The leaves will turn brittle and frosted in the next few weeks, but the state’s top dance companies will just be warming up for their fall season.
Creative collaborations, juxtapositions and experiments will join the unavoidable holiday-themed shows, including no less than four different productions of “The Nutcracker.”
Boundary-pushing modern choreography will bump up against traditional ballet styles in Lemon Sponge Cake’s “Alienation,” while Cleo Parker Robinson Dance celebrates more than three decades with its first all-female-choreographed show, “Isis Rising,” a tribute to the legendary Katherine Dunham.
Here are just a few of the more promising performances scheduled for autumn, a brisk list for another brisk season.
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, Newman Center for the Performing Arts, Today and Sept. 16-17: It’s hard to believe that in this revered, progressive company’s 36 years it’s never presented an all-female-choreographed show. “Isis Rising” changes that, featuring the works of choreographers Nejla Yatkin (“Salome’s Daughters”), Rosangela Silvestre (“Temple in Motion”), Victoria Dale (“Continuum”) and Cleo Parker Robinson’s own “My Bahia,” which rounds out the series dedicated to her esteemed late mentor, Katherine Dunham. Tickets: $18-$38, 303-871-7720, ticketmaster.com.
Colorado Ballet, Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Sept. 29-Oct. 15: Dance’s delicious dark side rears its head when Colorado Ballet presents Théophile Gautier’s classically macabre “Giselle” to jump-start its 46th season. The story of a poor girl who falls in love with a prince, then dies, will be augmented by set designs and costumes from American Ballet Theatre. Tickets: $27-$113, 303-837-8888 ext. 2; coloradoballet.com or ticketmaster.com.
Hannah Kahn Dance/3rd Law Dance, Dairy Center, Sept. 31-Oct. 1, Shwayder Theatre; Oct. 6-7: These local companies will present the appropriately named “Joining Forces,” juxtaposing the work of choreographers Katie Elliott and Hannah Kahn. The 18 combined performers will allow audiences to see interpretations of the art form from two distinct perspectives. Tickets: $13-$18, 303-444-7328, thedairy.org.
Classical Savion, Macky Auditorium, Oct. 14-15: Here’s a don’t-miss act for tap aficionados: Tony Award-winner Savion Glover will apply his expert skills to classical music, including Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons,” Stravinsky, Bach and Mendelssohn. A 10-piece chamber orchestra will reinforce the immediacy of Glover’s visceral style. Tickets: $15-$60, 303-492-8181, cuconcerts.org.
Ballet Nouveau, BNC Performance Theatre, Oct. 27-29: The state’s second-largest ballet company will celebrate its fifth year with such favorites as “The Nutcracker” and “Beauty and the Beast,” but the season really kicks off with the Nouveau Showcase, featuring fast-paced works from company members, as well as popular repertoire choices. Take advantage of the meet-and-greet with dancers and choreographers after each show. Tickets: $14-$16, 303-466-5685, balletnouveaucolorado.org.
Kim Robards Dance, Lakewood Cultural Center, Oct. 27-28: The mysterious “Humans in Motion” will highlight a busy fall schedule at this Denver-based company, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The only description the company affords the production is, “A visual feast floods the stage.” Come and decide for yourself. Tickets: $12-$25, 303-825-4847, kimrobardsdance.org.
University of Colorado Dance, Irey Theatre, Nov. 3-5: This unique, multimedia offering of film and dance in the round will present works by Leslie Merrill and Angie Yeowell as part of the Master of Fine Arts concert. Tickets: $6-$10, 303-492-8181, cutheatre.org.
Lemon Sponge Cake Contemporary Ballet, Dairy Center, Dec. 1-3: Internationally recognized choreographer and director Robert Sher-Machherndl debuts his latest piece, “Alienation,” at the Dairy Center for the Arts in Boulder. The abstract creation “plumbs the tensions between hope and despair, longing and withdrawal, connection and alienation,” according to Lemon Sponge Cake’s Jenifer Sher. Sher-Machherndl’s integrates classic styles with contemporary movement to comment on modern life. Tickets: 303-545-2298, dance@lemonspongecake.com.
David Taylor Dance Theatre, Lakewood Cultural Center, Dec. 16-23: This Lakewood-based company has “The Nutcracker” down pat, having performed it longer than some of its audience has been alive. Its 21st annual production, featuring Tchaikovsky’s instantly recognizable themes, will run for 11 full-length performances. Tickets: $22-$34, 303-987-7845, lakewood.org.
Staff writer John Wenzel can be reached at 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com.
