Fall dance: Philadanco kicks off 50th anniversary celebration, with Leslie Odom Jr. back home to sing

Philadanco has been leading up to its 50th anniversary for several years, with programs looking at its history, choreographers with roots in the company, audience favorites, etc. But it’s finally getting the party started in October, with the kickoff to the anniversary celebration. Former company dancers will perform, and Hamilton Tony winner Leslie Odom Jr. will sing. For the occasion, it’s upgraded to a larger theater (the Merriam instead of the Perelman).

The season also includes numerous world premieres: three at Pennsylvania Ballet, two at BalletX. And Brian Sanders’ JUNK is presenting its most ambitious program yet, a five-part choose-your-own adventure, including an escape room and a maze.

Trisha Brown Dance Company (Sept. 24-29, various outdoor locations). The company will perform In Motion, In Place, a trio of Brown works meant to give new perspective to your environment. The works are Roof Piece, Sept. 24-25 at Logan Circle; Foray Forêt, Sept. 28-29 at Mount Pleasant Mansion; and Raft Piece, Sept. 28-29, at the Discovery Center. Tickets are free but must be reserved. (myphillypark.org/trisha-brown)

Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal (Sept. 26-28, Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts). This Canadian troupe is bringing Dance Me/Music of Leonard Cohen, an homage to the songwriting great. The program features three choreographers: Annabelle Lopez Ochoa (who choreographed this summer’s hit The Little Prince for BalletX), Andonis Foniadakis, and Ihsan Rustem. (215-898-3900, AnnenbergCenter.org)

Brian Sanders’ JUNK (Oct. 3-Nov. 3, JUNK, 2040 Christian St.). Sanders’ new Halloween work, 2nd Sanctuary, is his most ambitious yet, a five-part choose-your-own-adventure. There’s a maze, an escape room, a virtual-reality experience, and of course plenty of dance and humor. Tickets are sold separately for each segment. (267-406-6080, briansandersjunk.com)

Philadanco (Oct. 5-6, Merriam Theater). This program, called Genesis, is the kickoff to Philadanco’s 50th in 2020. It will feature three choreographers’ works who have worked with the company in the past 50 years and whose pieces audiences frequently requested: Christopher Huggins’ Enemy Behind the Gate; Milton Myers’ tribute to Aretha Franklin, Love and Pain; and Ron K. Brown’s Exotica. Former Philadanco dancers will appear. Leslie Odom Jr. will sing. He was the original Aaron Burr in Broadway’s Hamilton, and he studied at Philadanco’s Philadelphia School of Dance Arts. (215-893-1999, www.kimmelcenter.org)

Don Quixote (Oct. 10-20, Academy of Music). Pennsylvania Ballet opens its 2019-20 season with Don Quixote, an audience favorite and the first in a series of full-length ballets reimagined by Ángel Corella in 2016. (215-893-1999, paballet.org)

Stars of American Ballet (Oct. 18-19, Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts). New York City Ballet principal dancer Daniel Ulbricht is bringing his touring troupe to Philadelphia for the first time. The cast includes Ulbricht and fellow City Ballet dancers Teresa Reichlen, Ask la Cour, Sterling Hyltin and Adrian Danchig-Waring dancing a program of works by George Balanchine, Christopher Wheeldon, Alexei Ratmansky, and others. (215-898-3900, AnnenbergCenter.org)

Pennsylvania Ballet (Nov. 7-10, Merriam Theater). Pennsylvania Ballet’s mid-autumn program is one of world premieres. This time it will be three pieces by a trio of up-and-coming choreographers: American Garrett Smith, Brazilian Juliano Nuñes, and Chinese choreographer Yin Yue. (215-893-1999, paballet.org)

Come Together Dance Festival (Nov. 20-24, Suzanne Roberts Theatre). Koresh Dance Company holds an annual fete featuring the work of fellow Philadelphia artists. This year’s list includes Koresh, Pennsylvania Ballet, Brian Sanders’ JUNK, Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers. (215-985-0420, koreshdance.org)

BalletX (Dec. 4-15, Wilma Theater). Philadelphia’s contemporary ballet company specializes in commissioning world premieres, and its December program will feature two new works. One will be by company co-founder Matthew Neenan, who has become a brand-name choreographer. The second will be by Jo Strømgren, who has his own company, is associate choreographer for the Norwegian National Ballet, and a presenter at several Philadelphia Fringe Festivals. Neenan is planning to focus on the holiday season, with a piece inspired by Shaun Tan’s children’s book The Red Tree. Strømgren’s will be about outer space, astronauts, and the mysteries of the universe. (215-893-9456, www.balletx.org)