Dance

The Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève began its engagement at the Joyce Theater this past Tuesday night. The Swiss company, making its New York debut with these performances, has had a vibrant international history, passing through diverse phases of classicism, modernism and expressionism to find itself today no longer attached to any particular style.

Palpable hype surrounded the inaugural season of Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, which made its New York debut at City Center this past Wednesday.

Two weeks before the New York premiere of his latest work, choreographer David Neumann is sizing up the stage at Dance Theater Workshop.

While most of us will vouch for the power of a good Swan Lake and its ability to captivate even the most jaded New York City audience, it is always exciting to discover new arrangements of classic ballet vocabulary.

Speakers blast Aerosmith and Guns N’ Roses. Brightly colored lights wash over the audience. Stagehands tune guitars and set up the band’s instruments. This could easily be a rock concert. But no. It’s a tap dance performance.

Alastair Macaulay, the chief dance critic of the New York Times, paid Barnard a visit Monday night, as did a number of the strong voices and important figures of the New York City dance field.

A dance performance anywhere near the date of Sept. 11 is likely to invoke elements of grief, if not wholly immerse itself in unbridled lamentation.