Two Black girls face away from the audience with their feet apart and their arms and legs out straight as they look at one another. The background is covered in colorful chalk drawings.
Watch Trailer
Watch the BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play trailer!
Get a sneak peek at the show.

BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play

Camille A. Brown & Dancers
from New York, New York

January 24 – February 1, 2026
Recommended Ages
For everyone 8 and up
Price
Tickets start at $25*
Members save 30%
 *Price includes service fees
What Kind of Show?
Dance with live music; vivid and personal
Running Time
60 minutes with no intermission
Venue
The New Victory Theater 209 W 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
public schools

Select a Performance

Available

Few Seats Left

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Week of January 19 – 25

Jan 24

Sat, 2pm

Get to know the performers and creative team at a Talk-Back!

Jan 24

Sat, 7pm

Get to know the performers and creative team at a Talk-Back!

Jan 25

Sun, 2pm

Get to know the performers and creative team at a Talk-Back!

Week of January 26 – February 1

Jan 31

Sat, 2pm

Get to know the performers and creative team at a Talk-Back!

Jan 31

Sat, 7pm

Live audio description provided
Live sign interpretation provided
Get to know the performers and creative team at a Talk-Back!

Feb 01

Sun, 2pm

Get to know the performers and creative team at a Talk-Back!

Key

  • Audio Described Performance
    Audio-Described

    Live audio description provided

  • Audio Described Performance
    Sign-Interpreted

    Live sign interpretation provided

  • Audio Described Performance
    Talk-Back

    Get to know the performers and creative team at a Talk-Back!

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About the Show

“Who was I be­fore the world de­fined me?” Celebrated choreographer Camille A. Brown shines a spotlight on sisterly love, unfurling the joys and complexities of Black girlhood. Across three dynamic duets, the rhythmic play of schoolyard games and adolescent feuds gives way to nurturing friendships forged in common struggle. Through live music and a mix of modern and ancestral African-American movement traditions—stepping, Double Dutch, Juba, ring shout—BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play evokes memories of self-discovery and resonates with the humanity of young women whose experiences deserve to be danced.

Playful tour de force

—The New York Times

Things to Know

  1. While choreographer Camille A. Brown has performed in BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play before (you might spot her in the video trailer!), she will not be dancing on the New Victory stage this time around.
  2. “Linguistic Play” in the show’s title refers to the playfulness of dance, gesture, rhythm and rhyme as a common language of Black girlhood, rather than a theatrical play.
  3. BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play was nominated for Outstanding Production at the 2016 Bessie Awards, which celebrate the creative work of independent dance artists in New York City. In total, Camille A. Brown has been nominated for a Bessie four times, winning in 2014 for Mr. TOL E. RAncE.

 

The show on stage is just one act of your experience! Come early or stay late for free lobby activities on the day of the show. Then whether you’re building anticipation, continuing the fun or looking for laughs at any time, at-home New Victory Arts Break activities await you whenever and wherever.

About the Artist

Camille A. Brown’s award-winning choreography reclaims the cultural narrative of African American identity. Her bold work taps into both ancestral stories and contemporary culture to capture a range of deeply personal experiences. Since 2019, she has earned four Tony Award nominations for Best Choreography, most recently for the Audra McDonald-led revival of Gypsy and Alicia Keys’s Hell’s Kitchen.

Photos
Photo: Kirk Richard Smith
Photo: Sharen Bradford

Accessibility

For every performance at the New Victory Theater…

  • You can head downstairs to the Accessibility Table (across from the bathrooms and lockers) to borrow supports like fidgets, earplugs, assisted listening devices, wheelchairs and more.
  • Our quiet Cozy Zone and a live feed of the performance are available in the lower lobby at all times for patrons with sensory sensitivities or anyone who needs a break from the theater.
  • Wheelchair-accessible seats and Companion seat tickets are available for purchase (see more details on the seat selection page when buying tickets).

 
Get additional accessibility details, and prepare for your visit with our New Victory Social Narrative.

An ASL interpreter signs a post-show talk-back inside the New Victory Theater.

Accessibility

Our facilities and programs

We strive to make our programs, performances and spaces accessible.

Interior of the New Victory Theater with stage lights in balcony

Plan Your Visit

Amenities and free activities

Dive into everything to know about seeing a show at the New Victory.

Two kids shown from behind in an at-home office as they watch a person on a computer screen speaking while holding three juggling pins

New Victory Arts Break

Explore the arts from home!

Flex your creativity and stretch your imagination.