Featuring Samaw Dance Company at DIFFRACTION Dance Festival 2026.
Samaw Dance Company is a Brooklyn-based dance collective founded by choreographer and cultural producer David Cartahena Lee, centering AAPI+, BIPOC, and queer artists through performance, education, and community-driven work.
The company has presented work at venues including The Tank, Dixon Place, Mark Morris Dance Center, and the Guggenheim Museum, and continues to develop performances that bring together diverse artists and audiences across New York City.
Through its work, Samaw Dance builds platforms for artists to share stories rooted in identity, culture, and lived experience, while fostering collaboration and community through performance.
Catch Samaw Dance Company live at DIFFRACTION, one of New York City’s only AAPI+ dance festivals bringing together artists across hip hop, waacking, jazz, contemporary, and more under one stage during AAPI Heritage Month.
Artists are traveling from California, Washington DC, New Jersey, and beyond to be part of this year’s festival.
🗓️ Saturday, May 31, 2026
🕑 Show starts at 2PM
📍 Mark Morris Dance Center – Duffy Theater Brooklyn, NY
Tickets are on sale now (link in bio).
We’re baaaackkkk! Come watch us twirl down the streets of NYC tomorrow moving and grooving. We will also be dancing, in Tompkins Square Park at 3:00p at Site 5! We will be showcasing one of our dances as well as leading a dance back. Come do some party grooves, and waacking drills with us! See you soon!
Featuring DCL Dance Company at DIFFRACTION Dance Festival 2026.
DCL Dance Company is a New York City–based collective founded by choreographer and cultural producer David Cartahena Lee. The company creates a space for dancers to train, perform, and develop their artistry through a process rooted in consistency, collaboration, and community.
Through weekly rehearsals and performance opportunities, DCL brings together dancers across backgrounds to build work that reflects both individual voice and collective energy. The company emphasizes growth through shared experience, access to high-level training, and the creation of new work.
As part of the Samaw Dance ecosystem, DCL Dance Company continues to develop artists while contributing to a larger vision of performance, community, and cultural storytelling.
Catch DCL Dance Company live at DIFFRACTION, one of New York City’s only AAPI+ dance festivals, bringing together artists across hip hop, waacking, jazz, contemporary, and more under one stage during AAPI Heritage Month.
Artists are traveling from California, Washington DC, New Jersey, and beyond to be part of this year’s festival.
🗓️ Saturday, May 31, 2026
🕑 Show starts at 2PM
📍 Mark Morris Dance Center – Duffy Theater Brooklyn, NY
Tickets are on sale now (link in bio).
Showcase Tickets are on sale now and they’re moving! Grab your tickets NOW while they last! Ticket Link in Bio
Come see our first theatrical presentation of our DCL showcase highlighting the work they have been doing all year. You’ll get to see a full cast performances, select small group works, get to gear from some of our members and give them the flowers they deserve for all their hard work! There will also be a causal after party nearby!
DM us for questions!
Meet the artists of In Between ✨
In Between is NYU Steinhardt Dance Education’s first-ever AAPI+ Dance Festival, celebrating the range of artistry, identity, and lived experience across our alumni and student community.
David Cartahena Lee (he/him)
Samaw Dance
Dances of the African Diaspora | Class of ‘22
‘Unseen Unheard’
Save the date: Saturday, May 2, 2026. RSVP (link in bio)
Organized by David Cartahena Lee (Faculty, ‘21), Dongri Suh (‘25), Joseph Rata (‘26) & Soho Su (‘25)
#NYUSteinhardtDanceEd #AAPI
@davidcartahenalee@samawdance
ANAK, DANCE FOR US! Kikay Konek is back at @moodringnyc for our monthly karaoke party for the femme, non-binary, and trans cousins of @barkadanyc !
This time, we’re teaming up with @dclartscollective of @samawdance for a fabulous fundraiser! A percentage of bar sales during the event will go towards supporting queer AAPI-led arts and culture 🥳
✨ABOUT DCL✨“DCL Arts Collective is an adult dance training company founded in 2024 under Samaw Dance. We provide accessible, high-level training rooted in street and club dance foundations, creating a brave and inclusive space where dancers grow through community, creativity, and performance. We’re proudly POC-majority and built for dancers who want to level up while staying rooted in care, culture, and connection.”
We’re excited to groove with you! 🤩
🗓️ April 6, 2026 🕖 7PM–11PM 📍 Mood Ring
If you’ve reached this part of the caption, comment a song that makes you want to dance 💃
Come catch us at the PDC live arts festival hosted by @pohlerdancecompany at the @brooklynmusicschool on March 15.
Come see our suite that include Risky Business and Unseen Unheard for the first time on a proscenium stage as well as meet our new company members @alexisvonmaluski@jana_gaskin@be.at.rice@evas.victoria
Get your tickets today (link in bio) a portion of the proceeds go to Samaw Dance!
Samaw Dance Company is holding auditions for AAPI+ identifying dancers to join us as understudies for our 2026 season.
We’re a performance company rooted in street styles + contemporary fusion (hip hop, house, waacking, street jazz, commercial, contemporary jazz). Looking for versatile movers who pick up choreography fast, bring professionalism, and want to be part of a collaborative process.
Season: Feb–Aug Rehearsals: Sat 4–6 PM (Feb–May) | Fri 4–8 PM + Sat 4–6 PM (Jun–Aug) Performance dates: 3/15, 5/2, 5/16, 5/31, and Resonance 8/21–8/22 (required)
For more info or to register, click the link in bio. Registration closes on 1/21/26
Costumes by @adhdesigns5
Photos by @khorlav42
