The original choreography for Debussy’s Afternoon of a Faun was a major scandal when it premiered in 1912. Vaslav Nijinksy’s intensely sensual solo at the end of the work feigned masturbation and orgasm, and sent the audience into a paroxysm. Presented among the five dances in Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Love Stories program, Jerome Robbins’ 1953 Faun is much more subtle. Framed as a duet in a ballet studio, its two dancers prowl around each other with the same febrile qualities, but only look at each other through their reflections in the mirror. But when the young man actually kisses his partner, he creates the same frisson as the Nijinksy version. Other excerpts in this eclectic collection of romantic works include dances from Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and Roméo et Juliette. SANDRA KURTZ

Fri., Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Nov. 5, 2 & 7:30 p.m.; Thu., Nov. 10, 7:30 p.m.; Fri., Nov. 11, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Nov. 12, 7:30 p.m.; Sun., Nov. 13, 1 p.m., 2011