Jump In: Dance

Compagnie Heddy Maalem offers a contemporary take on a classic work. (Patrick Fabre)

"Dancing-on-View: The ICA Variations": The Summer Stages Dance festival always packs a punch with stellar guest artists, and this season features a real coup in the sensuous, expressive Sara Rudner as artist-in-residence. The legendary Twyla Tharp dancer is gathering performers from Boston and New York for a dance installation at the Institute of Contemporary Art that mixes movement, music, and spoken word. July 26-27, 12-4 p.m. at the ICA, 617-478-3100, icaboston .org. July 23-24, 7 and 9 p.m., a 1 1/2-hour version at the Dance Performance Studio, Concord Academy, Concord. 978-402-2339. summerstagesdance.org

Compagnie Heddy Maalem: Like Stravinsky's titanic "Rite of Spring," a visit to Lagos, Nigeria, made French/Algerian choreographer Heddy Maalem think of "the end of the world," Maalem has said. His contemporary take on the classic work reimagines the danger and celebration of nature's rebirth, featuring 14 dancers from Mali, Benin, Nigeria, and Senegal. Maalem's expansive physicality is interlaced with projected scenes of everyday life in Nigeria from award-winning French filmmaker Benoît Dervaux. June 25-29 at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Becket. 413-243-0745. jacobspillow.org

London calling: Two of Britain's most dynamic young contemporary-dance companies grace the Pillow this season. In its US debut, Hofesh Shechter Company offers two works July 9-13 exemplifying the choreographer's energy-charged intensity, including the acclaimed "In your rooms," featuring an original score by the Israeli-born Shechter that will be played live. Ballet Boyz founders Michael Nunn and William Trevitt have transformed themselves from ex-Royal Ballet stars into contemporary-dance innovators known for interspersing dances with short, often humorous films that demystify the art of ballet. They bring a July 16-20 program highlighted by two US premieres. Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Becket. 413-243-0745. jacobspillow.org

Keigwin + Company: From Broadway to the Metropolitan Opera to Julie Taymor's film "Across the Universe," modern dancer/choreographer Larry Keigwin creates dances that explore contemporary life and pop culture. His company, one of the hottest new troupes on the national scene, is making the rounds at festivals such as Jacob's Pillow this summer, including the Bates Dance Festival, which has commissioned a new work called "The Elements." Keigwin also brings along the popular "Love Songs," duets for four couples featuring music from Nina Simone to Neil Diamond. July 18-19 at the Schaeffer Theatre, Lewiston, Maine. 207-786-6161, www.bates.edu/dancefest

BIGMANARTS: Former Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance heavyweight Lawrence Goldhuber and his company will unveil the world premiere of "Sleeping Giant," a dance theater piece he calls "an allegorical warning about the myth of America." A collaboration with video artist Janet Wong, the chamber-music band Tin Hat, and artist Daniel Duford, the piece is written by and based on a graphic novel-style installation by Duford. It tells the story of America's rise, fall, and rebirth through the experiences of small-town twins who grow up with very different destinies. Tin Hat plays live. Aug. 23 at Mass MoCA's Hunter Center, North Adams. 413-662-2111. massmoca.org

KAREN CAMPBELL