November is always an interesting month for dance. Things quiet down a bit as we head into the holidays: It’s a tricky time for presenters, with audiences traveling and schedules in flux, but that lull gives the performances that are happening, space to really shine. This month, there are 13 dance performances, evenly spaced, with very little overlap, so there’s no excuse to miss out on any of them. I’ll be checking.

The month opens with a grand celebration of Día de los Muertos, as Ballet Folklórico Las Rosas de Oregón brings color, rhythm, and joy to The Reser in an ode to the eternal dance of life and death. From there, things slip into shadow with Eugene Ballet’s world premiere of Dracula, the first full-length work by Eugene Ballet’s Associate Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer Suzanne Haag, which unfolds in a haunting grayscale world punctuated by flashes of blood-red. The production features inventive cross-disciplinary collaborations, from abstract projections and aerial design to custom-crafted fangs by Smiles for Oregon.

The spirit of global artistry continues with Gamelan Çudamani from Bali, which offers both a lecture demonstration and a workshop at Reed College, followed by the Lali Ayguadé Company from Spain, making its Portland debut with RUNA (presented by White Bird), an award-winning duet exploring memory and longing. White Bird has also created numerous ways in addition to the performance to engage with Lali Ayguadé Company while it’s in town, through two dance workshops and a post-show talk back after the Friday performance. What goes into a dance performance is much more than meets the eye, and these extra moments of connections with the company open that up. Details are in the performance listing.

Portland’s own Jordan Isadore presents You Look Good, Bud, a funny and tender solo about family, masculinity, and queer identity, while push/FOLD’s Catalyst project invites four local choreographers to create new works for the company in just 12 hours of rehearsal. And at Performance Works NW, Beyond Gravity celebrates the legacy of the late Jess Curtis through four deeply personal works by artists he mentored, including Portland dance artist Allie Hankins.

Rounding out the month are large-scale productions that blend spectacle and tradition: World Ballet Company’s The Great Gatsby, Grand Kyiv Ballet’s Swan Lake, The Portland Ballet’s The Enchanted Toyshop, Ballet Fantastique’s retroglam Christmas in Toyland, ballet meets technology with We Call it Ballet: A Sleeping Beauty Dance and Light Show, and Troupe Vertigo’s Cirque Nutcracker with the Oregon Symphony. Together, they offer a mix of classic storytelling and holiday sparkle to close the month out with a flourish. Enjoy!

November Dance Performances

Día de los Muertos: Cuentos y Leyendas (Day of the Dead: Tales and Legends)
Presented by Ballet Folklórico Las Rosas de Oregón 
Noon and 5 p.m. November 1
The Reser, 12625 S.W. Crescent Street, Beaverton

Ballet Folklórico Las Rosas de Oregón celebrates Día de los Muertos with a performance that intertwines dance, music, and storytelling to honor the enduring connection between the living and the dead. Drawing from Mexico’s rich folkloric traditions, the company transforms the stage into a space of remembrance and joy. Through rhythm, color, and movement, Las Rosas invites audiences to reflect on the beauty of memory and the resilience of cultural heritage that continues to thrive across generations.

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Dracula (world premiere)
Eugene Ballet, choreographed by Suzanne Haag, Eugene Ballet Associate Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer
November 1-2
Silva Concert Hall, Hult Center for the Performing Arts, Eugene

​​In this world premiere and first full-length ballet by Suzanne Haag, Eugene Ballet’s associate artistic director and resident choreographer, Dracula unfolds in a shadowy grayscale world accented with flashes of blood-red. Abstract projections by Katherine Frizzell shift the landscape between Transylvania and Victorian England, while a soundscape curated by Haag with Music Director Brian McWhorter threads Dracula’s heartbeat through the work. Costumes by Axel Dāzee and Toni Pimble blend Victorian elegance with functional design that conceals harnesses for an aerial rigging system developed with Bounce Gymnastics, allowing “undead” dancers to defy gravity. With custom-crafted fangs from Smiles for Oregon, Haag’s Dracula explores desire, mortality, and transformation through visceral movement and symbolic imagery.

