The CUNY Dance Initiative (CDI), an expansive program providing New York City choreographers and dance companies with creative residencies on CUNY college campuses, announces performances of To Dance Is To Be Free, by Gerson Lanza. The show is set for May 14 and 15, 2026 at 7:30 PM at Aaron Davis Hall, 129 Convent Avenue at West 135th Street, New York, NY, 10031. Tickets start at $28.52 and can be purchased here.

Using tap dance, live music, and spoken word, Gerson Lanza creates a compelling journey through the intersecting themes of race, ethnicity, and immigration. An immersive dance performance that celebrates the essence of authenticity in rhythm, To Dance Is To Be Free fuses art and advocacy to foster a deeper understanding of the multifaceted tapestry of Blackness and American society at large.

Originally from La Ceiba, Honduras, Gerson Lanza first encountered tap dance after moving to New York City in 2001. He immediately fell in love with the art form, and began training at Wadleigh School for the Performing and Visual Arts and the Harlem School of the Arts. With Music From The Sole, led by Leonardo Sandoval and Gregory Richardson, he has participated in residencies at Lincoln Center, Jacob’s Pillow, Works & Process at The Guggenheim, and Fall for Dance Festival at New York City Center. In his own right he has been featured as a Strathmore College Amplify Artist and Artist-in-Residence, selected as a NYDance Lab Onebeat Fellow, and featured in “Artist at the Center” at New York City Center, curated by Ayodele Casel, which landed his first New York Times review for his choreographic work. He also headlined the Millennium Stage at The Kennedy Center with his jazz quintet.
Lanza received his Master in Fine Arts (MFA) from The University of Maryland, where he focused on the Afro-Latinx diaspora. His research landed him the International Program for Creative Collaboration & Research Grant to study the relation of the African diaspora in Honduras and Spain through the lens of tap dance. Gerson has also served as a consultant and presenter for 92 Street Y’s newest curriculum, “Tracing Footsteps, ” taught by performing arts educators in New York City.

ABOUT THE CUNY DANCE INITIATIVE
The CUNY Dance Initiative (CDI) marked a decade of supporting the NYC dance field in 2024. The program was developed in response to the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s 2010 report, “We Make Do,” which cited how destabilizing the shortage of affordable rehearsal space in New York City is to the dance sector. A successful pilot supporting residencies on four CUNY campuses in 2013 led to CDI’s formal launch in 2014. Since then, CDI has become a key player in New York City’s performing arts ecosystem, leading a consortium of 14 CUNY colleges and four arts organizations to host 20+ residencies for NYC choreographers and dance companies each year. In the past 11 years, CDI has granted 275 residencies to emerging and established choreographers, providing invaluable resources to artists, while enhancing CUNY students’ education and cultural experiences.

The CUNY Dance Initiative receives major support from The Mertz Gilmore Foundation and Howard Gilman Foundation. Additional support is provided by the SHS Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund’s Charles E. Culpeper Arts & Culture program, the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, and the Harkness Foundation for Dance. CDI is spearheaded by The Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens College. www.cuny.edu/danceinitiative

Leonard Davis Center for the Performing Arts, located at The City College of New York, serves as a cultural hub that builds a sense of community both within the school and its surrounding neighborhood, while inspiring creativity and diversity. It also provides a premier venue for local and national performers and for art patrons in the tri-state area.
Aaron Davis Hall is the focal point of this creative revitalization and community programming. It will soon launch phase II of a $50 million renovation, which includes an upgrade of all theatrical instruments, installation of a lift, upgraded bathrooms, dressing rooms and more. www.ccny.cuny.edu/ldcpa
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