Unlike many cities of comparable size, Pittsburgh enjoys a large and diverse dance scene, from top-level professionals to emerging dancers and choreographers.

The field is led by the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Pittsburgh Dance Council. The ballet presents well-balanced seasons, which include popular romantic-era pieces, such as “Sleeping Beauty” and “The Nutcracker,” as well as modern ballets and premieres. It has more than two dozen dancers on its roster, plus a large pool of advanced students in its affiliated school to draw upon, and an excellent orchestra.

The Dance Council, part of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, is a presenting organization that emphasizes adventuresome and innovative modern dance.

Among the smaller groups, Attack Theatre stands out for its physically exciting style and always-provocative conceptual themes. Corning Works, choreographer Beth Corning's production company, offers emotionally involving dance theater that takes advantage of the maturity of the performers with whom she collaborates. Add others, such as Bodiography and Texture Contemporary Ballet, and the smaller companies, alone, would provide a rich dance season.

In addition, the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty includes a substantial dance presence in its wide-ranging events calendar. It has shown a knack for recognizing and nurturing emerging talent, best exemplified by its early support for choreographer Kyle Abraham, now a significant national figure.

The ballet's season begins in full flight with Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's “The Sleeping Beauty,” which will be performed with orchestra (Oct. 24-26). A story of good triumphing over evil, the ballet follows Princess Aurora, who is saved from death but must sleep until rescued by her true love.

The most popular ballet of all, “The Nutcracker” will be presented with company artistic director Terrance Orr's staging, which places the Christmas Eve action in Pittsburgh (Dec. 5-28).

“Beauty and the Beast” will be the first ballet of 2015, presented with former San Francisco Ballet artistic director Lew Christensen's 1958 staging, (Feb. 6-15).

Three more local premieres, by Jiri Kylian, Mark Morris and Jerome Robbins, will be offered with live orchestra (March 6-8).

The ballet's season concludes with “La Bayadere” (April 17-19), created at the Russian Imperial Ballet by choreographer Marius Petipa and composer Ludwig Minkus. Set in Imperial India, it is the story of a love triangle with unearthly implications for a temple dancer and her lover.

Dance Council's season includes five subscription performances plus two extra events. Aspen/Santa Fe Ballet will open the season (Oct. 11) with three works exploring youth and naivete, physicality and partnering, and an abstracted treatment of love, compassion and the importance of touch.

Dance Council will host the Royal Ballet of Cambodia (Nov. 7), showcasing the graceful, subtle movements and stunning costumes of a tradition that developed over 1,000 years of association with the Khmer court.

The season also includes Ron K. Brown's company, Evidence, performing two of his works (Feb. 7), one to music by Stevie Wonder.

A French-Argentinian group, Union Tanguera (March 28), will make its local debut with a work exploring the wanderings, desires and fears of a sleepless night, to live tango music.

Along with three other dancers, Swedish choreographer and dancer Pontius Lidberg will perform a work that contrasts the fragility of life with the relentless power of nature (April 18).

The season will conclude with a real Dance Council rarity — a story ballet. Scottish Ballet will perform Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's version of Tennessee Williams' “A Streetcar Named Desire” (May 19).

Mark Kanny is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7877 or mkanny@tribweb.com.

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