8 p.m. today-Tuesday, Page Auditorium

The lowdown: A modern dance pioneer, José Limón started dancing late in life, after leaving his native Mexico. But he left an enormous legacy of theatrical and powerfully masculine dancing. Dayton Contemporary Dance Company has produced and archived the largest collection of dances by African-American artists.

What you'll see: From Limón: the landmark Othello tale "The Moor's Pavane" (1949), set to a Henry Purcell score; the solo "Chaconne" (1942), set to Bach; and Jiri Kylian's "Evening Songs," set to Dvorak. From Dayton: Asadata Dafora's "Awassa Astrige/Ostrich" (1932), which honors the funky bird; Eleo Pomare's "Las Desenamoradas" (1967), set to John Coltrane; and Tailey Beatty's 1947 "Mourner's Bench," which is set to the spiritual "There Is a Balm in Gilead" and looks at racism.

Online: www.limon.org and www.dcdc.org.

Trisha Brown and Ririe-Woodbury dance companies

8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Page Auditorium

The lowdown: Brown's taste for the experimental has had her dancers climbing walls -- literally. But she doesn't neglect the emotional side of dance, and she can also be playful. Joan Woodbury and Shirley Ririe were protégés of Alwin Nikolais, a composer, choreographer and scenic and costume designer who believed in drawing attention to the whole production rather than individual dancers. Nikolais bequeathed them his dances.

What you'll see: From Trisha Brown: "Accumulation," a 1971 piece set to the Grateful Dead's "Uncle John's Band"; "Present Tense" (2003), an aerial dance set to a John Cage score; and "Spanish Dance" (1973), a time-traveling tale set to Bob Dylan singing Gordon Lightfoot's "Early Morning Rain." From Ririe-Woodbury: Nikolais' "Crucible," which creates illusions using reflective materials; and "Tensile Involvement," using a grid of elastic bands.

Online: www.trishabrowncompany.org and www.ririewoodbury.com.