The handful of works to be added to Pacific Northwest Ballet’s repertory is varied, from 1930s Americana to intense contemporary urban works. Eugene Loring’s Billy the Kid (4/13-22), an examination of the violent life and death of the American outlaw hero, calls for a strong leading male and will offer some of the PNB men a chance to shine. Both this ballet and Eliot Feld’s Intermezzo (11/4-13) to the Brahms intermezzi require dramatic as well as dancing skills. Feld was considered a choreographic wunderkind when he started working in the 1960s and is often compared to theater legend Jerome Robbins for his creation of dancing characters. In the middle, somewhat elevated (3/16-25) by William Forsythe is another of his hard driving, postmodern works, exploding and reassembling the classical aesthetic. Along with these company premieres, PNB brings back several Balanchine classics including Agon and Concerto Barocco, two of his most astonishing ballets. Bookended with evening-length works (Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the autumn and artistic director Kent Stowell’s Silver Lining in the spring), it’s a full year at PNB. Seattle Opera House, 292-ARTS.The World Dance Series at Meany Hall is indeed a world series this year, with influences from Asia and Europe as well as the Americas on the bill. The Trinity Irish Dance Company (11/18-20) may come from Chicago but their fastidious and percussive style is straight from Ireland, while Pappa Tarahumara (9/30-10/2), a Japanese company named after a region in Mexico, is searching for a more universal expression of humanity. Alongside these groups, the Paul Taylor Dance Company (10/21-23) is bringing Taylor’s fantastic version of the 20th century controversial classic Le Sacre du Printemps—The Rehearsal, combining references to the original 1913 performances with quotations from gangster films and bizarre rehearsal behaviors. Meany Hall/University of Washington, 543-4880.After the ups and downs of last year, On the Boards’ focus seems to be back on art, with performances by several groups returning to Seattle. Early in her career, Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker (10/27-30) had success with a dance to a percussion score by Steve Reich, and she turns to his music again in Drumming, a new work for her company Rosas. Local choreographer Pat Graney likes to take her time making dances, and when Tattoo premieres (1/13-16), it will have been almost two years in rehearsal. Graney has a strong visual sense and her many-layered images have great resonance. Japan’s Dumb Type (11/18-21) company presented a dense multimedia work here in 1995 and the list of collaborators for this season’s [OR] suggests the same diversity. Behnke Center for Contemporary Performance, 217-9888.In Spain, flamenco is found more often in small cafes and clubs than in theaters, so it’s appropriate that Carmona Flamenco has been performing a long-running gig at Valdi’s in Ballard (second Saturday of most months). The intimate relationship between dancers and musicians is so powerful it can make the audience feel a bit like a voyeur, but the theatrical nature of the performance is obviously made to be seen. Valdi’s Ballard Bistro, 783-2033.My heart sank when I read in Sara de Luis’ press release that Sara y sus Amantes (9/22-25) was her farewell performance, but I’m relieved to report that she’s only giving up on running a production company, not retiring from dancing altogether. Nevertheless, this change may make it harder to see her, so “Sara and her Lovers” is required viewing for the autumn season. De Luis is a masterful performer of Spanish dance and this concert includes music by her favorite composers, the “lovers” of the title. The Leo K. Theater is such an intimate space that these shows will sell out quickly, so don’t dawdle. Leo Kreielsheimer Theater, 443-2222, 292-ARTS.Between classes and performances, Dance on Capitol Hill is a busy place, and is particularly full this September, which starts with an open house that includes class demonstrations, a silent auction, and a fashion show (9/11), and ends with the performance festival “September Harvest” (9/18-26), featuring a wide variety of world dance forms, music, drama, and performance poetry. Dance on Capitol Hill/Underground Theater, 325-6697.The King County Arts Commission has been acting like a dating service the last couple of years, matching local choreographers and companies with newer performing spaces across the county. On this year’s roster are the Radost Folk Ensemble and Spectrum Dance Theater (varied dates in November). Radost specializes in the performance styles of the Balkans, an area of the world that lately has seemed far away from song and dance. Spectrum’s accessible jazz style makes it a good choice for audiences who may be new to dance. Several venues in King County, 296-7580.In addition to their performances on the King County Arts Commission touring roster, Spectrum Dance Theater is collaborating with popular Seattle vocalist Greta Matassa in Voices of Jazz, Danced (10/7-9). Local choreographers Guy Caridi, Cheryl Johnson, Wade Madsen, and Bruce Wells will bring a variety of approaches to Craig Hoyer’s arrangements of jazz standards. Moore Theatre, 325-4161.The Broadway Center for the Performing Arts in Tacoma usually presents a wide mix of events, and dance is no exception this season. The industrial-strength stomping of Tap Dogs (10/13) is followed by a meditative evening with The Mystical Arts of Tibet: Sacred Music, Sacred Dance for World Healing (10/29-30). Later in the year the contrast is between The Drummers of West Africa (1/13) and Cirque Eloize (4/14-15). Pantages Theater/Rialto Theater, (253) 591-5894.While they’re busy rehearsing for their new work (premiering in 2000), the dance theater group 33 Fainting Spells is collaborating with WigglyWorld to present the first Pacific Northwest festival of contemporary dance in film and video. “New Dance Cinema” (11/4-7) will include work by Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker and Victoria Marks in award-winning films rarely seen in the US. WigglyWorld Little Theater, 329-2429, 632-6141.The dance programs at the University of Washington and Cornish College for the Arts have regularly supplied dancers and choreographers to the local community—come and take a look at the future in these school concerts. The UW students are working with composers from the School of Music (12/1-5), and the Cornish dancers will perform a work by rising choreographer and Mark Morris Dance Group member Kraig Patterson (11/19-20). Meany Studio Theater/University of Washington, 543-4880; Broadway Performance Hall, 323-1400.