Tony Award winner Arturo Lyons and Pontus Lidberg among artists at 2026 Hudson Valley Dance Festival
The Hudson Valley Dance Festival returns to the banks of the Hudson River on 10 October 2026, bringing together an eclectic mix of contemporary dance artists, choreographers, and companies for a day of performances in support of Dancers Responding to AIDS (DRA), a programme of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Held at Historic Catskill Point in Catskill, New York, the annual festival has become a much-loved fixture in the region’s cultural calendar since its launch in 2013. Over its first twelve editions, the event has raised more than $1.75 million to support social service organisations across the United States.
This year’s programme features a strong line-up, led by choreographers and companies working at the forefront of contemporary dance.
GALLIM will present an excerpt from company founder Andrea Miller’s Year, a work exploring transformation and human connection through Miller’s distinctive physical language.
Returning to the festival is Leggybones Physical Theater, whose founders Casey Bronwyn Howes and Jacob Michael Warren will bring This for Now, a blend of contemporary dance, theatre, and inventive physical storytelling. The work premiered earlier this summer at the Fire Island Dance Festival.
Among the most anticipated appearances is that of Swedish choreographer, filmmaker and dancer Pontus Lidberg, who will offer a preview of a new work inspired by the romantic landscape of Brokeback Mountain. The piece is being developed during a residency at Modern Accord Depot in the Hudson Valley.
Also announced is Arturo Lyons, winner of the 2026 Tony Award for his choreography for Cats: The Jellicle Ball. Lyons will present Vogue Opera, a work that combines his theatrical sensibility with the energy and aesthetics of ballroom culture.
Further artists are to be announced.
Beyond the performances, the festival’s charitable mission remains central. Every ticket sold contributes to programmes that provide medication, meals, emergency financial assistance, and other essential services for individuals and families throughout the United States.
Among the nearly 500 organisations supported by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS are 19 based in the Hudson Valley region, including food pantries, LGBTQ+ support organisations, healthcare providers, hospices and community outreach programmes.
Produced by Dancers Responding to AIDS, the festival reflects the performing arts community’s long tradition of mutual support and philanthropy.
Performances will take place at 2pm and 5pm on 10 October 2026. Tickets and further information are available at dradance.org.
The Hudson Valley Dance Festival is supported in part by corporate sponsor The New York Times.
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Italian ballerina Carla Fracci.
Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.
