Two stellar dance companies raise the barre for fans in Tampa Bay today.
Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company presents Another Evening: Serenade/The Proposition at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. Jones is a recognized leader (and MacArthur Foundation "genius" grantee) in the creation of dance that addresses, through movement and text, complex social issues. Serenade/The Proposition is no exception; it explores the legacy of Abraham Lincoln's presidency "as a rumination on the nature of history," using historic text (including Lincoln's own words), video, a pastiche of contemporary and folk music and, of course, dance. Wed., Feb. 18, 8 p.m. Ferguson Hall-TBPAC, 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa, $29.50-$49.50, 813-229-7827, tbpac.org.
Another Wednesday night dance program is presented by Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble at Ruth Eckerd Hall. The longstanding Denver company offers works inspired by the African-American experience and rooted in black dance traditions; the current show includes Alvin Ailey's Escapades and a National Endowment for the Arts grant-sponsored staging of Ragtime by the pioneering black dancer/choreographer Katherine Dunham. Wed., Feb. 18, 8 p.m. 1111 McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater, $25-$40, 727-791-7400, rutheckerdhall.com.
