Fall arts: ‘Le Corsaire,’ Philadanco, and world premieres from BalletX and Complexions

Philadelphia Ballet turns 60 this season and Angel Corella celebrates his 10th anniversary leading the company as artistic director.

Meanwhile, BalletX inherited a large gift from one of its fans this year and is moving out of its long-term home to a larger theater across Broad Street.

And while there are celebrations and big changes afoot in the Philly dance world, some things are eternal. Like Nutcracker.

Here’s what else looks interesting this season.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, Complexions Contemporary Ballet is known for its artistry, power, and racial diversity. It visits Philadelphia every few years. This time it’s bringing a world premiere and three Philadelphia premieres to the Annenberg. The world premiere will be Dwight Rhoden’s This Time With Feeling, and the Philadelphia premieres will be his Bach 25 (excerpt), Elegy, and For Crying Out Loud. The last one is Rhoden’s second piece choreographed to a suite of U2 hits, this time with acoustic tracks.

$79-$89. 215-898-3900 or pennlivearts.org

Philadelphia Ballet is opening its 60th anniversary season with the revival of artistic director Angel Corella’s Le Corsaire. Corsaire is one of the most beautiful and beloved full lengths in the ballet canon, but it also has problematic elements, including Asian stereotypes and treatment of women. Corella has revised the pirate story, removing mention of slavery.

$28-$242. 215-893-1999 or ensembleartsphilly.org

It’s the ballet’s anniversary and it’s celebrating with fireworks — of the dancing kind. The performance will include duets, trios, and excerpts from longer ballets, as well as works choreographed by Corella and other members of the staff. Among the offerings: the Black Swan pas de deux from Corella’s Swan Lake; the After the Rain pas de deux by Christopher Wheeldon; and an excerpt from Balanchine’s Ballet Imperial.

$10-$160. 215-893-1999 or ensembleartsphilly.org

BalletX was already outselling and outgrowing its longtime home, the Wilma Theater. But in the spring, it received a game-changing $7.4 million gift from one of its admirers. So the company has moved across the street to the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, where the first program of the year will include a world premiere by Marguerite Donlon and two return visits: company cofounder Matthew Neenan’s Mapping Out a Sky and Takehiro Ueyama’s Heroes, which had its company premiere in April at the Mann.

$25-$70. 215-225-5389 x250 or boxoffice@balletx.org

Limón Dance Company has a long performance history, and the works it’s bringing to the Annenberg range from its early years to a piece that will debut in New York, just weeks before the Philly show. Of the two it is bringing by its cofounder, José Limón, both are from the 1950s, but one of them, Scherzo, is a Philadelphia premiere. The new, not-yet-named work will be by choreographer Kayla Farrish.

$39-$79. 215-898-3900 or pennlivearts.org

Philadanco has invited several choreographers to revisit their previous works, as it did in 2023. That will include two women who have long worked with the company: Jawole Willa Jo Zollar (the founder of Urban Bush Women) and former Danco dancer Dawn Marie Bazemore.

$29-$49. 215-893-1999 or ensembleartsphilly.org

Christmas is the most popular time of the year for ballet and it’s easy to see why. It’s hard to go wrong with the classic Nutcracker story with adorable children, dancing candy, a tree that grows, and snow that falls onstage. Not to mention the orchestra elevating the Tchaikovsky music that’s played in many malls all season long and the red-coated Philadelphia Boys Choir showing up for one memorable piece.

$27- $241. 215-893-1999 or ensembleartsphilly.org

This Canadian contemporary ice skating company is visiting Philly for the first time, bringing Murmuration to its frozen stage at the Penn ice rink. With 15 skaters from seven countries, it will perform a piece inspired by a high-speed, aerial flock of birds.

$46. 215-898-3900 or pennlivearts.org

Dec. 13-15, Goodhart Hall at Bryn Mawr College

The program has something old (if you missed it in Philly) and something new (a reason to go to both locations). The old is the return of Loughlan Prior’s Macaroni, which the company performed in July at the Wilma Theater. For the new, choreographer Keelan Whitmore will create a new work building on his 2023 Like You Different. In addition, BalletX dancers Itzkan Barbosa, Lanie Jackson, Peter Weil, Jared Kelly, and Jerard Palazo will show their work.

$25-$65. 215-225-5389 x250 or boxoffice@balletx.org