Fall Arts Guide | Dance: Keeping it contemporary

The leaves are turning, and so are the dancers. Alighting on Seattle's dance stages this fall are a host of contemporary options (not much for the purely classical, but just wait until "Nutcracker" season). Pacific Northwest Ballet opens its season with a "Director's Choice" evening of contemporary work, including company premieres of Jiri Kylian's "Sechs Tänze (Six Dances)" and Jerome Robbins' "Glass Pieces" (Sept. 24-Oct. 3).

Later in the season, PNB presents the Twyla Tharp evening "All Tharp," featuring the two dances she created on the company in 2008: "Afternoon Ball" and "Opus 111" (Nov. 5-14). Chamber Dance Company pays tribute to a contemporary master with "Extensions: A Centennial Celebration of Alwin Nikolais," an evening that also includes work by Llory Wilson, Tandy Beal and Lar Lubovich (Oct. 14-17).

The Men in Dance Festival returns for its eighth edition, with participating choreographers including Wade Madsen, Donald Byrd and Olivier Wevers (Oct. 8-17). Seattle Dance Project presents "Project Orpheus" (restaged for ACT's theater in the round) to open its season, choreographed by Madsen, Wevers and Eva Stone and inspired by Greek myth (Sept. 17-25).

And, for those who can't get enough of their favorite dance TV show, the "So You Think You Can Dance" Tour rolls into the Tacoma Dome for one night only (Nov. 6).