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Read all of our picks for fall arts, including music, theater, film and more here.

Amy O’Neal
[CONTEMPORARY] 10/23–10/26
Recently, Seattle-based choreographer Amy O’Neal has explored feminism by way of her kickass hip-hop dance performances. In Opposing Forces, she steps behind the scenes, setting a new piece on five local B-Boys from different breakdancing crews, and in the process, questions stereotypes and assumptions in this urban subculture. Times and prices vary. On the Boards, 100 W Roy St.; 206.217.9888; ontheboards.org

David RoussÈve/Reality
[CONTEMPORARY]
11/20–11/22 With an explosive blend of hip-hop, modern and contemporary dance, Los Angeles–based choreographer David Roussève and his company, Reality, tell an intense coming of age tale about a black, gay teenager struggling to find answers and acceptance. Called Stardust, the performance uses video projections—including poignant tweets and text messages from the troubled teen—and a score that swells from Nat King Cole standards to throbbing electronica. Prices vary. 8 p.m. Meany Hall, UW campus, 15th Avenue NE and 41st Street; 206.543.4880; meany.org
 
Cherdonna Shinatra
[DANCE THEATER] 10/17–10/26 Known best as the hilariously awkward, toweringly coiffed, alarmingly made-up half of the duo Cherdonna and Lou, performer Jody Kuehner is going it alone this time. In Worth My Salt, she pushes her beloved Cherdonna character beyond caricature, delving into questions of self-worth. Don’t worry, she’s still a font of gangly comedy, but one that’s tinted with existential angst. 8 p.m. $15–$25. Velocity Dance Center, 1621 12th Ave.; 206.325.8773; velocitydancecenter.org

Peggy Piacenza
[DANCE THEATER] 11/20–11/22 One of Seattle’s most expressive performers, Peggy Piacenza can convey nuanced emotion with a twist of her mouth or a flounce of her leg. She can be both tremendously graceful and funny on stage—as if Martha Graham had trained as a classical clown. Having danced with Pat Graney, Deborah Hay and Dayna Hanson, Piacenza is now performing a new solo show, Touch Me Here, a “movement memoir” that employs dance, film, theater and cello to express how the human touch can transform. 8 p.m. $12–$25. Washington Hall, 153 14th Ave.; 206.316.7613; washingtonhall.org

Pacific Northwest Ballet
[MODERN] 11/7–11/16 PNB’s Peter Boal marks 10 seasons as artistic director this year, and there’s no better way to celebrate than to attend the annual Director’s Choice showcase, in which Boal often presents PNB audiences with less seen, more cutting-edge work. This year is no different, as Annabelle Lopez Ochoa makes a PNB premiere with the thoroughly modern, minimalist duet “Before After,” and hotshot wunderkind New York City Ballet choreographer Justin Peck brings a world premiere to the Seattle stage. Times and prices vary. Pacific Northwest Ballet, 301 Mercer St.; 206.441.2424; pnb.org

Tere O’Connor
[MODERN] 11/20–11/22 Over his 30-year career, influential New York City–based choreographer Tere O’Connor has never before performed work in Seattle—odd, considering the city’s enthusiastic appreciation for thinky modern dance. Known as a “choreographer’s choreographer” (expect intricate, insanely timed movements), O’Connor will present Bleed (11/20–11/21), a work that uses many dance styles—from child’s play to ballet—in an attempt to embody human consciousness itself. (On 11/22, see a double bill of O’Connor’s Poem and Secret Mary.) Times and prices vary. On the Boards, 100 W Roy St.; 206.217.9888; ontheboards.org