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Wanderlust Circus
Oregon Country Fair goers will be familiar with these meta-retro numbers, but the acts have been juiced up for Time Warp, a circus show and dance party. Wanderlust Circus' acrobats, aerialists and jugglers start a new decade every half hour in this themed show, while DJ LePhreak spins for the dance floor. Among the acts is Jon Dutch, a towering acrobat, boylesquer and late-night pool crasher, who leads the Rose City Acro Devils through throws, flips and balancing acts—some of the most impressive stunts in the local bar circuit.
Star Theater, 13 NW 6th Ave., 248-4700. 8 pm Saturday, Sept. 20. $10-$20. 21+.
Khecari and Happydog
Chicago choreographer Julia Rae Antonick and her group Khecari join Portland choreographer Muffie Connelly and her multi-city group Happydog for this double bill of contemporary dance. In Antonick's Cresset: Vibrant, Rusting, she incorporates Balinese dance and a small stage on wheels that three dancers roll around the floor. Antonick compares the piece to a tree with a broken limb: something beautiful with a bit of decay. Connelly and New York choreographer Leslie Cuyjet perform with Portland dancer Ruth Nelson in Lady Parts, a take on how the body transitions between pregnancy and motherhood.
The Headwaters Theatre, 55 Northeast Farragut St., No. 9, 289-3499,
khecarihappydog.bpt.me. 7:30 pm Friday-Sunday, Oct. 3-5. $15-$20.
White Bird
Architecture and Bowie: That's a taste of White Bird's lineup this fall. Los Angeles company Diavolo returns to Portland after 10 years and brings another of its colossal sculptures, this one a futuristic dome covered with holes like Swiss cheese. In a work that mixes dance and acrobatics, performers scale the structure and dive through its holes. Then Britain's Michael Clark Company goes into the past, circa 1972. Dancers strut and fall in a modern piece inspired by David Bowie's ecstatic body language, while the rocker's hit music videos play on a giant screen behind them.
Newmark Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway, 245-1600, whitebird.org. Diavolo runs Oct. 9-11; Michael Clark Company runs Oct. 16-18. $26-$64.
Portland Tango Fest
One of Portland's two big tango festivals (the other is Valen Tango in February), this event draws tangueros from as far as Holland and Argentina for this five-day fest. Most of the instructors perform at the Grand Ball at Norse Hall on Saturday night, where spectators line the wood-paneled walls and Alex Krebs plays the accordion-like bandoneon.
Norse Hall, 111 NE 11th Ave., 236-3401, portlandtangofest.com. 10 pm Saturday, Oct. 11. $40 for grand ball.
Oregon Ballet Theatre
Oregon's premier ballet company performs a retrospective
to celebrate 25 years of pirouettes in Portland. The first show of the
season, OBT 25, features George Balanchine's landmark ballet Agon,
last performed by the company 12 years ago. The program also includes
three shorter works that showcase OBT's most influential choreographers:
a duet from Trey McIntyre's Robust American Love; a pas de deux from former artistic director Christopher Stowell's Carmen; and a pas de deux from former artistic director James Canfield's Romeo & Juliet. Finally, a new piece by Nicolo Fonte will be accompanied by live music from Pink Martini.
Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St., 248-4335, obt.org. 7:30 pm
Saturday, Oct. 11; 2 pm Sunday, Oct. 12; and Thursday-Saturday, Oct.
16-18. $27-$144.
Northwest Dance Project
Portland's standout contemporary chamber company's New Now Wow show features three new works from international choreographers. Prague native Jiří Pokorný has a choreographic style that's modern and chilling. Portland choreographer Minh Tran incorporates Vietnamese influences, and Yin Yue brings Chinese traditional folk dance influences to her highly physical piece. Lincoln Hall, Portland State University, 1620 SW Park Ave., 725-3421, nwdanceproject.org. 7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 23-25. $25-$39.
Allie Hankins
In this homage to Vaslav Nijinsky, experimental dancer
Allie Hankins sits topless, smears herself with gold glitter and wraps
herself in red fabric before pacing, leaping and turning across the
floor. She imagines the piece, Like a Sun That Pours Forth Light but Never Warmth,
as a correspondence between herself and the Ballets Russes danseur
noble. Nijinsky was notoriously troubled, prone to rage and catatonic
withdrawal. Hankins attempts to embody his state of mind, obsessive
repetition and sexual deviancy. As her imitation devolves into
disorientation, she creates something new: an unsettled mix of fantasy
and reality. Conduit Dance, 918 SW Yamhill St., 221-5857, risk-reward.org. 8 pm Friday-Sunday, Oct. 24-26. $15-$20.
WWeek 2015