Tap, percussive dance, samba, house, and original live music come together in I Didn’t Come to Stay, an evening-length work from New York City-based Music From The Sole. Commissioned by Works & Process at the Guggenheim in 2020, the piece was first supported through a pioneering bubble residency in summer 2020. In this work, Brazilian tap dancer and choreographer Leonardo Sandoval and bassist/composer Gregory Richardson lead eight dancers and a five-piece band in a performance that explores tap’s lineage and connections to other Afro-Diasporic forms. Conceived as a Carnival fever dream, I Didn’t Come to Stay embraces shared roots across the diaspora to reflect on what shapes their cultural and artistic identity, and celebrates the joy, depth, and virtuosity of Black dance and music.

The Joyce’s presentation of Music From The Sole is a HARKNESS FIRST Joyce Theater debut, generously supported by The Harkness Foundation for Dance.  

Curtain Chat: Jan, 31

Family Matinee: Sat, Feb 3 at 2pm

Funding Credits

Supported by a Joyce Creative Residency awarded to Leonardo Sandoval made possible by generous funding provided by Mellon Foundation. Underwriting support for The Joyce’s presentation of Music From The Sole provided by Deborah & Charles Adelman. Additional support provided by Jane E. Goldberg.