There’s more ballet than any other form of dance, so in the interest of keeping this broken up into readable sections… Well, you get it. I’m going to stop disclaiming now.

Dracula, Royal Winnipeg Ballet – October 7
This Canadian company has received Gold Medals at the International Ballet Festival in Paris. Yes, apparently people can get medals for ballet. As for the Dracula ballet, you know the basic story, but this one is a good choice for the Halloween month, as it includes flying bats, dancing gargoyles, and mysterious transformations. It might be a good introduction to ballet if you know someone who needs to get a little culture.

Joffrey Ballet – November 18
The Joffrey has performed in over 400 U.S. cities and in all 50 states. Their international tours include Afghanistan, Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, Syria, Taiwan and Turkey. I wish I could travel as much as these guys do. They’ve also commissioned choreographers such as Alvin Ailey and Twyla Tharp, so they aren’t always your typical classical style, and have a reputation unlike any other dance company in the world.

The Nutcracker, Richmond Ballet with the Richmond Symphony – December 1-2
I don’t know how crazy they can get when doing The Nutcracker, but the Richmond Ballet generally likes to shake up things from the traditional, dancing in anything from pointe shoes and tutus to sneakers and swim suits. With this classic, though, they stick to the tradition that's been passed down for ages.

Cinderella, Moscow Festival Ballet – January 20-21
One of Russia’s most acclaimed companies, this company has blended leading dancers from across Russia with stars of the Bolshoi and Kirov Ballets. They specialize in full-length ballets like Cinderella, so we’ll have to set the expectations for this one fairly high.