Our guide to dance performances.
COIL FESTIVAL (Jan. 3-22) PS122’s annual gathering of multidisciplinary artists from across the performance spectrum features several who embrace the label “dance.” From Jan. 4 through 8 at La MaMa, the Australian duo Antony Hamilton and Alisdair Macindoe present “Meeting,” a 50-minute duet alongside 64 tiny robots that Mr. Macindoe designed. Also at La MaMa on those dates, the Czech-born, New York-based Pavel Zustiak presents alternating works: “Bastard (The Painted Bird)” — not a Coil program — is a haunting tale exploring the dark side of human nature (1:15), and “Custodians of Beauty,” which starts on Jan. 5, considers the relationship between aesthetics and humanity (1:25).
212-475-7710, lamama.org
ps122.org/coil-2017
AMERICAN DANCE PLATFORM at the Joyce Theater (Jan. 3-8). This showcase of stylistically disparate domestic dance companies returns to the Joyce for a second year. Program A (Jan. 3 and 8 at 7:30 p.m.) features the New York-based Dusan Tynek Dance Theater and Company E of Washington. In Program B (Jan. 4 at 7:30 p.m. and Jan. 8 at 2 p.m.), RAWdance, a contemporary troupe from San Francisco, meets Contra-Tiempo from Los Angeles, which blends salsa, Afro-Cuban, hip-hop and modern dance. Program C (Jan. 5 and 7 at 8 p.m.) features Davalois Fearon Dance and the mother-daughter Bharatanatyam artists Ranee and Aparna Ramaswamy.
212-242-0800, joyce.org
CHINA NATIONAL OPERA & DANCE DRAMA THEATER at David H. Koch Theater (Jan. 5-7, 8 p.m.; Jan. 8, 1 p.m.). During China’s Cultural Revolution, Confucius fell out of fashion. In recent years, however, as the country has modernized, it has also re-embraced its past and the ancient philosopher’s 2,500-year-old teachings. A 90-minute dance drama about his life, simply called “Confucius,” follows the scholar through the kingdoms of the Zhou dynasty as he reflects on ethics and honor, as illustrated in a blend of traditional and contemporary dance and music. The director and choreographer, Kong Dexin, is a 77th-generation descendant of her subject.
212-870-5570, davidhkochtheater.com
VICKY SHICK AND DANCERS at Danspace (Jan. 5-7, 8 p.m.). Ms. Shick has been a captivating performer and dance maker for decades, drawing audiences in with her keen attention to detail, and gestures that can be casual, quirky or both. Last year, she debuted the hourlong work “Another Spell,” convening what she called a “village of women” — seven performers and herself — who explored their relationships, played with dynamics of community and individuality, and ultimately commented on female camaraderie and intimacy. Danspace, which commissioned the work, brings it back for an encore.
866-811-4111, danspaceproject.org
AMERICAN REALNESS FESTIVAL at Abrons Arts Center (Jan. 5-12). Since its debut in 2010, the American Realness festival has been a popular purveyor of audacious work by contemporary performance artists. This year’s lineup begins with Will Rawls’s “The Planet-Eaters: Seconds,” a new 55-minute installment in his deconstruction of Balkan folklore with the musician Chris Kuklis. Meg Stuart, a highly regarded American artist who has long been based in Europe, makes a rare appearance in the United States with an hour of solos she calls monologues of movement. And Dana Michel presents “Mercurial George,” a 55-minute solo that continues her investigation of the fractured and shifting thing called identity.
866-811-4111, abronsartscenter.org