'Legacy in Motion: Celebrating Miles Davis at 100' at Artpark

Featuring Jon Lehrer Dance Company + John Bacon and Star People; to be performed on Artpark Mainstage July 17

Artpark & Company press release & photo

Artpark & Company announces the world-premiere performance of “Legacy in Motion: Celebrating Miles Davis at 100,” featuring the Jon Lehrer Dance Company and John Bacon and Star People, in the Artpark Mainstage Theater in Lewiston at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 17.

Jon Lehrer Dance Company and jazz artists John Bacon and Star People unite to celebrate Davis’ 100th birthday on the very stage where he performed in 1974 during Artpark’s opening season. This intimate, multisensory explosion of athletic dance and live jazz spans the legend’s entire career. Witness a once-in-a-century collaboration where rhythm meets motion.

This up-close-and-personal event will transform Artpark’s Mainstage into a club setting where the artists and audience will share the stage. Capacity is limited.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, May 1. Prices include facility fee; additional fees apply for online orders. Purchase online at ticketmaster.com or artpark.net; by phone from the Artpark box office at 716-754-4375; or in person at the Artpark box office, 450 S. Fourth St. The box office is open for in-person sales 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday.

This performance is presented by Artpark and supported in part by Woods Oviatt Gilman.

Jon Lehrer Dance Company (JLDC) is an internationally renowned dance company that originated in Buffalo in 2007 but has been based in New York City since 2019. Under Lehrer’s artistic direction, the company showcases his unique choreography and definitive style. His extensive background in both the modern and jazz dance idioms fosters choreography that is organic, athletic, artistic, entertaining and often humorous, reflecting human experiences. Striking the elusive balance between art and entertainment, JLDC showcases a dynamic, fun and distinctive style creating a true spectacle onstage, which can be enjoyed by dance experts and novices alike. Its continued relationship with Artpark fills Lehrer and the company with joy, as they always look forward to coming back and reuniting with the community that started it all.

John Bacon and Star People is an all-star band of Western New York-based jazz musicians including Tim Clarke (trumpet), Andy Weinzler (saxophone), George Caldwell (piano), Harry Graser (electric keyboards), Joe Goehle (bass) and John Bacon (drums).

At Artpark this season:

2026 events and programs at Artpark currently or about to be on sale include: “Sesame Street Live: Elmo’s Got The Moves” (May 28); Ryan Bingham and the Texas Gentlemen, “Still Gettin’ Away With It Tour” (Friday, May 29); “Wine & Wheels” (June, multiple events); 16^th annual Artpark Fairy House Festival (June 20); Femmes Of Rock (July 10); Ziggy Marley, “Brightside Tour” (July 11); “Artcamps” for ages 8-13 (July 13-24); Sarah McLachlan, “Better Broken Tour” (July 14); Blackberry Smoke, “Rattle, Ramble and Roll Tour 2026” (July 15); “Legacy in Motion: Celebrating Miles Davis at 100,” featuring Jon Lehrer Dance Company & John Bacon and Star People (July 17); Shaky Graves + Dope Lemon (July 22); Djo, “Summer Tour” (July 23); “Mojitos & Mosaics” (July 25); Cole Swindell (July 30); Tori Amos, “In Times Of Dragons Tour” (Aug. 4); Gov’t Mule and JJ Grey & Mofro (Aug. 6); “Howard Jones: Things Can Only Get Better Tour,” featuring Howard Jones, Wang Chung, The English Beat and Modern English, hosted by SiriusXM’s Richard Blade (Aug. 12); “Mojitos & Mosaics” (Aug. 15); Turnpike Troubadours with special guests Muscadine Bloodline & The Creekers (Aug. 14); Andy Grammer “The Big Stupid Heart Tour,” with Walk Off The Earth (Aug. 21); The Rock Orchestra, “Arena of Fire” (Aug. 26); Sierra Ferrell, “Heavy Petal Tour” (Sept. 2); O.A.R. with Gavin DeGraw and KT Tunstall (Sept. 12); and Ray LaMontagne, “Trouble 20th Anniversary Tour” (Sept. 22); Charley Crockett, “Age of the Ram Tour,” with Durand Jones & The Indications (Sept. 29). Stay tuned for more events and programs. Visit artpark.net for up-to-date information.

Artpark & Company is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization bringing arts and culture to the community. Patron generosity makes that work possible.

The 2026 season is sponsored and supported in part by: M&T Bank; Charles D. and Mary A. Bauer Foundation; Cullen Foundation; New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; Parks & Trails New York; Modern Disposal Services; Town of Lewiston; Niagara County Legislature; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.