Our guide to dance performances.
ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER at New York City Center (through Dec. 31). The Ailey company, under the artistic direction of Robert Battle, continues at City Center with encore presentations of Jawole Willa Jo Zollar’s “Shelter,” Gustavo Ramírez Sansano’s “Victoria,” Twyla Tharp’s “The Golden Section” and many others — including works by Ailey himself. But the excellent dancers are the main draw, from veterans including the husband-and-wife team of Linda Celeste Sims and Glenn Allen Sims, to more recent additions, like Ashley Mayeux and Chalvar Monteiro.
212-581-1212, nycitycenter.org
DORRANCE DANCE at the Joyce Theater (Dec. 19-31). The MacArthur Award-winning tap dancer Michelle Dorrance and her company, Dorrance Dance, offers a good reason to escape the holiday mayhem: two exuberant works. In the premiere of “Until the Real Thing Comes Along (a letter to ourselves),” Ms. Dorrance shares the stage with three guest artists, Jillian Meyers, Melinda Sullivan and Josette Wiggan-Freund, in a display of their different styles. (Dec. 28-31, Hannah Heller fills in for Ms. Meyers.) Also on the program is “Myelination,” Ms. Dorrance’s dance for 12 featuring music by Gregory Richardson and Donovan Dorrance (the choreographer’s brother) and the vocalist Aaron Marcellus.
212-242-0800, joyce.org
HOLIDAY SYNCHRO SHOW at Manhattan Plaza Health Club (Dec. 16, 5:30 p.m.). If you’re on the lookout for a “Nutcracker” alternative that still packs a solid holiday punch, this annual showcase of synchronized swimming, directed by Ann Weissman, is a sparkling choice. Manhattan Plaza WaterWorks, the resident synchronized swim team of Manhattan Plaza Health Club — as well as a championship team that competes nationally — presents routines that meld artistry with athleticism. It’s sweet. And snacks are included.
212-563-7001, waterworksmphc.com
LAVA at the Flea Theater (Dec 15-16, 7 p.m.; Dec 17, 5 p.m.) The Brooklyn acrobatic dance company extends its run of “A Goddessey,” in which the performers tell a feminist survival story. The heroine in this production, conceived and directed by Sarah East Johnson, is not one character but a group of diverse women who fight their way from a bleak landscape of patriarchal dominance into what press notes call “a rainbow-colored feminist future.” Expect humor in this playful mix of contemporary dance and acrobatics.
866-811-4111, lavabrooklyn.org
NEW YORK CITY BALLET at the David H. Koch Theater (through Dec. 31). “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” continues performances throughout the month. It never disappoints, from its onstage snowstorm to the one-ton Christmas tree that grows from 12 to 40 feet. Over the next week, several dancers get a shot at the Sugar Plum Fairy — Sara Mearns and Lauren Lovette among them — but there is a Cavalier debut, too: At the Dec. 16 matinee, Sean Suozzi steps into the role. And the delightful Indiana Woodward dances her first Dewdrop at the Dec. 20 matinee.
212-496-0600, nycballet.com
THE STATE BALLET THEATER OF RUSSIA at Leon M. Goldstein Performing Arts Center, Kingsborough Community College (Dec. 17, 3 p.m.). The On Stage at Kingsborough continues its fall season with this full-length ballet version of “The Nutcracker.” Originally formed by the Bolshoi ballerina Maya Plisetskaya, the company is now led by Nikolay Anokhin. The choreography, showcasing 40 dancers, is credited to Marius Petipa and Vasily Vainonen.
718-368-5596, onstageatkingsborough.org