Our critic picks dance shows in Philadelphia you shouldn’t miss this fall

As the weather gets cooler, the stages will heat up this fall, with dance companies returning from summer breaks. Here are my top picks.

The most-anticipated show on the calendar is Philadelphia Ballet’s new Carmen, which artistic director Angel Corella is creating from scratch.

“We’ve done pretty much almost every full-length [ballet] in the repertoire,” said Corella, who has been re-choreographing many of the classics. “And the funny thing is that Carmen is one that has kept coming up every season. Everyone is like, ‘Oh, why don’t you do Carmen?’ ‘Why don’t you create a new Carmen?’ ‘You should create Carmen because you’re Spanish.’ "

But unlike most of his previous works, “it’s the first time that I’m creating a new story [ballet] from zero. I mean, it’s not a new story because the story exists.”

He sat with the music director and conductor Beatrice Jona Affron and pianist Martha Koeneman to piece the plot with the music.

He conceptualized most of the costumes and sets, which are being built in-house. And, of course, he is choreographing the steps.

https://philadelphiaballet.org/23-24-season/carmen/

This Cuban contemporary dance company will present the world premiere of Dancing Island, choreographed by Osnel Delgado, the company’s founder and artistic director, and a dancer in the company. This piece will explore the evolution of Cuban social dance, including rumba and salsa.

Also on the program: the Philadelphia premieres of Aszure Barton’s Indomitable Waltz and Daileidys Carrazana’s The Last Song.

https://pennlivearts.org/event/malpasodancecompany

The company was cofounded by Christine Cox, the artistic director, and Matthew Neenan, who has had a successful career choreographing for companies all over the United States. He returns to Philly frequently to create new works for BalletX, and in October, the company will present the world premiere of his latest.

The program will also include the Philadelphia premiere of a new work by Jamar Roberts and the return of Jennifer Archibald’s 2022 Exalt.

https://www.balletx.org/seasons/fall-series-2023/

A frequent visitor to Philadelphia, this highly regarded New York-based company will dance the Philadelphia premiere of Somewhere, in which Varone reimagines West Side Story minus the story, instead focusing on Bernstein’s score. The program also includes Varone’s Two Piano Pieces and Rise.

https://pennlivearts.org/event/dougvarone

It’s not the holiday season until the dancing candies show up. The cast changes not only annually but for almost every performance. This is also a ballet where up-and-coming dancers are given an opportunity to shine. So it’s a fun annual tradition and a great chance to see stars and stars in the making — as well as adorable children and a touch of theatrical magic.

https://philadelphiaballet.org/23-24-season/nutcracker/

This year, another high-quality Nutcracker is tapping into town. Michelle Dorrance, a MacArthur winner, is bringing her rendition for its Philadelphia premiere. The movement will include boogies, slides, struts, and dives set to Duke Ellington’s rendition of the Tchaikovsky score.

https://pennlivearts.org/event/dorrancedancenutcracker

The program’s title refers to “the upcoming choreographers seem to be influenced by what they have seen,” said Philadanco founder and executive artistic director Joan Myers Brown. The program includes the revival of a neoclassical ballet by Gene Sagan Hill, a world premiere by Christopher Huggins, a work choreographed by Philadanco alumnus Nijawwon Matthews, and a newly commissioned ballet by Christopher Rudd, a Black choreographer who has never choreographed for a predominately Black company.

https://www.kimmelculturalcampus.org/events-and-tickets/2023-24/kcp/philadanco-intangible-influences/