From Firebird to the Flobots: Four Must-See Dance Shows in Denver

Denver is a dance city: It hosts a classical ballet company, as well as the nation’s second-largest contemporary ballet company, mere miles from one another. Few cities between the coasts boast such an array of repertoires and styles. Upcoming dance performances along the Front Range range from Balanchine to storybook ballets to a hip-hop collaboration with the Flobots.

A Dangerous Liaison
February 10-19
Wonderbound starts its winter season with A Dangerous Liaison,  a collaboration with the Baroque Symphony Orchestra. As always, this contemporary company will push the boundaries of possibility through contemporary choreography set to very old, very traditional music – all in intimate venues, with the orchestra playing on stage alongside the dancers. The show will be performed at various locations; find out more and buy tickets on the Wonderbound website.

Ballet Masterworks
February 17-26
Colorado Ballet‘s Ballet Masterworks will showcase the athletic prowess of the company’s dancers. Stravinsky’s powerful score will come to life in the telling of the old Russian fairytale Firebird; it will be followed by New York City Ballet founder George Balanchine’s legendary Serenade; and the night wraps up with choreographer Jiri Kylián’s Petite Mort, set to Mozart. The Colorado Ballet Symphony Orchestra will play the score to each of these pieces. Tickets are available at Colorado Ballet.

The Little Mermaid
March 31-April 2
Colorado Ballet closes out its 2016-2017 season with an already sold-out world-premiere performance of The Little Mermaid. Set to an original score by composer Michael Moricz with choreography by Lynne Taylor-Corbett, this ballet will feature colorful costumes and storybook narration. For more information, go to Colorado Ballet.

Flobots and Wonderbound
April 14-30
The Flobots will tour the U.S. in 2017, celebrating the release of their new album, No Enemies; the tour will conclude with Divisions, in which the band and Wonderbound will explore “the ever-evolving struggles between personal identity, community, individual freedom and collective power.” Performances will take place at the Pinnacle Charter School, the PACE Center and the Newman Center for the Performing Arts; for more information, go to Wonderbound.

Buy your tickets early. And if you can only chose a couple to splurge on, Westword recommends Wonderbound’s Divisions and Colorado Ballet’s Masterworks. Together, they showcase the variety and power of two phenomenal dance troupes in the Mile High City.