Compagnie Julie Dossavi/Trey McIntyre Project

Austin is well regarded for its artistic diversity, and next week that takes the form of two world-class dance companies, Compagnie Julie Dossavi and Trey McIntyre Project, performing locally at the same time. It is a wonderful opportunity to compare and contrast two choreographers who are highly regarded in the dance world for completely different reasons.

Hailing from France, Dossavi is a powerful performer who has skyrocketed from the Paris underground club scene to the high-art stage. Along the way, she worked with choreographer Philippe Decouflé on the opening ceremony of the 1992 Olympics in Albertville, France; took a turn into high fashion via projects with Jean-Paul Gaultier and Nina Ricci; and performed and led workshops in Morocco, Egypt, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Angola, and Chad.

That strong African presence owes to Dossavi's own West African heritage, which she draws on for her dances, melding movement taken from traditional tribal ceremonies with that of current club culture. Making a rare American appearance, Dossavi will perform her critically acclaimed 2004 work P.I. (Pays) or Présentations Intimes, an hourlong solo driven by a beat-heavy electronic score, live traditional percussion, and the singing of Papa Gédéon Diarra, a griot from Mali with whom Dossavi occasionally dances. Her movement style is frequently described as mesmerizing because, as the Los Angeles Times' Sara Wolf put it, Dossavi "not only moves with fluidity but also carves out gestures with surgical precision."

Dance Umbrella will present two performances of P.I. (Pays) or Présentations Intimes in the Long Center's Rollins Studio Theatre. Experiencing a performer as riveting as Dossavi in such an intimate setting instead of a large concert hall is a real treat and should not be missed.

At the other end of the dance spectrum is former Houston Ballet dancemaker Trey McIntyre, who will make his Austin debut next Wednesday at Bass Concert Hall. McIntyre has a gift for contemporizing the classical idiom of ballet. As a master of craft, McIntyre is a highly regarded choreographer with several impressive commissions under his belt, including American Ballet Theatre, Stuttgart Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and New York City Ballet. He is revered for his musicality and youthful approach to a dance form that is beginning to show its age. Similar to a Mark Morris or Donald Byrd, McIntyre is a smart choreographer who is fully aware of the audience's point of view and creates intricate dances with a full company of crossover technical dancers.

He has recently established his own company, Trey McIntyre Project, and returns to Texas to present his contemporary balletic fusion. The Bass program will include "(serious)," with music by Henry Cowell; "Like a Samba," with music by Astrud Gilberto; and "The Sun Road," McIntyre's ambitious new multimedia ballet about the effects of global warming, which features magnificent HD video footage of the company dancing in Glacier National Park. The giant projected images will intertwine with the ballet onstage to interpret the park's environmental plight and celebrate its grandeur.

With so few contemporary touring companies making their way to Austin this fall, these performances are especially noteworthy. Go see both, and let the discussion ensue.

---

Compagnie Julie Dossavi will perform Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 10-11, 8pm, in the Rollins Studio Theatre at the Long Center for the Performing Arts, 701 W. Riverside. For more information, call 450-0456 or visit www.danceumbrella.com.

---

Trey McIntyre Project will perform Wednesday, Nov. 11, 8pm, in Bass Concert Hall, East 23rd & Robert Dedman Drive. For more information, call 471-2787 or visit www.texasperformingarts.org.