Katie O'Connor

With a perfect combination of old favorites and brand new works, “The Christmas Ballet” is a delightful holiday tradition to come back to year after year.

Each dancer drew from her own childhood memories of play, self-doubt, friendship and empowerment, giving the dances an air of genuine vulnerability.

Since 2007, contemporary dance company RAWdance has hosted its “Concept series” which gives an unconventional look at the choreographic process.

Part of Brown’s mission is to elevate the history of social dance, which is woefully too often ignored in dance education.

In Joffrey’s performance at Zellerbach Hall this past weekend, the strongest pieces were those that put some sort of narrative or idea within the audience’s ready grasp.

Now in its fourth year, FLACC, the Festival of Latin American Contemporary Choreographers, offers a space for Latinx and indigenous choreographers to explore a range of creative and political interests on stage.

In 2015, Cal Performances launched “Berkeley RADICAL (Research And Development Initiative in Creativity, Arts and Learning)” which aims “to cultivate the artistic literacy of future audiences and to connect the world's most innovative artists with the intellectual capital of the UC Berkeley campus,” according to their mission statement.

Throughout the past 30 years, AXIS has earned its place as a pillar of physically integrated contemporary dance in the Bay Area and across the world.