2026 Dumbo Dance Festival
Presented by WHITE WAVE Dance
Opening Night: Friday, June 26, 2026, 6:30 PM
Festival Performances: Saturday & Sunday, June 27-28, 2026
Venue: Taylor Dance East Theater
(551 Grand Street, New York, NY 10002)
Tickets: $30 in advance / $35 at door / $25 students & seniors / $250 VIP Seating
WHITE WAVE Dance proudly announces the 25th Anniversary Season
of the DUMBO Dance Festival (DDF), a dynamic three-day event showcasing 40
cutting-edge dance companies from New York and around the world. The festival kicks off on Friday, June 26, with a Gala Opening Night, setting the stage for an exhilarating weekend of contemporary dance at Taylor Dance East Theater.
Dedicated to pushing the boundaries of dance as an art form, WHITE WAVE scours the globe for today’s most innovative choreographers—emerging and established—bringing them together in Brooklyn for an immersive celebration of movement. Over the course of four days, audiences will experience a rich and diverse lineup of performances,highlighting the vibrancy and creative excellence of the New York dance scene and Beyond.
“This is a festival about opportunities,” says Young Soon Kim, Artistic Director of White Wave Dance. The DUMBO Dance Festival provides a platform for over 400 performing artists to showcase their work while offering New York audiences access to an extraordinary range of excellent and visionary choreography at an affordable price.”
After the performances, the audience can enjoy an open bar, food, and music to feed the soul, as well as a fabulous raffle including gourmet wine baskets, “Dinner for Two” at local DUMBO eateries, and much more!
Enjoy the promo video of WHITE WAVE Dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGHEsuxwCeY
◆ WHITE WAVE DANCE
WHITE WAVE Dance, led by visionary Artistic Director Young Soon Kim, is an internationally acclaimed contemporary dance company celebrated for its daring innovation, emotional depth, and global reach.
Its name reflects the company’s identity: “WHITE” honors Korea’s national color and cultural spirit, while “WAVE” symbolizes the dynamic rise of Korean culture—Hallyu—across the world. For decades, Kim has been recognized as a pioneering force, bringing Korean artistry into vibrant dialogue with the international dance community.
Since its founding, WHITE WAVE has performed on major stages throughout the United States, Europe, and East Asia, including the National Theater of Seoul, National Theater of Taipei, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, the 1988 Summer Olympics World Dance Festival, SIDance Festival, Arko Theater, Sungnam Arts Center, and the Asian Cultural Center for the Opening Celebration of the 2019 FINA World Championship Masters’ Games. In North America, the company has appeared at BAM Fisher, Dance Theater Workshop’s Bessie Schönberg Theater, La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival, Ailey Citigroup Theater, Vancouver International Dance Festival, and New York’s SummerStage. Most recently, WHITE WAVE received enthusiastic acclaim at the 2025 Mostra Internacional de Dança de São Paulo in Brazil and the ChangMu International Dance Festival in Seoul.
The company’s work has been featured on WWOR TV, Fox 5’s Good Day New York, PBS’s NYC ARTS, and CNN’s Inside Asia. Honors include a 2025 ITI Award nomination, the 2023 Bessies Angel Honoree Award, and a nomination for the KBS Global Korean Award. A landmark achievement was receiving a Jerome Robbins Foundation grant to document Eternal NOW, now part of the permanent Dance Division Collection at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
Nearly four decades into my artistic journey, Kim has also become one of New York’s leading dance curators, producing and presenting large-scale festivals that champion rising choreographers and new voices in contemporary dance. Through groundbreaking multimedia works—including the Here NOW Series and the internationally celebrated iyouuswe—WHITE WAVE continues to push the boundaries of movement, technology, and human expression.
◆ Artistic Director Young Soon Kim
(Photo: Martin Seymore)
Young Soon Kim, Artistic Director of WHITE WAVE Dance, is an internationally acclaimed choreographer and the recipient of the 2023 Bessies Angel Honoree Award. Over a vibrant 40-year career, she has become known for creating work that is exhilarating, visually stunning, and emotionally resonant, distinguished by her signature blend of sweeping movement, sculptural imagery, and deeply human storytelling.
Kim began her artistic journey as a brilliant performer, touring globally with Jennifer Muller/The Works and presenting her own repertory throughout Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, and Korea, including a landmark 60-day national tour. She appeared at major international venues such as Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, Maison de la Culture in Le Havre, Teatro Nazionale in Milan, Teatro Tendu Striscie in Rome, Schauspielhaus in Cologne, and the Festival d’Avignon, establishing herself early on as a powerful and compelling artistic force.
In 2001, after inaugurating the WHITE WAVE John Ryan Theater in DUMBO, Brooklyn, Kim launched a series of dance festivals that have since become essential platforms for both emerging and established choreographers. Her leadership as a producer and curator has made her one of New York City’s most influential advocates for contemporary dance. She has also served as a juror for the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.
Kim’s choreography has been presented at major festivals worldwide. Following the world premiere of iyouuswe at the 2017 La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival, WHITE WAVE’s Canadian premiere at the 2018 Vancouver International Dance Festival received standing ovations and critical praise. In 2019, the company toured Korea and China, performing at the Asian Cultural Center for the Opening Celebration of the FINA World Championship Masters’ Games and at Ningbo Cultural Plaza as part of a China–US Cultural Exchange.
WHITE WAVE’s selection for the prestigious 2013–14 BAM Professional Development Program culminated in the premiere of Eternal NOW at BAM Fisher, later archived by the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Kim has been featured in the documentary Arirang (Smithsonian/PBS) and CNN’s Inside Asia, and in 2021 became the first artist working outside Korea to be profiled in ARKO Arts Council Korea’s Modern and Contemporary Art History Research Series.
Her recent film, iyouuswe II, has earned international recognition, including selections at Cannes, London, Paris, Vancouver, Espoo, and other festivals. Most recently, WHITE WAVE Dance received enthusiastic acclaim at the 2025 Mostra Internacional de Dança de São Paulo and the ChangMu International Dance Festival in Seoul.