Fall arts 2026: Here are 7 Bay Area productions dance fans should know about

It’s a felicitous coincidence that the dance world pivots on the two seasons with action-verb monikers, fall and spring.

The former is accompanied by swarms of students returning to classrooms and campuses, with the dance world snapping to attention in September. Chronologically we’ve still got several weeks of summer left, but the advent of autumn semester plunges us into the world of movement and music.

It’s time to fall into dance, and dance into fall.

Here’s a look at some of the dance productions headed to Bay Area stages.

A Smooch From Smuin: Thriving under the artistic direction of choreographer Amy Seiwert, Smuin Contemporary Ballet presents French Kiss, a three-work program that includes the world premiere of “I-SCRIT-AH-SCREE-TAH-SKRATT” by Boson-based dancemaker My’Kal Stromile, who describes the piece as “a cognitive map” of his “thinking in motion.” Set to a score inspired by J.S. Bach, the work marks Stromile’s Bay Area debut, following a string of high-profile commissions from the likes of Ailey II, Paris Opera Ballet and Vail Dance Festival.

Also on the program, Seiwart reprises her own “French Kiss,” a sleek and playful dialogue with Pink Martini’s arrangements of 1960s French pop songs. Michael Smuin’s solemn, spiritually charged “Stabat Mater,” his response to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, rounds out the program. French Kiss runs Sept. 11-Oct. 18, with performances in Mountain View (Sept. 11-13), Walnut Creek (Sept. 18-19) and San Francisco (Oct. 9–18).

Details: For tickets ($25-$100) or more information, visit smuinballet.org.

The Importance of Being Wheeldon: Returning to Berkeley for the first time in more than a decade, the Australian Ballet presents the North American premiere of Christopher Wheeldon’s “Oscar.” Featuring a sweeping score by prolific British composer Joby Talbot performed by the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, the multimedia production is inspired by the life and work of Irish writer Oscar Wilde, exploring themes of sacrifice, romance, oppression and hypocrisy.

Details: Sept. 25-27, Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley; $55-$235; calperformances.org.

New Ballet from New Ballet: In an annual October tradition, New Ballet dancers preview the 2026/2027 season as part of First Fridays. Introduced by Dalia Rawson, New Ballet’s founding director, the program features excerpts from “Sleeping Beauty” and “The San Jose Nutcracker” as well as new works-in-progress for Fast Forward, the company’s dance-making laboratory festival focusing on new work (March 19-20, 2027). The 10th anniversary season gets kicking with the Halloween Gala Oct. 17 at the Hammer Theatre Center.

Details: Oct. 2, San Jose Museum of Art; free; sjmusart.org, newballet.com.

Six Decades of Spanish Soul: Theatre Flamenco of San Francisco, the Bay Area’s second oldest dance company, celebrates its 60th anniversary with “De Ayer a Hoy /From Yesterday to Today,” which reimagines six past works and premieres three new collaborations. Artistic Director Carola Zertuche has assembled a stellar cast of creators, including Malaga-born dancer and choreographer Adrián Santana, San Francisco-reared dancer and choreographer Cristina Hall, a longtime resident of Seville, and dancer and choreographer Nevarez Encinias, the scion of a flamenco dynasty in Albuquerque. With Malaga vocalist Amparo Heredia, Seville vocalist and pianist Diego Amador Jr., guitarist Jesse Torre, and Theatre Flamenco’s stellar dancers, Zertuche honors the company’s history while continuing to explore new ideas.

Details: Oct. 17, Herbst Theatre, San Francisco; $50-$309; www.theatreflamenco.org.

A Death Before “The Odyssey”: Under the direction of sisters and company co-founders Megan and Shannon Kurashige the contemporary dance theater troupe Sharp & Fine presents the evening-length production “Iphigenia.” Based on the tragedy by Euripides, the piece features kinetic choreography for six performers, dialogue that focuses on the titular character’s thoughts, and an onstage sextet led by percussionist Jordan Glenn, who returns for his fifth collaboration with the company.

Details: Oct. 23-25, Z Space, San Francisco; $25 – $45; sharpandfine.org.

Dance For the Dead: Since premiering at the Paramount in 2016, Oakland Ballet’s “Luna Mexicana” has become of the region’s signature Día de Muertos celebrations. Created by OB’s Graham Lustig, the lavish production centers on a girl’s dream encounters with departed loved ones, and features leading local folkloric Mexican dance troupes and mariachis alongside the company’s impressive cast of dancers.

Details: Oct. 31-Nov. 1, Paramount Theatre; $33.55-$85.15; oaklandballet.org.

Dynamic Duo From A to B: Edmonton-raised choreographer Aszure Barton has become a global force, known particularly in the Bay Area for her San Francisco Ballet hit “Mere Mortals.” She teams up with a hometown hero, Oakland-reared composer Ambrose Akinmusire, who performs his score on trumpet and electronics on stage for their collaboration “A a | a B : B E N D.” Combining rigorous structure and improvisation, the piece brings dancers and musicians together to generate tension, friction and glimpses of the sublime.

Details: Dec. 4-5, Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley; $40-$115; calperformances.org.