St. Paul City Ballet

Friday-next Sunday: St. Paul City Ballet will leap across the river this weekend for three shows in downtown Minneapolis. The program is one of the most varied of the season, offering a range of classical and contemporary works. "La Vivandierè" is a 19th-century Russian ballet staged by Allison Doughty Marquesen with coaching from Anna-Marie Holmes; in addition, Marquesen (who serves as artistic director for this show) will premiere "A Montana Memoir." Other highlights include the world premiere of Joseph Morrissey's "Poised" (Friday and Saturday only) featuring Yuriko Kajiya and Jared Matthews of American Ballet Theatre and "Bolero," choreographed by Greg Drotar with a hint of Bob Fosse flair. Also on tap is Ted Sothern's "Not an Étude" and Philip Carman's "L'Après-midi d'un Faune" featuring Sage award-winning dancer Andrew Lester (pictured). (8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2 p.m. next Sun. $22-$28. The Cowles Center, 528 Hennepin Av., Mpls. 612-206-3600 or www.thecowlescenter.org.)

Caroline Palmer