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Inside Bali – Innovation within Tradition Lecture Demonstration
7:30 p.m. November 4
Reed College, Performing Arts Building, 3203 S.E. Woodstock Blvd., Room 128, Portland
November 5: Kecak Workshop with Gamelan Cudamani
Free and open to the public

In this lecture-demonstration, Founding Director I Dewa Putu Berata, Associate Director Emiko Saraswati Susilo, and Choreographer/Dancer/Teacher Dewa Ayu Dewi Larassanti of Çudamani share the vibrant artistic traditions and contemporary creativity of Bali through discussion and performance. The event traces key moments of innovation in Balinese art and examines the deep relationship between spirituality and creativity. It also highlights excerpts from new works by Bali’s emerging generation of female choreographers.

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We Call it Ballet: A Sleeping Beauty Dance and Light Show
Presented by Fever
5:30 p.m. November 9
Alberta Rose Theater, 3000 N.E. Alberta St., Portland

Classical ballet meets technology in this reimagining of the timeless tale of a cursed princess awakened by true love’s kiss. Glow-in-the-dark costumes, dazzling lights, and a kaleidoscope of color transform the stage, illuminating a bold new vision of ballet.

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RUNA
Choreographed by Lali Ayguadé, Presented by White Bird
November 13-15
Lincoln Performance Hall, Portland State University, Portland

Outreach and Community Engagement

• Open-Level Workshop: Participants ages 16+ are invited to explore the journey from groundedness to fluidity through practical exercises and guided improvisation, hosted by Reed College, 10 a.m.-noon Wednesday, November 12.
• Intermediate/Advanced Workshop: Designed for experienced dancers ages 16+, this session delves deeper into Lali Ayguadé’s movement language, focusing on precision, complexity, and emotional nuance. Hosted by Open Space , 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 11.
• Friday Post-Show Talkback: Attendees of the Friday, November 14, performance are invited to join a conversation with the performers immediately following the show.

The Barcelona-based Lali Ayguadé Company makes its Portland debut with RUNA, an award-winning duet choreographed by founder and artistic director Lali Ayguadé, featuring dancer Lisard Tranis. Created in 2022, RUNA follows two lost souls as they navigate themes of memory and longing in an abstract, intimate, and at times chaotic pas de deux.

This duet explores emotional complexity through abstract movement and intimate staging. The performance takes place in a stylized living room, where the two dancers engage in a cyclical physical dialogue revolving around connection and loss. The movement incorporates elements of contact improvisation along with gestures drawn from partner dance forms, such as flamenco and tango, all filtered through contemporary technique.

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You Look Good, Bud
Choreographed and performed by Jordan Isadore
November 14-16
Open Space Creative Container, 8371 N .Interstate Ave., Portland
TV–MA: Contains sexual content and adult language.

Jordan Isadore presents You Look Good, Bud, a layered solo dance-theater work that delves into family, memory, and queer masculinity through movement, text, and video. Blending humor, tenderness, and emotional precision, the piece unfolds through scenes that are both absurd and deeply intimate, asking how we shape our stories — and how they, in turn, shape us. Originally a 20-minute work created at New Expressive Works, this expanded full-length version is supported in part by the Regional Arts & Culture Council and Open Space.

Isadore is a dancer and choreographer from Northern California known for his versatility and expressive range in contemporary dance. He began dancing at age 10 and earned his B.F.A. in Dance from California State University, Long Beach, in 2009. After graduation, he performed internationally with BodyTraffic in Los Angeles and Shen Wei Dance Arts in New York City.

Isadore has collaborated with artists including Christopher Williams, Andrea Miller (Gallim Dance), Sydney Skybetter, and Jennifer Edwards. His choreographic work has been presented at the Museum of Arts & Design, 92nd Street Y, Joe’s Pub, and the American Dance Festival.

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Catalysts
Presented by push/FOLD 
Featuring the works of choreographers Makino Hayashi, Jordan Kriston, Alana Rae, Marina Vianello
7 p.m. November 15
New Expressive Works, 810 S.E. Belmont St., Portland

push/FOLD Artistic Director Samuel Hobbs has commissioned four Portland choreographers to create new works for his company through a concentrated, high-intensity creative process. Inspired by the urgency of creation itself, each choreographer was challenged to craft an original work in just 12 hours of rehearsal — an exploration of instinct, intuition, and trust.

In this one-night-only performance, Portland choreographers Makino Hayashi, Jordan Kriston, Alana Rae, and Marina Vianello premiere their works on push/FOLD dancers Paige Geissler, Alana Rae, Marina Vianello, and Sydney Warren in an intimate evening of premieres.

