Northrop announces 2016-17 dance season in Minneapolis

Northrop, at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, has announced a 2016-17 dance season that features 11 renowned dance companies and three performances with live music.

Grupo Corpo opens the season Oct. 1 with "Parabelo" and "Danca Sinfonica," an homage to the Brazilian group's 40-year repertoire.

The Royal Winnipeg Ballet returns on Oct. 20, presenting its full-length "Dracula." A live orchestra will provide the music of Gustav Mahler for the adaptation of Bram Stoker's Gothic tale.

A newcomer makes her Twin Cities debut on Nov. 12. Choreographer Aszure Barton has drawn praise from Mikhail Baryshnikov as "one of the most innovative choreographers of this generation."

Batsheva Dance Company returns to Northrop on Jan. 24 in a program co-presented with the Walker Art Center. "Decadence 2017" is a retrospective of the long tenure of artistic director Ohad Naharin.

Merce Cunningham, a revolutionary figure in American modern dance, will be the subject of a Walker exhibition in 2017, and Northrop will present two of his works, "Sounddance" and "Fabrications," performed by CCN-Ballet de Lorraine on Feb. 16.

Bereishit Dance Company, based in Seoul, South Korea, makes its Northrop debut Feb. 28. The company mixes traditional Korean dance with break dancing.

In a Minneapolis debut, Malandain Ballet Biarritz will perform the classic "La Belle et la Bete" ("Beauty and the Beast") on March 25. The French company uses a score taken from Tchaikovsky's symphonies.

Scottish Ballet returns April 8 with Matthew Bourne's "Highland Fling."

Brian Brooks and his company make a Northrop debut April 22, with minimalist style. The performance will feature University of Minnesota dance students.

St. Petersburg's Eifman Ballet closes the season May 17 with the cinematic ballet "Red Giselle," first seen at Northrop in 2000. The score combines Tchaikovsky and Bizet.

For more information, call 612-624-2345 or go to northrop.umn.edu.