Image after glorious image unfolds in the evening-length Kagemi – Beyond the Metaphors of Mirrors, which once again reveals the profoundly artful hand of Ushio Amagatsu whose company last performed here in 1996. For him “butoh is a dialogue with gravity.” 

The Paris-based ensemble of seven men – heads shaven and bodies painted white from top to toe – make “each movement a work of art,” opines Aftonbladet of Sweden. Kagemi’s seven scenes – constructed with sand and water, ash and blood, life and death – begin with a forest of lotus flowers floating over the stage.  At the heart of this production’s mesmerizing spectacle lies a desire to glimpse meaning and beauty, the “Kage” of Kagemi being shadow and the “mi,” seeing and being seen.

The tap dance phenomenon who made his Broadway debut at age 12, was a regular on “ Sesame Street ” for five seasons, and won a 1996 Tony for the smash hit Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk takes center stage in Classical Savion.  It’s a dynamo of a show, the percussive-footed superstar Savion Glover going solo to groove, challenge, and answer 10 classical string musicians and a 4-piece jazz band. His virtuosic vigor connects with a live musical palette ranging from Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” and Bartok’s “Roumanian Dances” to a jazzed rendition of “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” Elegant jazz club lighting illumines this spontaneous journey for eye and ear.

In the two decades since former New York City Ballet superstar Edward Villella founded Miami City Ballet, this vibrant, now internationally-lauded company has realized one wonderful happening after another. Now, its 21st year brings one of the largest, most opulent productions ever: Don Quixote. Miguel de Cervantes’ beloved tale of the man from La Mancha , which has endeared generations for 400 years, arrives to dazzle. Bustling with comedy, fantasy, and robust Spanish atmosphere to delight all ages, this Don Quixote in three acts is based on the original by Marius Petipa. It’s realized with sensational sets and costumes, music composed by Ludwig Minkus, and nearly 50 dancers. 

Direct from the Republic of Guinea on Africa’s west coast, 35 cultural ambassadors weave a cultural mosaic with an inimitable blend of traditional dance, acrobatics, storytelling, singing, and music played on indigenous drums, woodblocks, flutes, rattles, and string instruments. The fast-paced productions pop with inexhaustible athleticism, exotic costumes, and palpable charisma. In its first Northrop appearance in more than three decades, Africa’s most accomplished touring troupe performs its latest exhilarating production, Mandinka Memories (partial nudity). This jubilant revue authentically reflects the heritage of people traced by Alex Haley in Roots.

Magnificent dancers and a vast repertoire of time-honored classics – these are the hallmarks of America ’s national ballet company, a living national treasure. For 65 years this illustrious powerhouse has been the one by which the world benchmarks artistic excellence. Its galaxy of stars with a distinct flair for dramatic intensity will present Kurt Jooss’s poignant antiwar ballet The Green Table, which has electrified audiences ever since its 1932 creation. ABT’s first Northrop appearance in a decade also bodes the imaginative patterns of Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes choreographed by Mark Morris to Virgil Thomson’s  “Etudes for Piano” performed live in this engagement.

Russian choreographer Boris Eifman renders a new, indelible ballet experience: Anna Karenina based on Leo Tolstoy’s monumental 19th century novel and set to music by Tchaikovsky. Starting from the premise that “love stories are eternal stories,” Eifman penetrates the hearts and minds of characters in the adulterous triangle central to this literary work. Fiery passion ensues, and philosophical ideas ignite. The full-length production is taut, swift-moving entertainment with vivid expressionist dance and cinematic fluidity. There’s even a full-stage masked ball in this potent and worthy sequel to The Red Giselle and The Russian Hamlet, danced previously at Northrop by the company of nearly 50 dramatically-charged dancers.