DANCE EVENTS FOR WINTER/SPRING

December 2011 through May 2012

(See each organization’s website for additional events not listed below.)

Ballet Nouveau Colorado
BNC’s season includes two world premiere collaborative productions and two acclaimed shows back by popular demand. Performances are at the Performing Arts Complex at Pinnacle Charter School, 1001 W. 84th Ave. in Denver. 

BaoBao Festival
Feb. 27-March 3: The BaoBao Festival, now in its ninth year, brings vibrant performances and workshops in traditional West African drumming, dancing and storytelling to Boulder and other Colorado cities. The main performance is set for March 3 at 7pm at the Boulder Theater; check website for full schedule.

Blue Moon Dance Company
Members of this group come from backgrounds as diverse as jazz, modern, ballroom, African dance and classical ballet. Check the website for details about the spring concert.

Boulder Ballet
The nonprofit Boulder Ballet, under the direction of Ana Claire and Peter Davison,  reaches thousands of audience members each year throughout the area and also offers ballet classes. 

Boulder Community Dances at the Avalon
The Avalon Ballroom, 6185 Arapahoe Road, hosts social dances all year long on its large, cushioned dance floor, and all events include a lesson. You can tango every Monday night at 8pm; the Boulder Salsa Social begins at 6:30pm every Thursday; and WALTZ Etcetera happens every other Wednesday night.

Boulder International Folk Dancers
Fridays: BIFD hosts participatory folk dancing weekly at Pearl Street Studio, 2126 Pearl St. Learn the dances from 7:30-8:30pm, then stick around for open dancing until 11pm. Your first visit is free, and subsequent visits are just $5. 303-449-2381.

Catalystic Cadence Collective
C3 is a nonprofit, professional ice and dance theater company in Boulder. C3 hosts both a Dryland Academy and Ice Academy; see the website for a class schedule and performance info.

Colorado Ballet
Feb. 24-March 4: Journey to Neverland with the Colorado Ballet’s performance of “Peter Pan,” complete with high-flying characters and imaginative choreography. “Tribute,” running March 29-April 1, showcases three world premieres in one performance. At the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in the Denver Performing Arts Complex. 

Community Contra Dances
1st and 3rd Fridays: Community Contra Dancing is a variety of New England and American folk dances with a few waltzes, hambos, polkas and square dances thrown in. All ages are welcome at bimonthly dances with live music, Lessons begin at 7:15pm and dancing runs 8-11pm at the Avalon Ballroom, 6185 Arapahoe Ave. Refreshments included with nominal cover charge. 303-433-1346.

Dance Bridge
Dance Bridge, a project of the Boulder Arts Commission, lists classes, companies, workshops, festivals, info on grants and auditions, calendar listings and everything else “dance” on its website. A new dance series is scheduled to be presented once a month; check online for updates. Sign up for the newsletter to stay updated. 303-441-4391.

“Dance Home” at the Solstice Institute
Thursdays: Dance Home is a weekly “safe” dance environment for families and others who wish to dance alone or with others in a smoke- and alcohol-free setting. Dance barefoot to hip-hop, funk, tribal, trance and world music at the Solstice Institute, 302 Pearl St., every Thursday night from 7-9pm. 303-499-9357.

Dances of Universal Peace
Fridays: Weekly public dances connect people who value tolerance, peace and the sacredness of life and who enjoy celebrating this life with others. Boulder dances are at 7:15pm at Community United Church of Christ, 2650 Table Mesa Drive.

Danse Etoile Ballet
Danse Etoile’s mission is to make ballet accessible to everyone. Classes for adults and youth are held at the school, 3400 Industrial Lane in Broomfield; performances are at different area venues. 720-938-3030.

Folk Dancing in the Mountains
Mondays: Learn folk dances from around the world beginning at 7pm, then show off what you’ve learned until 9pm. Weekly sessions are perfect for beginners and include refreshments. At Nederland Community Center (750 Highway 72), but a convenient car pool leaves at 6:15pm from the Danceophile Studio, 250 31st St. 303-499-6363.

Frequent Flyers: “Ratcracker”
Dec. 9-11 & 16-18: The annual holiday offering from Frequent Flyers Productions takes the traditional “Nutcracker” and turns it upside-down—literally. Watch low-flying trapeze, Spanish web, bungee, aerial fabric and much more. At the Dairy Center for the Arts, 2590 Walnut St.

Hannah Kahn Dance Company
Dec. 2-3: The company performs “Arise,” a dance set to excerpts from Handel’s “Messiah,” plus the recently completed “Mixtures and Solutions.” At the Denver School of the Arts, 7111 Montview Blvd. 303-789-4181.

Instructional & Recreational Dance
GetBoulder.com lists movement and dance opportunities in Boulder and surrounding towns in ballroom, jazz, folk, hula, salsa, African, swing and a lot more. Listings for all ages and abilities.

Lyons Old-Time Square Dances
Jan. 7, Feb. 4, March 3, April 7: Monthly community square dance sessions for the entire family feature live callers, old-time string bands and a snack potluck. At Odd Fellows Hall, Fourth and High streets in Lyons, 7-10pm.

New Year’s Eve Dance Party
Dec. 31: Popular annual event features dancing to the Hot Tomatoes Swing Dance Orchestra from 8pm-midnight and a Champagne toast at 11pm. At the Avalon Ballroom, 6185 Arapahoe Road.

Pearl Street Swing & Blues Dances
1st and 3rd Saturdays: Twice-monthly swing dances feature a healthy mix of swing-era, jump blues, jazz and blues to get everyone out on the dance floor. Come early (7-8:30pm) for an introductory lesson; then dance until 1am. At Pearl Street Studio, 2126 Pearl St. 720-929-9618.

Pilobolus
Jan. 21: With a blend of gymnastics, dance and striking imagery, plus a little humor, Pilobolus Dance Theater has earned praise from all over the world. 7:30pm at CU’s Macky Auditorium.

Reverence Academy of Dance
Dec. 10: “Searching for Christmas” features both youth and adult performers dancing to festive holiday music. 2pm at 1370 Miners Drive, #103, Lafayette. 303-661-0719.

Scandinavian Fifth Saturday Bygdedans
March 31: Whenever a month contains a fifth Saturday, it’s time for a Scandinavian dance, with a wide range of Swedish and Norwegian dances for all experience levels. 8-10:30pm at Pearl Street Studio, 2126 Pearl St. For more information, call Eric at 303-415-1187.

Schiff Dance Collective
March 2-3: Using movement and the spoken word, “fits like a gLOVE” explores the topic of body image by asking the question: “How do you wear your skin?” 8pm at the Dairy Center for the Arts, 2590 Walnut St.

3rd Law Dance/Theater
3rd Law Dance/Theater offers technique classes for the intermediate-to professional-level modern dancer and also performs at various venues in the area.

University of Colorado Department of Theatre and Dance
Graduate and undergraduate students present dance concerts throughout the school year on the CU campus and at other Boulder venues.

Village Arts Coalition
VAC brings together dozens of local folk-arts groups and publishes Stomp!, a bimonthly newsletter. 303-440-8303.

Zikr Sacred Dance Ensemble
Zikr Sacred Dance Ensemble, under the artistic direction of David Taylor, offers a spectrum of works based on transcendent dance rituals from ancient world cultures.