What not to miss at this year’s newMoves dance festival

1. Bill Shannon premieres “Touch Update”: The interdisciplinary artist and Pittsburgh native will debut an eveninglength work that has been in the works for more than a year during his time as an artist-in-residence at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater. It combines movement with wearable projection technology and video installations to dissect human connections in the digital era. As an artist, Mr. Shannon is known for exploring social constructs and perceptions that surround those with differently abled bodies. (He has a disease known as Legg-Calve-Perthes and uses crutches to alleviate pressure to his hips.) The work has already garnered a lot of national attention, including funding from the National Dance Project.

“The movement style has street dance, it has the circus performance elements and contemporary dance,” Ms. Solomon says, “and this really amazing set of technology elements. It’s an opportunity to see a Pittsburgh talent and artist that’s evolved over time.”

2. Movement workshops with visiting artists: Don’t just sit back and watch the action -— become a part of it. Movement workshops offer the public a chance to groove alongside festival artists and learn from their movement vocabularies. A couple of out-of-town artists to watch are Chris Babingui and Jamal Jackson. Mr. Babingui, in particular, will lead a workshop (1-2 p.m. May 18) on Ekongo, a dance form derived from the Kouyous and Mbochis tribes of Africa.

3. Catch up with Pittsburgh favorites: Beyond visiting artists, the festival’s program boasts a robust mix of veteran dancers and choreographers who call Pittsburgh home. STAYCEE PEARL dance project, Nick Daniels, Jil Stifel, Exhalations Dance Theatre and Moriah Ella Mason are just a few of them.

4. A smorgasbord of dance: Can’t decide on just one performance? Or looking