Accent Dance NYC announces Culture Revealed, the organization’s 7th annual fundraiser gala, on Saturday, November 8, 2025 at 7pm at The Ailey Studios, 405 W. 55th Street, New York, NY, 10019. Tickets start at $250 and are now available here.
Culture Revealed, Accent Dance NYC’s seventh anniversary gala, will raise funds for the organization’s educational and concert dance initiatives, empowering youth and audiences through access, equity, and the transformative power of the arts.
“This year, we celebrate the centrality of culture in our lives. Culture is not a single story – it is a symphony of various lived experiences. At Accent Dance NYC, we are committed to celebrating through dance the diversity of cultural experiences, perspectives, and expressions. We believe that through this celebration of varied cultures, we reveal the most profound aspects of being human – different yet connected. Culture Revealed,” said Andrea Ziegelman, Executive and Artistic Director, Accent Dance NYC.
The festive evening features cocktails, dinner, live performances, a fun, interactive segment with the organization’s professional artists, and an accessible dance workshop. The centerpiece of this evening will be a live performance of the organization’s latest work, Echoes Between Us, by choreographer Miaotian Sun through NEXT, Accent Dance NYC’s emerging choreographer commissioning program. Echoes Between Us blends ballet, contemporary dance, and Chinese folklore to create a powerful narrative about identity, culture and preserving tradition that resonates through the organization’s collective experience and is especially relevant today.
Miaotian’s work is the inspiration for new educational programming, unleashing students’ creativity and giving them a first-hand perspective on how a story is crafted through dance using culture, history, and a variety of dance styles as the foundation for inspiration, collaboration, and expression. Working closely with the choreographer and an Accent Dance NYC teaching artist/professional dancer, students will learn segments of Miaotian’s original work and create a new student-led dance collaboration to be rehearsed and performed before an audience of family, friends, teachers, and peers.
This is more than a celebration—it’s an impactful evening to raise funds to continue multicultural dance residencies and educational performances in some of the most underserved schools and communities in New York City and lower Westchester County. Last fiscal year alone, Accent Dance NYC reached over 10,000 students! Funds raised will also allow the company to cultivate, mentor, and support the next generation of choreographers through the NEXT program.
NEXT: The Emerging Choreographer Commissioning Program
The NEXT program underscores Accent Dance NYC’s commitment to nurturing the artistry of early-career choreographers who bring fresh voices and innovative ideas to the forefront of the dance world. Dedicated to spotlighting the NEXT voice, the NEXT collaboration, and the NEXT idea that ignites thought-provoking discussions or explores significant themes, we are delighted to present choreographer Miaotian Sun as this year’s recipient of the NEXT commission.
About Accent Dance NYC Company
The Accent Dance NYC Company is a professional concert dance company committed to exploring the artistic, cultural, and humanistic connections among people of all backgrounds. We commission and showcase the work of a diverse array of emerging and established choreographers, including Cuban choreographer Pedro Ruiz, Mexican choreographer David Fernandez, Argentinian choreographer Dardo Galletto, and American choreographers Will A Ervin, Jr., Christina Coleman, and Danielle Diniz.
As a metaphor for cultural acceptance and convergence, the Company fuses diverse dance styles, including ballet with Hip Hop, flamenco with contemporary dance, tap with Hip Hop. Pressing issues of social justice, climate change, inclusion, and identity also are explored and highlighted.
Artists hail from across the globe, perform a wide range of dance styles, and have danced with prestigious dance companies including Alvin Ailey, the Cuban National Ballet, New Jersey Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem, as well as with well-known hip hop artists, folkloric dance companies, and in international tango competitions.
The Company had its first full-length season on March 7 and 8, 2025 at the Ailey Citigroup Theater in Manhattan, which featured Pedro Ruiz’s Danzón, a reinvention of Cuba’s traditional dance, Danielle Diniz’s A Place for Us, an exploration of the immigrant experience, Will Ervin’s Narcissus, a bold reimagining of the classical myth, along with other works highlighting the Company’s breath of movement and storytelling.
In addition to its professional seasons, the Company partners with cultural institutions throughout New York City and beyond, performing as part of NYC’s Summer Streets Festival, Battery Park Dance Festival, iHeart Dance NYC Festival, the City of New Rochelle’s ArtsFest, at the Bronx Music Heritage Center, Teatro LATEA, and Ballet Arts, and contributes to community celebrations of Hispanic and Black history, Juneteenth, and LGBTQ Pride.