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The Great Gatsby Ballet
World Ballet Company
7 p.m. November 19
Newmark Theatre, 1111 S..W Broadway, Portland

Immerse yourself in the jazzy world of flappers and champagne with World Ballet Company’s original production of The Great Gatsby. This staging of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel features a multinational cast, hand-crafted costumes, and Art Deco-inspired sets.The creative team includes choreographer Ilya Zhivoy, known for his expressive and dynamic movement; LA-based composer Anna Drubich, whose film and TV work includes the Oscar-winning Navalny documentary, making her ballet debut with a lively Jazz Age score; and costume designer Sonya Vartanyan, whose theatrical designs bring the era to life.

Based in Los Angeles and led by Sasha Gorskaya and Gulya Hartwick, World Ballet Company presents beloved ballets across the U.S., featuring professional dancers from around the world.

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Beyond Gravity in PDX
Allie Hankins and Rachael Dichter; Aiano Nakagawa in collaboration with Ainsley Tharp; Gabriele Christian in collaboration with Styles Alexander
November 20–22
Performance Works NW, 4625 S.E. 67th Ave., Portland

Beyond Gravity honors the legacy of the late choreographer Jess Curtis by featuring three new experimental works by artists he mentored: Aiano Nakagawa & Ainsley Tharp (RAGE ROOM), Gabriele Christian & Styles Alexander (DDF), and Allie Hankins & Rachael Dichter (Chariot). These performances explore change, vulnerability, and the fragile webs we weave with lovers, family, and close friends, moving through intimacy, tension, and the beauty of human connection.

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Swan Lake
Presented by Grand Kyiv Ballet
7 p.m. November 22
Newmark Theater, 1111 S.W. Broadway, Portland

Join ballet dancers from Ukraine, Italy, Spain, Japan, and the USA as they tell the timeless tale of a prince who falls in love with a beautiful swan princess, Odette, who is under a sorcerer’s spell. The ballet is renowned for its stunning choreography, intricate set design, and Tchaikovsky’s captivating music. Its themes of love, sacrifice, and redemption continue to resonate with audiences of all ages and backgrounds, making it a timeless classic that has endured for more than a century.

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The Enchanted Toyshop
Choreographed by John Clifford and performed by The Portland Ballet
1, 4, and 7 p.m., November 29
Portland State University, Lincoln Performance Hall, 1620 S.W. Park Ave., Portland

The story begins when two children are accidentally locked inside a toy shop. As the toys come to life, Pinocchio leads a lively parade that features playing cards, cancan dancers, poodles, French clowns, and Russian nesting dolls. This performance is inspired by Leonide Massine’s La Boutique Fantasque (1919), created for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. John Clifford adapted the story for The Portland Ballet (TPB), keeping the original sets and costumes while streamlining the libretto. Clifford, a protégé of George Balanchine, serves as an artistic advisor for TPB.

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Cirque Nutcracker
Presented by Oregon Symphony and Troupe Vertigo
November 29-30
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 S.W. Broadway, Portland

Troupe Vertigo will join the Oregon Symphony to present a unique blend of circus, dance, and acrobatic art, all set to Tchaikovsky’s beloved holiday masterpiece, The Nutcracker. Experience the incredible talents of Troupe Vertigo’s acrobats, dancers, and contortionists as they defy gravity and soar through the air, accompanied by the beautiful sounds of the Oregon Symphony.

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Christmas in Toyland
Ballet Fantastique
November 29-30
The Hult Center for the Performing Arts, 1 Eugene Center, Eugene

This retro-glam contemporary ballet, set to Duke Ellington’s jazzy rendition of The Nutcracker Suite, loosely weaves together various characters from Mother Goose nursery rhymes into a Christmas-themed dance extravaganza. Choreographed by the mother-daughter artistic team of Donna Marisa and Hannah Bontrager, this reimagining of Babes in Toyland will transport some back to the Technicolor holiday television specials of yore, and will introduce new generations to the wonderfully bizarre, vintage entertainment for the first time.

December Performances

• December 4-13, Pearl Dive Project, BodyVox 
• December 5-7, Not-Cracker, Open Space
• December 5-13, In Good Company, NW Dance Project
• December 5-24, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®, Oregon Ballet Theater
• December 13-21, A Nutcracker Tea, Northwest Dance Theatre 
• December 14-15, The Nutcracker, Sultanov Ballet Academy The Nutcracker
• December 19-24, The Nutcracker, Eugene Ballet
• December 19-January 4, ZooZoo, Imago Theatre