It's nearly autumn in upstate New York, and the local dance scene is polishing up as brightly as the apples. Besides the always gratifying annual Garth Fagan Dance Rochester premiere, this fall brings a performance by Rochester Dance Collective, a relatively new company with burgeoning talent that demands notice.

RCDC celebrates its fifth anniversary with a single performance at Hochstein Performance Hall on Saturday, September 20. The dance professionals in this eclectic group share their developing choreography with each other in what they call "dance dialogues," providing each other with valuable feedback as they shape and reshape their work.

Garth Fagan Dance will be back on the east side of town this season in spite of delays in the rebuilding of Nazareth College's performance center, the company's usual venue. Instead, Fagan's dancers will take to the stage at Calkins Road Middle School in Pittsford for six performances December 4-7. Be where they may, these are polished professionals living in our midst and do not disappoint.

Also noteworthy this season will be ROTO 3, the RO(chester) TO(ronto) Contemporary Dance Series, a collaboration between dancers and choreographers from both cities. ROTO is presented and underwritten by Park Avenue Dance under the direction of Christine Fendley. Now in its third year, it will also incorporate the work of Rochester poets and composers. Performances are at the Eastridge Department of Performing Arts Friday, October 24, through Sunday, October 26.

The College of Brockport adds a touch of mystique to the season by offering audiences a chance to see "Coyolxauhqui ReMembers," a new work by the Latina Dance Project that reinterprets the Aztec myth of the Moon Goddess in a blend of dance, music, text and video. LDP seeks to combine the cultures of Brazil, Mexico, and the United States in its works. Performances are at the Hartwell Dance Theater on the Brockport campus on October 2-4.

Also at Brockport - more and more a hotbed for developing dancers - both students and faculty will be presenting original works during the annual DANSCORE concert. You can attend Wednesday through Saturday, November 19-22, at the college's Hartwell Dance Theater.

Dance Events

BioDance Sep 27: "Webs We Weave," 8 p.m. Spurrier Gym, University of Rochester, 121 Lattimore Dr. $5-$7. 273-5150. rochester.edu/college/dance.

Elizabeth Clark Dance Ensemble Oct 15: "Dance That Work with Children," 7 p.m. | Oct 26: "Look! This End Up!," 3 p.m. | St. Thomas Episcopal Great Hall, 2000 Highland Ave. 442-5988.

Garth Fagan Dance Dec 4-7: Calkins Road Middle School, 1899 Calkins Rd, Pittsford. | Jan 24: Clemens Center, Elmira. 607-734-8191 | garthfagandance.org.

HochsteinSchool of Dance Nov 30: Bill Evans Dance Company, 3:30 p.m., $10-$20 | Dec 12: Dance Gala, 7:30 p.m., free | 50 N Plymouth Ave. 454-4596, Hochstein.org.

Lord of the Dance May 8. Auditorium Theatre, 885 E Main St. 8 p.m. $30-$50. 232-1900, rbtl.org.

Moscow Ballet's "Nutcracker" Dec 15-17, 7:30 p.m. $25. Roberts Wesleyan College Cultural Life Center. 594-6008, roberts.edu/clc.

Nazareth College Arts Center Renovation Tour Dec 4-7: Garth Fagan Dance, Calkins Road Middle School, 1899 Calkins Rd, Pittsford | Jan 31-Feb 1: Rochester City Ballet "Peter and the Wolf," location TBD | Mar 22: "National Acrobats of China," Calkins Road Middle School | Apr 4: "Swan Lake," Russian National Ballet Theatre, Pittsford Sutherland High School, 55 Sutherland St, Pittsford | May 2-3: "The Firebird," Rochester City Ballet, location TBD | 389-2525, naz.edu/dept/artscenter.

Park Avenue Dance Company Sept 21, Oct 19, Nov 23, Dec 21: Third Sundays at Artisan Works, Artisan Works, 565 Blossom Rd. 3 p.m., $12. | 288-7170, parkavenuedancecompany.org.

Present Tense Dance Oct 18-19: "When the Souls Rise" and other works, School of the Arts, 45 Prince St. | presenttensedance.org, 461-8389.

RochesterCity Ballet Nov 28-30: "The Nutcracker," Eastman Theater, 26 Gibbs St | Jan 31-Feb 1: "Peter and the Wolf," location TBD | May 1-3: "The Firebird," location TBD | 461-5850, rochestercityballet.org.

Rochester Contemporary Dance Collective Sep 20. Hochstein School of Music, 50 N Plymouth Ave. 8 p.m. $10-$15. 256-0739, rochestercdc.org.

RO(chester)TO(ronto) Contemporary Dance Series Oct 24-26. O'Dell Auditorium, Eastridge High School, 2350 Ridge Rd E. $10-12. 461-2766, parkavenuedancecompany.org.

Smith Opera House Sep 20: Paul Taylor Dance | Oct 4: Finger Lakes Dance! | Nov 30: "The Nutcracker," Ithaca Ballet/Finger Lakes Symphony | Dec 6-7: "The Nutcracker," Studio for the Performing Arts | 82 Seneca St, Geneva. 866-355-LIVE, thesmith.org.

SUNY Brockport Oct 2-4: "Coyolxauhqui ReMembers," Latina Dance Project. | Oct 16-18: "Dance/Strasser," Strasser Studio | Oct 23-25: "Dance/Hartwell" | Nov 6-8: New Dancers' Showcase, Strasser Studio, free | Nov 19-21: "DANSCORE" | Nov 22: Friends of Brockport Dance Golden Circle Scholarship Fundraiser Performance, $8-$20 | Dec 4-5: "Dime-a-Dance," Strasser Studio, free | Feb 26-28: "Larry Keigwin and Company," $8-$20 | Feb 19-21: "Dance Awareness Days," free, ages 16+ | Mar 5-7: "Dance/Hartwell" | Mar 26-28: "Dance/Strasser," Strasser Studio | Apr 2-4.: "Best of Brockport Dance 2009," Apr 2-3: Hartwell Dance Theatre; Apr 4, 8 p.m., Jewish Community Center, $75 | Apr 23-26: Sankofa African Dance and Drum Ensemble | May 6-7: "Dime-a-Dance," Strasser Studio, free | May 15: Senior Solo Concert, free | All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Hartwell Dance Theatre, SUNY Brockport, 350 New Campus Dr, and tickets are $8-12 unless otherwise noted. 395-ARTS, brockport.edu.

SUNY Geneseo Sep 27: Step Afrika | Nov 1: Orchesis Dance Concert | Nov 8: Hooray for Bollywood | Dec 4-7: An Evenings Dances feat. Geneseo Dance Ensemble, Alice Austin Theater, Brodie Hall, $6 | Feb 7: River North | Apr 4: Kaba Modern Legacy | Unless otherwise noted, all shows at Wadsworth Auditorium, SUNY Geneseo, Geneseo. 8 p.m., $5-$7. 800-525-2070, saticketoffice.geneseo.edu.