By Tara Sheena.

Spring is in the air and with that comes many things: warmer weather, spring cleaning, flowers blooming, a budding love interest (or, maybe I’ve just been watching too many romantic comedies). However, the spring season always means an unusually busy New York City performance calendar. From uptown to downtown, the dance geek in me is reeling with a certain type of joy this time of year brings – dance shows galore! Whether you’re a Broadway lover, a renegade ballerina or even a budding neurologist, the next couple of months have a little something for every dance lover out there.

Below is a list of the top five events I am most looking forward to, in no particular order of course (who could choose?!). Catch them while you can…the light breeze of the spring air has the summertime heat hot on its heels and these performances will be gone with the wind before you know it!

Matilda The Musical at the Shubert Theatre, previews began March 4

Roald Dahl’s famed children’s book finds a life beyond the page this month on Broadway. After a wildly successful run across the pond at the Cambridge Theater in London, the sprightly bookworm finally makes her way to The Big Apple. This electrifying interpretation of Dahl’s signature story, with music written by Dennis Kelly and original songs by Tim Minchin, is already an early favorite for this year’s Tony Awards. Better yet, the inimitable Peter Darling (Billy Elliot, anyone?) brings his signature rhythm and flair to the choreography, having won last year’s Laurence Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer. Plus, I hear there are some pretty outrageous costumes involved. Sounds like a very new spin on an old favorite and I cannot wait to see it! More information can be found at http://us.matildathemusical.com.

Harkness Dance Festival at 92Y, February 22-March 24

In a month-long stretch of back-to-back dance performances, the 92Y brings in contemporary dance’s gentle giant, Doug Varone, to curate a selection of today’s most innovative and thrilling artists. This festival is wonderful. Not only does it take place in the vast expanse that is Buttenweiser Hall, but it seems like a reunion of sorts in the way Varone is bringing his peers together for such an exciting performance series. Let the dance community rejoice! Varone’s company of physically luscious movers kicked off the festival on February 22 and upcoming highlights include the zany theatricality of Faye Driscoll (March 1-3) as well as the purely constructed work of Liz Gerring (March 8-10). All information, including a full calendar of events, can be found at www.92y.org/HARKNESSFESTIVAL.

Live Ideas at New York Live Arts, April 17-21

In its inaugural year, Live Ideas will host a five-day festival exploring the mind-body connection through the work of acclaimed neurologist and author, Oliver Sacks. Through a series of panel discussions, film screenings and live performances, ideas surrounding the physical and environmental pressures against the human body will be the focal point. Sacks’ work illuminates his range of interest, from weightlifting to stereoscopy, and for the first time, the myriad concepts behind his neurological practice will be displayed in this public forum. With discussion topics ranging from “The Natural World: Ferns, Cycads, and Cephalopods” to “Minding the Dancing Body”, this intriguing convergence of art and science is not to be missed. The best part? Many events are under $20 and some are even free! More information can be found at www.newyorklivearts.org/liveideas.

Dancing the Gods: Nrityagram’s Surupa Sen and Bijayini Satpathy at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, April 6-7, 2013

Surupa Sen and Bijayini Satpathy make a rare New York appearance with this magical and transformative performance of Odissi, the oldest classical dance form in India. Co-presented with the World Music Institute, the women will display this statuesque and emotionally-driven dance form in a series of solos and duets. Both principal members with India’s famed Nrityagram dance troupe, the women bring years of experience to this awe-inspiring style of dance, one that is rarely seen on the American stage. Tickets are bit pricier than my other choices but I think now you understand why. More information on this all-too-short performance run can be found at http://nyuskirball.org/calendar/dancingthegods.

Ballet v6.0 at The Joyce Theater, August 6-17
(Ok, so this is in summer, but it had to be mentioned)

The end of summer seems like a far cry from the brisk winter we have been experiencing in New York City lately, but The Joyce Theater is offering something different for the ballet lovers out there, and rightly so, since most ballet companies take the summer months off. Highlighting ballet companies that are working outside of a traditional large company hierarchical structure, the six companies of Ballet v6.0 represent a range of styles from across the United States. Troupes to look out for include the edgy and experimental BalletX from Philadelphia (August 6-7) and the contemporary athleticism of Company C from Northern California (August 9-10). For more information and the full line up visit www.joyce.org.

