Contemporary Voices Showcase – Jamestown Dance Festival 2026

September 12 @ 2pm – Contemporary Voices Showcase featuring TwinHead Dance, Rik Daniels, and Jim Self.

Location: Scharmann Theater, JCC

Experience an afternoon of contemporary, postmodern, and interdisciplinary dance featuring three extraordinary artists whose work expands conversations around movement, identity, accessibility, and experimentation.

This mixed-bill performance features TwinHead Dance, the Buffalo-based contemporary company founded by Michaela “M” Neild and Nancy Hughes, whose intimate and collaborative work is helping build contemporary dance infrastructure across Western New York.

Joining them is Rik Daniels, a dancer, movement artist, and disability advocate whose interdisciplinary practice spans contemporary dance, circus arts, and inclusive performance practices, challenging assumptions around embodiment and accessibility in movement.

Completing the program is legendary choreographer and performer Jim Self, whose more than five decades in postmodern dance includes work with Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Robert Wilson, and performances at institutions including Jacob’s Pillow, American Dance Festival, and the Whitney Museum.

Together, these artists present an afternoon of movement that is intimate, challenging, joyful, and deeply human.

Performed in the intimate setting of Scharmann Theater, audiences will experience an awe-inspiring work that expands movement beyond the stage and into the air itself.

This performance is part of the Jamestown Dance Festival, a five-day celebration of dance, movement, and cultural exchange taking place throughout Jamestown from September 9–13, 2026. Additional festival events include festival anchors Music From the Sole and Sun Kim Dance Theater at the Reg Lenna on Sept 11, Troy Lingelbach on Sept 10 & 13, and workshops led by featured artists, film screenings, artist talks, and community engagement events.

Founded by Sukanya Burman Dance, the Jamestown Dance Festival was created from a simple belief: that communities of all sizes deserve access to world-class artistic experiences. The festival brings nationally and internationally recognized artists to Western New York while creating opportunities for meaningful dialogue, cultural exchange, education, and community connection through movement. By presenting diverse dance forms and interdisciplinary performance practices alongside local engagement opportunities, JDF seeks to expand perceptions of what dance can be, who it is for, and how it can foster empathy, understanding, and belonging.

This presentation is made possible through the generous support of the New York State Council on the Arts, NYS DanceForce, Arts Services Inc., the Chautauqua Regional Community Foundation, Chautauqua County’s Occupancy Tax Program, Live CHQ, and partnerships with the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts, Jamestown Community College, and the Robert H Jackson Center.