Entertainment

We will weep into the new year over the loss of Bruce Wood Dance Company. Between its start in 1997 and its demise last month, the Fort Worth outfit produced legacy of terrific and consistently beautiful works. But, as is depressingly common in the modern dance world, the company never caught on with more than a handful of financial supporters.

Elsewhere, the usual contenders seem to have a lock on what's worthy; there's little change from year to year who makes the grade. So once again the top-10 belongs to Mr. Wood, TITAS, Texas Ballet Theater, Metropolitan Classical Ballet and SMU.

Room for anyone else? Sticking out a defiant toe, Lacy & Shade (based in Denton) provided a much needed dose of the absurd.

1. Lyon Opera Ballet Three female choreographers brought farce, fantasy and form to a program that showed the company's secure range of styles. Most memorable was Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker's Die Grosse Fuge, meeting Beethoven's contrapuntal composition with daring assurance. Oct. 13 at McFarlin Auditorium, presented by TITAS.

2. Royal Winnipeg Ballet The Magic Flute got a decidedly wacky twist in this ballet version, with a buzz-cut Queen of the Night, a Papageno in orange cargo pants and a TV that served as a modern-day dragon. Mozart made breezy and fun. Feb. 20 at University of North Texas.

Ricky Moon

Texas Ballet Theater rehearses The Sleeping Beauty

3. Garth Fagan Dance A giddy Jubilee, an emotionally powerful Life: Dark/Life, and the textbook exactitude of Prelude were something of a revelation, with channeled energy the common thread of this unusual company. Jan 13 at the Eisemann Center.

4. Lacy & Shade This year's Out of the Loop festival lived up to its title. Emphatically on the quirky side, the company unceremoniously dismantled foibles, misunderstandings and desires and then rearranged them, only to leave the floor littered with puzzle pieces. March 10, presented by Addison's WaterTower Theatre.

5. Bruce Wood Dance Company Whether in his witty Lovett, soulful Cowboy Songs, or his newest paean to his Texas roots, Dust, Texas, Mr. Wood comes to his subject honestly and rekindles a time and space of hope, sorrow and unforgiving sky. April 26 at Bass Hall.

6. Texas Ballet Theater The Sleeping Beauty presented the acid test of classical ballet in its purest form. Texas Ballet took a deep breath – and passed on all counts. Opulent sets never eclipsed graceful and even delicate dancing. Oct. 20 at Bass Hall.

7. Southern Methodist University Meadows Dance Ensemble The Fall Dance Concert brought a departure from the usual emphasis on rarely seen classics. And the company hit a gold mind with the brand new: Alison Chase's Lucid Dreams. Video images create a dramatic landscape for six sensual couples. Nov. 2 at Bob Hope Theatre.

8. Richard Alston Dance Between the pools of light, haunting score and movement that made simples steps an evocative statement, this London based company seems to breathe in music and turn it into a shimmering world. Jan. 27 at McFarlin Auditorium, presented by TITAS.

9. Metropolitan Classical Ballet In "These Magic Things," the rare and witty ballet Les Promenades reminded us of the company's Bolshoi connections, and its ease with embracing fantasy. As modern day dancers warmed up, musicians in powdered wigs from the 18th century appeared in their midst, and the rest was a lark. April 24 at Bass Hall.

10. Texas Ballet Theater For "Stars & Premieres," ballet superstar Carlos Acosta made an all too brief – but brilliant – appearance as the slave in Le Corsaire, with that killer combination of sensuality and impeccable technique. His partner, Zhang Jian of the National Ballet of China, was a marvel of lightness. Feb. 17 at Bass Hall.

The heart pounds a little harder when the Paul Taylor Dance Company steps into view. Lead by one of the most imaginative and versatile choreographers in the world, the group represents an American spirit of vitality, optimism and youth. Even Paul Taylor's dark works always show a redemptive side, and his high-spirited ones are bliss.

Two years ago, the company launched its 50th anniversary celebration with a 50-state tour, and Taylor 2 made a stop at the Eisemann Center. In October 2002, the Eisemann commissioned a new work, Dream Girls , to celebrate the center's opening.

For its Feb. 20 Eisemann return, the program features Troilus and Cressida (reduced, 2006), Banquet of Vultures (2005) and Syzygy (1987).

M.P.