The best dance shows in NYC this month

By George? Threy've got him. New York City Ballet leaps back to Lincoln Center for a month of shows that are packed with works by company cofounder George Balanchine. The run begins with a weeklong exhibition of Balanchine's Jewels (through Sept 27), a tripartite celebration of international dance styles: the French-themed Emeralds, the American-style Rubies and the Russian-accented Diamonds. Four mixed bills rotate for the following three weeks: the self-explanatory All Balanchine; Masters at Work, featuring pieces by Balanchine and Jerome Robbins; Eclectic NYCB, with repertory favorites by Balanchine, Christopher Wheeldon and Alexei Ratmansky; and Contemporary Choreographers, which offers world premieres by Canadian dancemakers Jennifer Archibald and Alysa Pires, alongside recent pieces by Justin Beck and Kyle Abraham. Also on the schedule are the Fall Fashion Gala (Oct 1) and, to conclude the season, a special program bidding farewell to longtime City Ballet principal Adrian Danchig-Waring (Oct 18).    Adrian Danchig-Waring in Agon | Photograph: Courtesy Erin Baiano In addition to Danchig-Waring, the company's current roster of principals comprises Tyler Angle, Gilbert Bolden III, Chun Wai Chan, Jovani Furlan, Emilie Gerrity, Joseph Gordon, Anthony Huxley, Isabella LaFreniere, Sara Mearns, Roman Mejia, Miriam Miller, Mira Nadon, Tiler Peck, Unity Phelan, Taylor Stanley, Ryan Tomash, Daniel Ulbricht, Emma Von Enck, Peter Walker and Indiana Woodward. The Four...

Theater review by Adam Feldman  The titular heroine of Petite Rouge dances with wolves aplenty in Company XIV’s latest neoburlesque spectacle, but don’t worry for her safety: She’s as voracious a predator as any of them. Director-choreographer Austin McCormick and his Brooklyn company have a penchant for twisting classic children’s stories into naughty ones for adults, fashioning baroque extravaganzas out of such tales as the Nutcracker, Cinderella, Snow White and Alice in Wonderland. This latest pageant gives a decadent spin to the adventures of Little Red Riding Hood through a decadent mélange of slinky dance, explosive live singing and suggestive circus acts. This little lady knows her way around a basket. Petite Rouge | Photograph: Courtesy Deneka Peniston Like all Company XIV shows, Petite Rouge unfolds as a series of vignettes performed by a troupe of versatile performers in outrageous costumes by Zane Pihlström, who has also designed the louche, ruched set in a panhistorically rococo spirit. The aesthetic is femme-forward and playfully queer-flavored; the men may have lupine masks on their heads, but they are also often dolled out in corsets and heels (and, in one case, tasseled pasties on each buttock). Among the attractions provided by the men are a triple aerial act, a toe dance and a comical turn by PhillVonAwesome, in mask, as Petite Rouge’s grandma.  Related: See more photos from Petite Rouge. Petite Rouge | Photograph: Courtesy Deneka Peniston But...

Nrityagram Dance Ensemble, India's preeminent guardians of the classical Odissi dance tradition, revisits the Joyce with an anthology of new and well-loved works that honor the troupe's home base outside Bangalore. Artistic director Surupa Sen a sharp and heavily made-up eye. An original score is performed live for a company that includes Pavithra Reddy, Anoushka Rahman, Daquil Miriyala and Sen herself. 

The venerable American Ballet Theatre returns to its home base at Lincoln Center for a two-week run of mixed bills. The season begins with Fresh Visions and Timeless Classics (October 21, 22, 25, 27), comprising Helen Pickett’s Petal, Jiří Kylián’s Petite Mort and Natalia Makarova’s Paquita. A second program, Neoclassical Works (October 23–25), feature Frederick Ashton’s Birthday Offering, Kyle Abraham’s Mercurial Son and George Balanchine’s Ballet Imperial. Finally, An Elegy and A Dream (October 28, 30, 31) includes the world premiere of Trio Élégiaque, by the ABT corps de ballet's own Brady Farrar, as well as Jae ManJoo’s Flight and Ashton’s The Dream. The Fall Gala on October 29 offers a sample platter of nine pieces, including dances by Ashton, Agnes De Mille, Alex Ratmansky and Michel Fokine alongside selections from full-length classical works.   The current roster of ABT principals comprises Joo Won Ahn, Aran Bell, Isabella Boylston, Skylar Brandt, Daniel Camargo, Herman Cornejo, Jarod Curly, Thomas Forster, Catherine Hurlin, Chloe Misseldine, SunMi OPark, Jake Roxander, Calvin Royal III, Hee Seo, Christine Shevchenko, Devon Teuscher, James Whiteside and Roman Zhurbin. This run marks the final bow for longtime members Cornejo, who will dance all four performances of the solo Flight, and Whiteside, who will appear in Ballet Imperial on the evenings of October 23 and 24.