Jérôme Bel/Theater Hora
Nov. 21-23 at Walker Art Center
Conceptual performer and choreographer Jérôme Bel is a provocateur, as evidenced by his three works about the act of creativity in recent years at Walker Art Center. But "Disabled Theater" may present his biggest challenge yet. Created with Switzerland's Theater Hora, a troupe of actors with disabilities, Bel gives us a work that tackles discrimination, identity and preconceived notions about ability — but it's also defined by its joy and lack of pretense. The performers are simply themselves on stage throughout the evening — a stripped down approach that seems to be the thing that has divided audiences in festivals across Europe. Love it or hate it, when Bel's involved it's impossible to have no opinion at all.
8 p.m. Nov. 21-23, $20-$28, Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Av., Mpls., 612-375-7600 or www.walkerart.org.
Also:
Ananya Dance Theatre: Choreographer Ananya Chatterjea's "Mohona: Estuaries of Desire" delves into the issue of water access. In some parts of the world, water is held under private control, rendering it precious and sometimes unattainable. Chatterjea and her fierce dancers challenge such systems of inequity but also celebrate water in its more positive forms as a giver of life and symbol of femininity. Collaborator Mankwe Ndosi will sing and move as Goddess of the Seven Seas.
8 p.m. Sept. 20-21. $17-$27, The O'Shaughnessy at St. Catherine University, 2004 Randolph Av., St. Paul, 651-690-6700 or oshaughnessy.stkate.edu.
Gallim Dance: Dance Magazine has called Andrea Miller a "wild child," and it's a well-deserved description for the New York-based choreographer who is a wily inventor. This fall The O'Shaughnessy and Northrop Dance bring Miller and her Gallim Dance to town for "Blush." If anyone can serve up an hour's worth of interesting material about the act of blushing it's Miller. Endless movement possibilities are sure to abound.
8 p.m. Oct. 12, $18-$31, The O'Shaughnessy at St. Catherine University, 2004 Randolph Av., St. Paul, 651-690-6700 or oshaughnessy.stkate.edu.
Aparna Ramaswamy: Artistic co-director of Ragamala Dance Theatre with her mother, Ranee Ramaswamy, the Sage award-winning Aparna Ramaswamy is a performer who brightens every spotlight she steps into. For one night only this protégé of the renowned Bharatanatyam artist Alarmél Valli will present her "Sannidhi/Sacred Space." Don't miss this opportunity to witness the strength, spirituality, beauty and elegant precision of a hometown heroine who has earned standing ovations and critics' praise around the globe.
7:30 p.m. Oct. 19, $28, Cowles Center, 528 Hennepin Av., Mpls., 612-206-3600 or www.thecowlescenter.org.
Threads Dance Project: Even the strongest among us who have battled cancer directly or indirectly recognize it as a formidable foe. With the world premiere of "Malignant," choreographer Karen L. Charles draws upon the stories of 10 survivors. Local visual artist Bill Jeter and New York-based composer Nioka Workman contribute to the work, the focal point of a program dubbed – appropriately enough – "Only Human."
8 p.m. Oct. 25-26, 2:30 p.m. Oct. 27, $20, LAB Theater, 700 N. 1st St., Mpls., 612-333-7977 or www.thelabtheater.org.
James Sewell Ballet: This local mainstay of contemporary ballet creativity celebrates its 20th anniversary season starting in October. The fall program features a retrospective of favorite repertory works by James Sewell plus a fast-paced collaboration with composer/violinist Todd Reynolds. Also on tap is a work by New York-based choreographer Lar Lubovitch that helps to celebrate Minnesota's recent embrace of marriage equality.
8 p.m. Oct. 25-26, Nov. 1-2, 2 p.m. Oct. 27 & Nov. 3, 11 a.m. Nov. 2, $20-$36, Cowles Center, 528 Hennepin Av., Mpls. 612-206-3600 or www.thecowlescenter.org.
Ballet Preljocaj: Anyone who saw Ballet Preljocaj's "Snow White" last fall knows this company from Aix-en-Provence, France makes a big impression. Now choreographer Angelin Preljocaj returns with "And then, one thousand years of peace," a 2010 work created in collaboration with Moscow's legendary Bolshoi Theatre. Apocalyptic visions from the Book of Revelations are the inspiration for a thought-provoking journey into the essence of our existence.
7:30 p.m. Oct. 30, $45-$70. Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Av., Mpls. 612-624-2345/800-745-3000 or www.northrop.umn.edu.