tuya makes its Cincinnati debut as a best-of-the-best troupe that brings together immaculate, major league dancers. Comprised of dancers from acclaimed companies like Parsons Dance, Alvin Ailey, Ballet Hispánico, Backhausdance, and Yue Yin Dance Company, Boca Tuya has quickly captured attention. Boca Tuya is the brainchild of Omar Román de Jesús, known for dance that is daring, tender, and striking. A Princess Grace Award and Dance Magazine Harkness Award recipient, Román de Jesús has been called “hypnotic” (Fjord Review) and “masterful” (The Dance Enthusiast).
Mutual Dance Theatre in Modern Mix '27
April 30 – May 1, 2027
Modern Mix closes the season with a bang: this tour de force is Cincinnati's best-kept secret. Mutual's resident company will premiere two new exciting commissions from Hana Delong (Dallas Black Dance Theatre and Ailey II) and Rodrigo Almarales (Cincinnati Ballet), alongside two reprisals of works that helped define Mutual Dance Theatre: Steven P. Evans' Petrichor (a masterful, gripping journey and visual delight) and Artistic Director Jeanne Mam-Luft's /SHIFT/, which has toured to numerous festivals.
SUBSCRIPTION BONUS ADD-ON
Mutual Dance Theatre in Up-Close '26
December 3-12, 2026 at Hartwell
Up-Close returns audiences to Mutual Dance Theatre's own studio in the neighborhood of Hartwell, seated in the round with no fourth wall. In this experimental space where the company rehearses, audiences are in the midst of every breath, every vibration of the floor. Sold-out every year, Up-Close is a favorite of bold adventurers. This year will feature two compelling experiences: Steven P. Evans's immersive |S|P|A|C|E|, which elicits new understanding of 2020's physical isolation, and a new commission from Countess V. Winfrey, associate artistic director of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company.
PURCHASE POLICIES
No refunds, unless otherwise specified.
If your performance is postponed or rescheduled, we will automatically move your tickets to the new performance date(s). If you are unable to attend the new dates, we will work with you to find a solution, which may include, without limitation, an exchange into an alternate performance or a credit for a future performance.
THEATER ETIQUETTE
For the comfort and enjoyment of your fellow audience members, and to not distract those around you and/or the performers onstage, please:
- Turn off your cell phone and/or other noise making devices. The sound and light from these items can be disruptive. If you use your cell phone at intermission, turn it off before the performance begins again.
- Refrain from singing along or making loud disruptive comments during the performance. Although we want you to be engaged, this type of behavior can be very disturbing to others in the audience and onstage.
- Cooperate with our helpful ushers and front-of-house staff. They are here to assist you and ensure the safety and enjoyment of our guests. Should you need any assistance during the performance, do not hesitate ask them for help.
- Be patient with the restroom and concessions lines. We know the lines are long, and the space may be tight, but everyone always gets their turn before the performance begins.
- Be courteous and respectful of others when consuming concessions.
NOTE: Guests who are disturbing those around them may be asked to leave the venue.
Thank you for your cooperation in helping us provide a comfortable, entertaining, and enjoyable experience for all our guests! We all have a part to play.