By Tara Sheena

Summer is officially winding down and the fall season will emerge from the depths of yesteryear faster than Ashley Bouder’s petit allegro. The days of seeing your favorite dance companies light up the innumerable free outdoor venues NYC has to offer are long gone. Now, you have to pay for tickets and brave the chilled concrete jungle to catch a glimpse of your favorite movers and shakers. But, fear not! I have compiled a list of my top five ‘must-sees’ of the season so you can plan ahead and put that rainy-day cash to good use! Here they are, in no particular order:

Launch of NY Live Arts 

This fall brings us the launch of NY Live Arts, the merger between presenting venue, Dance Theater Workshop, and the chronically cutting-edge, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. The inaugural season of this historic partnership promises to keep the contemporary dance community on its toes. Established programs like the Studio Series and Lobby TALKS will continue with renewed momentum. New programs, like the Live Gallery and the broadened Replay Series, will allow greater exposure to the over forty performances New York Live Arts will present over the course of the next year. Major highlights I am looking forward to are Rosann Spradlin’s intensely physical vocabulary, the highly unique voices of Zoe | Juniper, and a promising replay of Big Dance Theater’s 2010 Bessie-award winning, Comme Toujours Here I Stand. The season kicks off on September 16, 2011 with a two-week run of Bill T. Jones’ highly acclaimed Body Against Body. What is already a historic event, this collaboration gives insight to where the dance community is headed and the endless collaborative possibilities the future holds for our beloved form.  www.newyorklivearts.org

Yannick Lebrun in Robert Battle's Takademe. Photo by Andrew Eccles

The Metropolitan Opera

The Metropolitan Opera is an amazing opportunity for classically trained dancers to perform alongside some of the world’s best opera singers, on one of the most revered stages, with some of the world’s best choreographers. Not a bad gig, eh? The upcoming season promises to deliver an exciting assortment of, to quote Wagner himself, ‘gesamtkunstwerk’ (AKA some really awesome stuff!) Two particular productions I cannot wait to witness are Faust, choreographed by Kelly Devine, and Manon, choreographed by Lionel Hoche. Devine brings a largely musical theater background to the project, most recently lending her moves to the US tour of Rock of Ages. It will be interesting to see the intersections between her brand of hard-hitting rock n’ roll with this tale of German folklore when it opens on November 29. During the second half of the season, we will see famed French choreographer Lionel Heche take on a fellow Frenchman’s tragic story: Massenet’s Manon. Heche has worked with many acclaimed companies, including the Paris Opera Ballet and Jiri Kylian’s Netherlands troupe, making him one of the most sought-after French choreographers in the world. His neo-classical style incorporates everything from Forsythe to ballet, and it will all be seen through the eyes of Manon when this production receives its Met premiere on March 26, 2012. www.metoperafamily.org

92^nd Street Y Presents the Out of Israel Showcase

It is rare that the United States gets to benefit from witnessing the highly physical, intensely visceral experience of Israeli contemporary dance. That is why I am so excited that the 92^nd Street Y is feeding all of the die-hard fans a dose of their own fanaticism (and saving me a trip to Tel Aviv) by bringing us the Out of Israel showcase in January 2012. Start the year off right with hometown favorite Andrea Miller and her electrifying troupe, Gallim Dance, and then delve into the worlds of Michael Samama, Neta Yerushalmy, Lior Schneior, and others. The entire weekend is devoted to this signature brand of movement, with varying programs and what is sure to be a unique set of shows. www.92y.org

Remembering September 11^th with the NYC Dance Community

Jacqulyn Buglisi has been an important preservationist of modern dance in the US for many years. A featured dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company, Buglisi’s own company has been an important pillar of site-specific performance, and this September will be no exception. As a tribute to the tenth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center buildings on September 11, 2001, Buglisi and one hundred other NYC dancers will stage a site-specific performance at Lincoln Center’s Josie Robertson Plaza. Collaborating with Ms. Buglisi on the work are Italian artist Rossella Vasta and flautist Andrea Ceccomori. An important day in American history, the dance community will come together to recognize this great tragedy and work to acknowledge the hope that the future holds. The event will begin at 8:20am on September 11 and conclude at 8:46am, the exact time that American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower. An amazing way to pay respect and come together as a community, this event will use dance to portray the unfaltering will and determination of the American people.

Top photo: Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company Body Against Body