Ever since Ray Houle and Gérard Théorêt conceived of Seattle’s all-male dance festival, Against the Grain: Men in Dance, in 1994, there’s been a bit of a … cultural shift. The male dancer? Taboo? Not when beefy former NFL players are doing the jive on Dancing With the Stars and flashy young things are popping and locking on So You Think You Can Dance and Glee. But that doesn’t mean a showcase of some of our city’s best male dancers and choreographers has lost its relevance. It just means the “no girls allowed” policy has been abandoned.

Starting this Friday, Men in Dance returns for its eighth run, with choreographers Sonia Dawkins (Sonia Dawkins Prism Dance Theatre), Barry Kerollis (Pacific Northwest Ballet), and Donald Byrd (Spectrum Dance) debuting new work; expect a piece by PNB principal/Whim W’Him founder Olivier Wevers as well. That’s a stacked lineup, to say the least, and the dancers are no slouches either; PNB artistic director Peter Boal is even scheduled to perform. (View the slideshow of 2008’s performances to the left).

It kicks off a stellar weekend of dance performances:
Men in Dance, Oct 8-17, Broadway Performance Hall

B.C., Janvier 1545, Fontainebleau, Oct 7-10, On the Boards

Compagnie Jant-Bi, Oct 7-9, UW World Series