There’s a saying that dance is the hidden language of the soul. The spirited offerings next year are inspired by themes of love, culture, live music and visual arts. Female choreographers bring their unique perspectives to concerts by three companies and exciting “sole” productions include performances on tap shoes, pointe shoes and bare feet.
La Jolla Music Society: Compagnie Hervé Koubi ‘Sol Invictus’
Hervé Koubi is a French-Algerian choreographer who blends contemporary, hip-hop, capoeira and martial arts movement into this gravity-defying performance. “Sol Invictus” was inspired by the “invincible sun” deity and it reflects the ways that love and communion serve as humanity’s saving grace, despite our fractured world. Swedish composer Mikael Karlsson, and excerpts by Steve Reich and digital composer Maxime Bodson provide the soundscape. 7:30 p.m. Jan. 30. Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., downtown. $45.10-$111.65. theconrad.org
San Diego Ballet: ‘Perspective’
The San Diego Museum of Art marks its 100th birthday in 2026 and the centennial celebration has San Diego Ballet artistic director Javier Velasco taking inspiration from the visual arts with its vibrant hues and the fluidity of brushstrokes. The theme of this show is “Perspective” or the “illusion of depth.” The dance titled “Maria at the Beach,” for instance, was inspired by the portrait “Maria at La Granja,” one of the museum’s loveliest acquisitions. The show also includes a nostalgic tribute to the series of “Homegrown” albums created in the 1970s by San Diego radio station KGB-FM, featuring music about local neighborhoods. 7 p.m. Feb. 13; 8 p.m. Feb. 14; 2 p.m. Feb. 15. James S. Copley Auditorium, 1450 El Prado, San Diego Museum of Art, Balboa Park. $45-$67. sandiegoballet.org
World Ballet Company will present its touring production of “Swan Lake” in February at two locations in San Diego and Escondido. (World Ballet Company)
World Ballet Company: ‘Swan Lake’
A live orchestra performs the Tchaikovsky score accompanying this two-hour iconic ballet, with its cast of 50 international dancers, including the ballerinas who perform the challenging roles of the Black and White swans. The production is famous for the Black Swan’s iconic 32 fouetté turns, the synchronized ballerinas in white, fluttering tutus and the tragic love story of Prince Siegfried and Odette, who must overcome betrayal and the black magic that turns Odette into a swan during daylight. For ages 5 and older. The touring production will be presented in two location. 7 p.m. Feb. 21 at the San Diego Civic Theatre, 1110 Third Ave., downtown. 6 p.m. Feb. 22. California Center for the Arts, Escondido, 340 N. Escondido Blvd, Escondido. $78-$162. artcenter.org $72-$168. worldballetcompany.com
City Ballet of San Diego will bring back Columbian-Belgian choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s “Ecliptic” for its March dance concert. (Ballet Met)
City Ballet of San Diego: ‘Rhapsody in Blue’
This show promises to be one of the most thrilling of the year with the staging of two audience favorites along with the premiere of Christopher Wheeldon’s neoclassic ballet “The American.” Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s eye-popping “Ecliptic,” with dancers negotiating through large gold hoops, received a standing ovation last year and resident choreographer Geoff Gonzalez’s “Rhapsody in Blue” in 2021 had dancers dressed in cobalt blue, performing to George Gershwin’s charismatic score. It will be presented in two locations. 8 p.m. March 7 and 2 p.m. March 8 at the Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., downtown. Also at 8 p.m. March 11 at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, 340 N. Escondido Blvd, Escondido. $42-$188.80. cityballet.org/performances/rhapsody-in-blue/
San Diego Dance Theater: Resilient Skies II ‘Bridging Waters’
“Bridging Waters” is an evening-length concert that explores our relationship with water as both a source of life and as something we take for granted. It heals, it renews and it can also destroy. The production premieres in San Diego, then travels to Japan as part of a cross-cultural project inspired by Kanako Ikeda Suzuki, a dancer for Mademoiselle Cinema, the Japanese dance company that performed at SDDT’s Live Arts Fest earlier this year. March 13-14. Light Box Theater, 2650 Truxtun Road, #205, Arts District Liberty Station, San Diego. sandiegodancetheater.org
Golden State Ballet: ‘The Four Seasons’
Three distinct choreographic works by modern and traditional dancemakers keep dancers on their toes. The show includes “The Four Seasons” by Princess Grace Award-winning choreographer Houston Thomas, Balanchine’s joyful “Allegro Brillante” and “Thoughtscape” by Natasha Rader, who also works with Ballet Collective San Diego. 7:30 p.m. March 27; 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. March 28; 1 p.m. March 29. Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., downtown. goldenstateballet.org
ArtPower at UCSD will present the all-female tap dance group Syncopated Ladies in April. (Sameer Copper)
ArtPower at UCSD: Syncopated Ladies
It’s all about girl power in this all-female, tap-dance production that portrays the hopes and dreams of the participants with fiery footwork and feminine prowess. The show was conceived by choreographer Chloé Arnold, a protegé of Debbie Allen. The Gilman Parking Structure provides the closest parking. Permits can be purchased at permit machines or through the Parkmobile App. 7:30 p.m. April 9. Epstein Family Amphitheater, 9480 Innovation Lane, La Jolla. $30-$55. artpower.ucsd.edu
Ireland’s Riverdance returns to San Diego in May on a 30th anniversary tour. (Abhann Productions)
Broadway San Diego: ‘Riverdance’
This show is on a special anniversary tour, celebrating 30 years with new choreography, sparkly green costumes and state-of-the-art lighting, projection and motion graphics. The fierce and feet-pounding new cast includes four-time World Champion Irish dancer Keeva Corry and Australia’s competitive Irish dancers and brothers Will and Kieran Bryant, along with Will’s girlfriend, fiddler Haley Richardson. 7:30 May 1; 2 and 7:30 p.m. May 2; 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. May 3. San Diego Civic Theatre, 1110 Third Ave., downtown. $56-$147. broadwaysd.com
Pointeworks III: ‘Nocturnes’
San Diego’s Pointeworks toured New York earlier this year and it returns next year with a show that expresses the different shades of love, from rosy romance to the dark shadows that accompany heartbreak. Works by female choreographers include Jacquelyn Long’s ballet with an original score by Katie Jenkins and accompanied by violinist Joshua Mhoon. There’s a choreographic work by Keerati Jinakunwiphat, the first Asian woman commissioned to create for the New York City Ballet. The concert also includes Andrea Schermoly’s reimagined “Romeo and Juliet,” Dani Rowe’s “Unsaid” and the return of Reyka Gyulai Garcia’s “Transcendence,” which electrified audiences in Season 2, with its acrobatic, yet graceful movement language. 2 and 7:30 p.m. June 13. Baker-Baum Concert Hall, The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla. $35-$165. pointeworks.org