On stage: the week in dance

Beauty Usually Fails, by Frédérick Gravel. L-R: Kimberley de Jong, Brianna Lombardo, Frédéric Tavernini, Stéphan Boucher, Jamie Wright, Francis Ducharme, Frédérick Gravel.
Photo by Denis Farley.

Fans of choreographer Frédérick Gravel, also a musician and lighting designer, will be happy to know he’s presenting the world premiere of his new group work, Usually Beauty Fails. With themes of beauty, falling in love and the snags of human relations, Gravel blends up a music and dance smoothie in his special Gravelesque way to create a choreographic concert, of sorts. Cinquième Salle, Place-des-Arts (175 Ste-Catherine W.), to Nov. 17, 8 p.m., with a special talk Nov. 15 before the show

On a quieter note, Anne Plamondon, co-artistic director of RUBBERBANDance Group, channels the theme of mental illness in Les mêmes yeux que toi. In an intriguing solo created with actress-theatre director Marie Brassard, Plamondon uses dialogue and dance to create a work whose style is completely her own. FYI, they’ve just added a matinée show. Agora de la Danse (840 Cherrier), to Nov. 10, 4 p.m.

Over at the Rialto is a tango show that promises more than just the glitz and glam of the sultry dance form. Alma Tango replicates the down-to-earth feel of tangoing in Buenos Aires. Choreographed by Bryant Roberto Lopez and Faye Lavin, the cast of 12 dancers chronicle the evolution of the Argentine tango from the ‘40s to the ‘60s. If you want to go all out, catch the dinner show and milonga, an informal dance session at the end of the night. Rialto Theatre (5723 Parc), Nov. 10, 8:30 p.m., $25-75

For one night only, contemporary Kathak and Bharatanatyam dancer Aakash Odedra performs in a solo presentation called Rising. Odedra transforms four very different works by a triple bill of contemporary dance superstars with whom he has collaborated: Russell Maliphant, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Akram Khan. A British-South Asian dancer, Odedra will also perform choreographed work inspired by Sufi spirituality. Centre Pierre-Mercure, Centre Pierre-Péladeau (300 de Maisonneuve E.), Nov. 12, 8 p.m., $15-35 ■