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A little spring in their step – Metro US

A little spring in their step

Dance productions are all about variety this season, from funky moves to dramatic expressions of how the Irish Potato Famine might have been choreographed.

MARCH

Philadenco
March 11 through 13
Institute of Contemporary Art
100 Northern Ave., Boston
$40, 617-876-4275
www.worldmusic.org
This dance troupe — which blends African American forms with ballet, jazz and modern — will perform a piece entitled “By the Way of the Funk,” set to a funk soundtrack largely com-posed of Parliament-Funkadelic tunes. It will be both artsy and funky. That’s a combo almost as good as peanut butter and chocolate — almost.

‘Ghosts of the White Ship: The Irish Famine’
March 17
Multicultural Arts Center
41 Second St., Cambridge
$20-25, 617-577-1400
www.cmausa.org
This St. Patrick’s Day presentation is a dance interpretation of the Irish Potato Famine. It’s a condensed edition of the original work, so this is much more friendly to the Twitter attention spans of modern life. Modern life is something you’ll be glad to be part of after this mediation on human suffering.

‘Bellyqueen: Journeys Along the Silk Road’
March 18
Regent Theatre
7 Medford St., Arlington
$20, 781-646-4849
www.regenttheatre.com
Forget all your fantasies about harems and greedy sultans — this is the modern, liberated woman’s belly dance ensemble.

APRIL

BeijingDance/LDTX
April 1 and 2
Tsai Performing Arts Center
685 Comm. Ave., Boston
$52-42, 617-482-6661
www.celebrityseries.org
This troupe is China’s first dance company independent of the government, which shows in their internationally embracing style. It’s hard to appreciate here what a big deal this government independence is in terms of creative freedom — but let’s not forget that the Chinese government won’t let you find Tank Man on Google Images.

‘Spirit: Native Music and Dance from Hawaii and the Mainland’
April 2
Springstep
98 George P. Hassel Drive, Medford
$20, 781-395-0402
www.springstep.org
This show is a presentation of native Hawaiian dance called, “Hawaiian Kumu Kawika Alfiche and Hula ensemble Halau ‘o Keikiali’I” The synopsis says it “honors the deep relationship between New England and Hawaii.” What’s the nature of that relationship? That here we all wish, around this time of year, that we were there?

Dance Brazil
April 8
Blackman Auditorium, Ell Hall, Northeastern Univ.
360 Huntington Ave., Boston
$20, 617-373-4700
www.centerforthearts.neu.edu
Dance Brazil is a troupe presenting traditional Brazilian styles, including the martial arts-dance fusion known as Capoiera, which is hip right now.

MAY

Balanchine/Robbins
May 12 through 22
The Opera House
539 Washington St., Boston
$25-132, 617-695-6955
www.bostonballet.org
George Balanchine was a Soviet defector who went on to run the New York City Ballet, and Robbins was an American whose work in musicals included “The King and I” and “Fiddler on the Roof.” Tension between populist sensibilities and fine arts sensibilities seems inevitable in the Boston Ballet’s juxtaposition of the two giants.