Fall is harvest time, and there’s a bumper crop of ballet, tap and other movement artistry on offer. Seeded and nurtured with countless hours of creativity, passion and dedication, autumn’s abundance offers audiences a chance to reap where we did not necessarily sow. As nights lengthen and temperatures cool, let’s fling open the storehouses of our attention and savor dance’s bounty.
Balanchine’s ‘Stars and Stripes’
In 1958, amid the Cold War, the Russian-born choreographer George Balanchine created “Stars and Stripes,” a celebration of America, his adopted country, set to marches by John Philip Sousa. Given the ballet’s exuberant patriotism, it’s no wonder troupes are squeezing in a few more performances before the end of this semiquincentennial year.
Atlanta Ballet has “Stars and Stripes” in its “Passion and Pride” program. Richmond Ballet is featuring the “Stars and Stripes” pas de deux in its “Moving Art One” program. And Philadelphia Ballet is performing the full piece alongside other Americana — the concert version of Balanchine’s “Who Cares?,” Eliot Feld’s “Variations on ‘America’” and Jerome Robbins’s “Fancy Free” — on a bill titled “Stars and Stripes Forever!,” at Wolf Trap and later in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Ballet: Sept. 10, Wolf Trap, 1551 Trap Rd., Vienna, Virginia. wolftrap.org. Oct. 8-11, Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St., Philadelphia. philadelphiaballet.org.
Richmond Ballet: Sept. 10-20, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 200 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., Richmond. richmondballet.com.
Atlanta Ballet: Sept. 18-20, Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Pkwy., Atlanta. atlantaballet.com.
Step Afrika!
Step Afrika!’s world premiere “The Fruits of Our Labor” is a salute to America’s 250th and a way for the esteemed D.C.-based stepping company to “reflect on our own connections with patriotism and Americanness,” says its founder, C. Brian Williams. The work also reflects Step Afrika!’s international roots and travels: On a recent visit to South Africa, where the company launched in 1994, the artists drew inspiration from the percussive soundscapes of South African choreographer Vusi Mdoyi, who has incorporated the likes of typewriters into his dances. Those sonic ideas get a stateside spin in “The Fruits of Our Labor,” directed by Jakari Sherman with Conrad R. Kelly II and Mdoyi. “This work is really the fruit of all of our labor to push and promote this art form of stepping and take it to some new places,” Williams says. Sept. 10-Nov. 1, Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW. arenastage.org.
Gin Dance Company
Northern Virginia’s Gin Dance Company recently announced that it is closing up shop, but the troupe founded in 2011 is going out on a high note. The farewell performance includes artistic director Shu-Chen Cuff’s new piece “Mirror of the Heart,” which is a collaboration with Fairfax County Poet Laureate Angelique Palmer and incorporates spoken word. Cuff’s new storm-inspired work, “Lightning,” and older Amadeus tribute, “That’s Mozart,” are also in the lineup. So is “Cloaked,” by the award-winning choreographer Thang Dao. Sept. 12, Capital One Hall, 7750 Capital One Tower Rd., Tysons, Virginia. gindance.com.
‘The Surge: An Ode to Sinéad O’Connor’
Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor defied convention, most famously by tearing up a photo of Pope John Paul II on “Saturday Night Live.” It’s fitting, then, that a tired norm gets a flouting in “The Surge: An Ode to Sinéad O’Connor,” a new work created, choreographed and directed by Tony Award-winning Sonya Tayeh. Rather than relying on a youthful cast, as is typical in dance, “The Surge” showcases 10 female performers who have, collectively, lived more than 500 years. Featuring O’Connor’s music and her voice in excerpts drawn from the audiobook of her memoir “Rememberings,” “The Surge” is making its North American premiere at the Joyce Theater. Sept. 16-27, Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave., New York. joyce.org.
Dance Theatre of Harlem
Dance Theatre of Harlem’s “Firebird” has been burning bright: The company’s recent revival of the 1982 Caribbean-set ballet has kindled buzz and audience demand — perhaps no surprise for a work with a poignant fairy-tale plot, Stravinsky score, and costume and set design by the renowned Geoffrey Holder. But don’t let the dazzle blind you to the other pieces DTH is showcasing in its upcoming Washington performances. DTH artistic director Robert Garland’s “Return,” set to the sounds of Aretha Franklin and James Brown, and Balanchine’s bravura “Donizetti Variations” will add to the flare. (Washington Performing Arts and DTH are copresenting.) Sept. 25-26, National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. broadwayatthenational.com.
The Australian Ballet
“There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about,” Oscar Wilde wrote in “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” The Irish writer and LGBTQ+ icon may spark more talk as the Australian Ballet’s “Oscar” makes its North American premiere. Choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, the 2024 full-length work centers gay love — a striking addition to the ballet canon, which traditionally mythologizes heterosexual romance. Set to a Joby Talbot score, “Oscar” draws on both Wilde’s writings — including that of Dorian Gray — and his life, which took an agonizing turn when he was imprisoned for “gross indecency.” Sept. 25-27, 101 Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley, California. calperformances.org. Oct. 8-11, New York City Center, 131 W 55th St., New York. nycitycenter.org
Music From the Sole
Tap dance inevitably blurs the boundaries between music and movement, but the tunes-and-hoofing New York troupe Music From the Sole smudges those lines with distinctive flair. Headed by Brazilian choreographer Leonardo Sandoval and American composer Gregory Richardson, the company draws on such influences as samba, passinho (Brazilian funk), jazz and Afro-Cuban tradition. In tandem with an artist-in-residence stint at George Mason University, Music From the Sole will perform “I Didn’t Come to Stay,” which has traveled the country — and even visited the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain — since incubating in a pandemic bubble residency. Sept. 26, Center for the Arts at George Mason University, 4373 Mason Pond Dr., Fairfax. cfa.gmu.edu.
The Washington Ballet
Ready, set, go-go! To kick off its 50th-anniversary festivities, the Washington Ballet is readying “Go-Go 50,” a season opener that includes a world premiere choreographed by Chanel DaSilva to music by the local band Black Alley, whose influences include the beloved homegrown musical genre. The program will also celebrate TWB history, reviving “Configurations,” by the troupe’s first resident choreographer, Choo San Goh, and “Blue Until June,” which Trey McIntyre created for the company in 2000 and set to Etta James vocals. Artistic director Edwaard Liang’s “The Art of War” rounds out the program. Oct. 30-Nov. 1, Warner Theatre, 513 13th St. NW. washingtonballet.org.
For the Love of Philly!
The City of Brotherly Love will get even more affection when Philadanco! collaborates with the legendary Philadelphia International Records on “For the Love of Philly!,” billed as a salute to the city’s “contributions to music, dance, and Black cultural innovation.” To the sounds of such artists as the O’Jays, Patti LaBelle and more, dancers will perform new works by Rennie Harris and Dawn Marie Bazemore, as well as tried-and-true pieces by Gene Hill Sagan and Tommie-Waheed Evans and a reimagined Dwight Rhoden creation. Dec. 4-6, Perelman Theater, 300 S. Broad St., Philadelphia. philadanco.org.
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