The Spin

Stop binge-watching Stranger Things on Netflix and get out into the dance community!

XCape Dance Company presents X at 7:30 pm Friday, Oct. 7, at the Hult, featuring Work Dance Company, ZAPP, The Dance Factory, Flex Studios and music by Isaac Turner and Shelby Trotter. “X embodies the freedom of movement, self-expression, dedication, determination and passion exemplified by the Xcape Dance Company in their unique and inspiring shows,” says artistic director Vanessa Fuller. Tickets at hultcenter.org.

Track Town Swing Club hosts its 4th anniversary party that same night, featuring live music at the Vet’s Club Ballroom, with an intro lesson at 7 pm and dance at 8 pm. More at tracktownswing.com.

Lane Arts Council and the city of Eugene present Ballet Folklórico Tlanese 4 pm Sunday, Oct. 9, at Oregon Contemporary Theatre, as part of the month-long Fiesta Cultural. The Salem-based group features 35 dancers, ages 4 to 25, who will present costumed folk dances from different areas of Mexico; $5-$7. 

And The Northwest Screendance Exposition returns Oct. 11, with films from nine countries, at the Bijou Art Cinemas. Last year’s expo played to a sell-out crowd and this year’s bill is even more impressive, featuring a short films program with 19 dance-related works under 10 minutes as well as the new documentary program, featuring Foradar l’instant (“Piercing the Moment”) by Elisabet Prandi and Renewal: A Film about Art and Ecology by Stacey Menchel Kussell

Catch the short films at 3 pm and 7:30 pm, and the documentaries at 5:30 pm. (With only 100 seats available for each of the screenings, advance tickets are advised at bijou-cinemas.com.)

Ballet Fantastique is at it again, bringing its unique, collaborative approach to the classics and encouraging new audiences to check out the art form. The company revives its Pride & Prejudice: A Parisian Jazz Ballet 7:30 pm Oct. 14-15 and 2:30 pm Oct. 16, at the Hult.  

“Jane Austen meets Roaring ’20s Paris, and the whole debacle is narrated through the voice of Parson Collins, as if it’s Jane and Lizzy’s wedding homily,” says Ballet Fantastique rep Emily Rizo. “Get ready for laughs, with guest actor Adam Goldthwaite as Parson Collins, and live ’20s jazz, and new compositions, by the Gerry Rempel Jazz Syndicate.” 

And Eugene Ballet launches its season with Giselle Oct. 28 and 30. (More details in the next SPIN, but get your tickets now.) 

Road trip worthy: The NW Dance Project in Portland presents Bolero+ Oct. 13-15 at Lincoln Performance Hall, with new works from Felix Landerer, Lucas Crandall, and Ihsan Rustem. Also this month, WhiteBird Dance welcomes L.A.’s Diavolo: Architecture in Motion, NYC-based Camille A. Brown & Dancers and Israel’s Inbal Pinto & Avshalom Pollak. (Watch for a review of the latter on the weekly’s blog, later this month.) Further afield, Alan Sutherland brings his dance-theatre meditation Little Brown Mushrooms to Seattle’s On the Boards.

In local studio news, we’ve learned that Ballet North West Academy has closed its doors. 

Reign Dance Company makes it debut at the North Eugene Dance Team Showcase, held at North Eugene High School, at noon Oct. 15. Reign’s performance groups for kids through college-age are accepting dancers. More info at reigndanceco.com.

Dance With US fall dance classes begin Oct. 13, including cross-step waltz and swing. Registration at danceeugene.com.

The West African Cultural Arts Institute fall program gets rolling with dance and drumming classes for kids ages 9-15, and all-levels African dance, throughout the week. Register today by calling WACAI at 541-484-3111.

And it’s not too late to dress up like a zombie and dance: Thrill the World Eugene celebrates its 5th year of bringing the community together as it learns and dances Michael Jackson’s Thriller. “We join thousands of people around the world on the Saturday before Halloween as we simultaneously dance in zombie costume and try to break a world record,” says co-organizer Margo Jennings. Weekly practices take place 6:30 pm Thursdays at Spencer Butte Middle School; info at thrilltheworldeugene.com.