Photograph courtesy Mutual Dance Theatre
Cincinnati’s longest-running modern dance organization has announced the schedule for its upcoming 54th season. Running from October 3 to May 2, 2026, Mutual Dance Theatre will give audiences the chance to experience beautiful and meaningful modern dance in Embrace: A Season of Connection.
“We are really looking to have a season that encourages people to think about the ways that we are all connected,” says Micky Sikorski, marketing and communications director for Mutual Dance Theatre, of the 2025–2026 season.
A combination of performances from visiting companies from around the country and works from Mutual Dance Theatre itself make up the schedule for this coming season. Chicago’s Deeply Rooted Dance Theater and New York City’s Yue Yin Dance Company will take the stage in Cincinnati for the first time.
Deeply Rooted opens the season October 3 and 4 with a powerful demonstration of storytelling through dance. On the theme of connection, Deeply Rooted’s ethos combines elements of modern, classical, American, and African-American dance traditions. The company has performed nationally and internationally, becoming the first U.S.-based dance company to perform in South Africa in 2013.
This season’s performances by the Black-led company use narratives that intend to leave audiences with a broader definition of modern dance. According to Mutual Dance Theatre, Deeply Rooted will perform works including Sacred Spaces, a “dynamic work” about drawing strength from one’s inner self.
Though only established in 2018, the Yue Yin company has amassed a large online following and has been recognized around the world. Yue Yin will showcase its unique style of dance on February 20 and 21, 2026. The company will perform its signature style of dance, FoCo, established by Yue Yin’s founder and artistic director. FoCo is a technique inspired by Chinese classical and folk dance and influenced by the founder’s experiences as an immigrant. As opposed to having a narrative throughline, Yue Yin’s performances will focus on the emotions the audience experiences while watching.
Photograph courtesy Mutual Dance Theatre
Welcoming these guest companies this season takes on a bigger meaning for Mutual Dance Theatre as it aims to “connect Cincinnati with the wider world of modern dance,” says Sikorski.
Aside from the guest companies, Mutual Dance Theatre’s own productions include the invariably-sold-out Up-Close from December 4 to 13. The unique and intimate performance, choreographed by Crystal Michelle and Hannah Williamson, blurs the lines between stage and audience. In a small studio that seats only 30 to 40, dancers perform just steps away from the audience, immersing them in the experience of the show.
“Breaking the fourth wall is an understatement,” says Sikorski. “There is no fourth wall in the Up-Close series.”
Also on the docket on May 1 and 2 is Modern Mix, a combination of international talent from choreographers including Phantom of the Opera dance captain Shane Ohmer; Joshua Ishmon, an expert named “Best Choreographer” by the Chicago Reader; Nat Wilson, a member of the Yue Yin Dance Company; and more. The “tour-de-force” promises excitement in its four new dance works, as Mutual Dance Theatre searched for choreographers doing new and extraordinary things in the world of dance.
Photograph courtesy Mutual Dance Theatre
In addition this season, Mutual Dance Theatre will offer participatory classes and audience talk-backs. The company’s masterclasses offer an opportunity for seasoned dancers to learn from the studio’s artistic director or rehearsal director.
If you aren’t used to being on stage, don’t worry. Community classes welcome people from all levels of experience to gain a better understanding of how the dancers move on stage through basic modern dance classes.
On Friday nights, stay after the show for an audience Q&A with the company and artistic directors, and on Saturday nights, arrive early to catch an on-stage interview with those involved in the show.
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