Guest blogger Danielle Marie Georgiou is a Dance Lecturer at the University of Texas at Arlington where she serves as the Assistant Director of the UT Arlington’s Dance Ensemble. She is also a member of Muscle Memory Dance Theatre – a modern dance collective. Danielle is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Arts and Humanities at UT Dallas, and her first book, The Politics of State Public Arts Funding, is out now.

It’s getting close to the end of the performance season for dance, and two shows on the docket in Dallas look like potential standouts.

Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.

For the ballet lovers out there, TITAS presents the Dallas debut of Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet.  Dallas has been host to some amazing debuts this season – TITAS recently debuted Mia Michael’s new work Bring Me Back and Leo Mujic’s B Sonata – and this weekend’s performance looks to be on par with those.  According to the San Francisco Chronicle, “Alonzo King’s small, sleek company has risen from playing tiny theaters to touring the country and now the world … and essentially, through these nine dancers’ twisted, tangled movement and King’s earnest yet urgent spirituality, broken the mold of what ballet can be.”

I have yet to see King’s LINES in action, but from what I’ve heard, if you’re into contemporary ballet and pushing beyond the norms of performance, then this is the company to see.  King is known for creating works that draw on a diverse set of deeply rooted cultural traditions and imbues classical ballet with new expressive potential.  His choreography is renowned for its ability to connect audience to a profound sense of shared humanity – of vulnerability and tenderness, but also of furious abandon and exhilarating freedom.

It’s very exciting that the West Coast mentality of dance is migrating over here and invading our traditional Southern comfort levels. His vision is where I believe dance is moving.  People want to see real people dancing, expressing what words cannot.  We are all human, and I think we’re striving to see that fact in our every day lives.  Why not see it on stage? In our faces?

For more information on the performances, visit the listing on the Art&Seek calendar.

Saturday and Sunday, noon-6 p.m.

If you’re into seeing every kind of dance that Dallas has to offer then Dance for the Planet is the place to be. Hosted by the Dance Council, Dance for the Planet – a unique outdoor dance festival at Samuell-Grand Park – brings together 150 dance groups from all over North Texas, and even some guests from Houston and Austin.  This year, Planet will feature master hip-hop classes from 2008 So You Think You Can Dance finalist Comfort Fedoke.  Fedoke graduated from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and taught hip-hop at the Denton Dance Conservatory.  She now lives, performs and teaches in Los Angeles and will be bringing us some of her West Coast flavor.

This pastiche of dance is more than just a celebration of local artists; it’s a great way to bring the entire family together.  Every piece presented is family-friendly, and there are many classes for parents and children to participate in.  There are even arts and craft kiosks, bounce houses and face-painting booths for all the little ones. And if all of that weren’t enough – it’s free!

For more information about Dance for the Planet, visit its listing on the Art&Seek calendar.