Prep School: "Cassette Vol. 1" | NYU Skirball Center

Kyle Abraham – amongst his many, many accolades – is a member of the NYU Skirball Artistic Advisory Council. He is also an NYU Tisch Dance alum, and started A.I.M during his time at NYU. His work brings together dance, music, and the social and political complexities of American public life.

Learn more about A.I.M by Kyle Abraham.

Office Hours

A special crossover episode – Office Hours x Skirball Tapes, hosted by Catharine Simpson.

Get Into It

Get Thee to the LIbrary

Recommended readings to get you in gear for the show.

Jafari S. Allen. There’s a Disco Ball Between Us: A Theory of Black Gay Life. Duke UP, 2022.

Clare Croft, editor. Queer Dance: Meanings and Makings. Oxford UP, 2017. 

Thomas F. DeFrantz. The Oxford Handbook of Black Dance Studies. Oxford UP, 2026. 

Marc Strauss and Myron Howard Nadel. Looking at Contemporary Dance: A Guide for the Internet Age. Hightstown, 2012. 

Read All About It

KYLE HEADSHOT
Cero | Dec 8, 2025

Breaking Boundaries with Kyle Abraham

Before he was choreographing for the world’s top stages, Abraham built his creative foundation outside of the dance studio.

LA Dance Chronicle | Feb 3, 2024

Interview with Choreographer and Artistic Director Kyle Abraham

“In a lot of my work, we are looking at humanity and really making sure that you see people on stage.”

W Magazine | Oct. 10, 2023

For Choreographer Kyle Abraham, Dance Is a Reflection of Life

“I’ve loved dancing since I can remember. I got kicked out of Catholic school on the very first day — for dancing.”

Harpers Bazaar | Mar 20, 2025

For Kyle Abraham, Hope Is a Movement

“What’s charging me right now is trying to persevere and push myself—and hopefully make people feel seen and loved.”

From the Archives

Kyle Abraham was last onstage at NYU Skirball in 2019, with Live! The Realest M.C. – part of #Stonewall50 at NYU.

Pamela Newkirk on A.I.M

Abraham widens the frame of possibility for a younger generation of artists.

Extra Credit

Cassette Vol. 1 is the final show in the NYU Skirball 2025-26 season. Look back to one of the first shows in the season, Krapp’s Last Tape – with shared resonances around nostalgia, accessed via the technology of the tape.

François Noudelmann on Samuel Beckett and Listening to What Ends

At the end of the play, the tape recorder has the last word, humanity having become nothing more than an ear.