New York Notebook

Sleek & Slippery

A tiny ballet company, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet has audaciously thrown its lot in with contemporary ballet. With only 10 dancers, there’ll be no Swan Lake for them. They return to the Joyce with their typical programming: three NY premieres by current, edgy dancemakers. They bring Spanish choreographer Cayetano Soto’s Uneven, which is about his own restlessness; Jorma Elo’s Red Sweet; and Kylián’s aborigine-inspired piece, Stamping Ground.  Feb. 22–27. See www.joyce.org. —Wendy Perron

Valentine Option

This month, ditch the roses and instead take your sweetheart to see Buglisi Dance Theatre in Letters of Love on Ripped Paper. Bursting with sensuous, passionate partnering, this world premiere is Jacqulyn Buglisi’s ode to historical couples’ words of love, including Pliny and Calpurnia, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Martha Graham’s influence is evident in the dramatic, over-the-top theatricality of Buglisi’s choreography. And it certainly doesn’t hurt to feature Graham legend Terese Capucilli, former ABT star Martine Van Hamel, and Rika Okamoto of Come Fly Away. Feb. 15–20 at the Joyce Theater. See www.buglisidance.org.  —Emily Macel Theys

A Tailored Occasion

Paul Taylor Dance Company takes the City Center stage from Feb. 22–March 6 with 15 dances, an annual feat accomplished by no other modern company. The 80-year-old Taylor has created a pair of new works: Phantasmagoria, inspired by Renaissance characters and inventiveness; and Three Dubious Memories, sketching a love triangle from three points of view. They’re performed alongside repertory favorites, including Speaking in Tongues, Orbs, Cloven Kingdom, Dust, and  (including special Depression Era–priced tickets). Get a glimpse of the blossoming talent in the company, as well as Taylor’s breadth and genius. See www.nycitycenter.org. —Susan Yung

Sam Chittenden and Katie Dehler in
Uneven. Photo by Rosalie O’Connor, courtesy ASFB