Fall bursts forth with dance and movement around every corner. These are some of the more unique offerings that I’m looking forward to the most over the next month (give or take a few weeks).

Lines Dance Center offers an afternoon of dance samplers. Try a new class (offered in half-hour snippets) or teacher and push yourself to your limits! Sunday, October 2, try Zumba, Absolutely Beginner Ballet, Hip Hop, Flamenco, Ballet with a Broadway Flare, Classical Chinese Dance, Jazz, Feldenkrais and Performance/Theater Jazz (amongst others). Don’t worry about how sparkle fingers your jazz hands are–jump in and try something new! $5 for the afternoon.

What: Lines Dance Center’s All You Can Dance
Where: 26 Seventh Street @ Market Street
When: Oct. 2, 1-4:30PM
Cost: $5 for the whole afternoon

RAWdance takes center plate, er, stage at Orson with “A Public Affair.” The company brings a specially created duet to the restaurant’s dinner service twice a night (7PM and 8:30PM) on October 12, 18, and 19. You can experience “A Public Affair” perched at the bar, lounging on a comfy sectional, or while eating a meal. RAWdance, led by Ryan T. Smith and Wendy Rein, strives to surprise you by bringing dance to everyday places like the mall, art galleries, and now a popular SOMA restaurant. The performance is free, but reservations are highly recommended for dinner. Happy hour is 5-7PM.

What: RAWdance’s “A Public Affair”
Where: Orson Restaurant Bar & Lounge, 508 4th Street
When: At about 7PM and 8:30PM on October 12, 18, and 19
Cost: Performance is free, but you might as well grab a drink or have some dinner!

Still reminiscing about that unforgettable and amazingly relaxing trip to Hawaii? Grab your grass skirt and coconut bra, and shimmy yourself over to Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu‘s “The Hula Show,” an island blend of classic and modern hula along with dance from India, Samoa, Turkey and Spain. The performance will also feature chants “honoring the historical ties between Hawai’i and San Francisco.” Performances on October 22 and 23 will feature the pitch-perfect croons of The Golden Gate Men’s Chorus. Please note: due to construction at the Palace of Fine Arts, parking options are slim. Unless you plan to arrive incredibly early, we here at the Appeal recommend biking or utilizing public transit.

What: Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu’s “The Hula Show”
Where: Palace of Fine Arts Theater, 3301 Lyon St
When: Oct. 15-16 and 21-23
Tickets: $35-45

Trolley Dances is back. Use your Muni Fast Pass or buy a regular fare, and join in for a ride filled with inventive movement. You’ll hop on and off the metro lines as you see companies like Sonic Dance Theater, ODC Dance, Sweet Can Circus, Salsamania, Tat Wong Kung Fu, and Capacitor perform especially for you. Your tour begins at the SF Main Public Library. Tours depart for the K, L, or M lines every 45 minutes.

What: Trolley Dances produced by Epiphany Productions
Where: Meet at 100 Larkin Street outside of the Main Public Library
When: Oct. 15 and 16 from 11AM-2:45PM
Cost: Use your Muni Fast Pass or pay $2 for adults, 75 cents for seniors and children 5-17. Children under 5 ride free.

Wayne McGregor’s “Chroma” royally kicked ass last year. Now McGregor brings his company Random Dance to SF with his 2008 work “Entity,” with music by Coldplay and Massive Attack collaborator, Jon Hopkins, and award-winning composer Joby Talbot. See Random Dance at Yerba Buena, and be prepared to be blown away with his intricate yet compellingly honest choreography.

What: Random Dance presented by SF Performances
Where: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Novellus Theater, 700 Howard Street
When: Nov. 11-12
Cost: $35+

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the author

Becca Klarin writes about dance. Her first stage role was at the age of four, where she dressed in a brightly colored bumble bee tutu and black patent leather taps shoes. She remembers bright lights and spinning in circles with her eleven other bees, but nothing more. Becca also has an affinity for things beginning with the letter "P", including Pizzetta 211, Fort Point, pilates, parsvakonasana, and plies.

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