From the classroom to the stage, Rochester’s fall dance season puts students, teachers and storytellers in the spotlight. Academic faculty including University of Rochester’s Missy Pfohl Smith and Anne Wilcox, are presenting original work, while students take the stage alongside professionals a t Rochester City Ballet and Roc City Circus. Add in Rochester staples like Garth Fagan Dance and the adventurous RocHaha Clown Festival, and the next few months offer plenty to explore — from classical ballet and modern dance to experimental evenings of movement and circus theater. BIODANCE celebrates its 20th anniversary by mixing past and present at the ESL Rochester Fringe Festival. Former company members and collaborators reunite to perform repertory work from BIODANCE’s impressive tenure. Centered around environmental impact and topics that affect society and culture, the group’s work is exploratory and grounded in modern technique. The multidisciplinary show will feature choreography by artistic director Missy Pfohl Smith and guest choreographers with media by W. Michelle Harris, a longtime BIODANCE collaborator and Rochester Institute of Technology faculty member. Performances are at 8 p.m. September 16 and 24 at the School of the Arts: Allen Main Stage. University of Rochester faculty member Anne Harris Wilcox directs the multi-disciplinary performance “Invisible No More” at Mount Hope Cemetery. Performers include local professional dancers and musicians alongside a brass quintet of Eastman School of Music students. Inspired by Mount Hope Cemetery and DePaul Mental Health’s dedication to mental health support for Rochester communities, Wilcox brings together dance, music, poetry and historical and communal reflection. The ceremony is dedicated to people from Rochester’s past asylums and penitentiaries who were discovered buried in Highland Park in 1984. “Invisible No More” honors those individuals, who were later re-buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, while bringing awareness to the community’s critical need for accessible mental health support. Free and open to the public, 2 p.m. September 19 at Mount Hope Cemetery. Garth Fagan Dance will perform at the Smith Opera House in September as part of Geneva Concerts’ 80th anniversary season, celebrating the organization’s decades providing arts education opportunities and exceptional performances to the Finger Lakes region. With repertory by Garth Fagan alongside new works by Bessie Award winners Norwood “PJ” Pennewell and Natalie Rogers-Cropper, the evening will offer audiences a full demonstration of Garth Fagan Dance. The company has continued to expand its legacy in recent years, integrating new dancers and choreographers alongside the work of its founder. Garth Fagan Dance kicks off its 2026-27 season at 7:30 p.m. September 26 at Smith Opera House. University of Rochester’s annual fall dance showcase, “Out of the Box, In the Box,” brings together student and faculty works. With an ever-growing dance program and accomplished faculty, URochester has become increasingly embedded in the Rochester dance scene. Students exploring the intersections of dance and science frequently take the stage with fresh approaches to traditional modern dance, while faculty members continue creating work that reaches beyond campus. This year, “Out of the Box, In the Box” will use the recently built Sloan Performing Arts Center in a new format, with seating on all four sides of the stage. From October 29-31, audiences can experience a new perspective on the University of Rochester’s dance program. Roc City Circus keeps spooky season going into November with “The Post Mortem Show: Facility No.4.” The immersive horror circus will make audiences gasp in horror and in awe. Performed by advanced students and instructors, the story follows creepy experimentations, a disturbing outbreak of infections, and what happens when perspectives are flipped upside down. Audiences should prepare to be engulfed in a world of horror, with aerial hoop, silks, and dance trapeze adding to the spectacle. “The Post Mortem Show” runs November 13-14 for ages 18+ at Roc City Circus. Storytelling ballet takes center stage in Rochester City Ballet’s fall performances of “The Tales of Dr. Seuss” at Fringe and “The Nutcracker” at Kodak Hall. Dancers will use classical ballet with a whimsical twist to tell the tales of “The Sneetches” and “Green Eggs and Ham.” A mix of new and returning choreography, the bill features a unique combination of American Sign Language and neoclassical ballet. Closer to the holidays, “The Nutcracker,” performed alongside the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, returns to Kodak Hall. With magical worlds of sweets and dancing mice, the classic tale will be performed by company dancers and students from the recently established School of Rochester City Ballet. From Seuss to Tchaikovsky, audiences of all ages can look forward to imaginative stories that spark curiosity and wonder. “The Tales of Dr. Seuss” performances are September 19-20 at the School of the Arts; “The Nutcracker” runs November 25-29 at Kodak Hall. Sydney Burrows is a Rochester-based dancer and writer focused on amplifying the stories of talented artists across the region. The post The 2026-27 season goes back to the barre appeared first on CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.. ...read more read less