Accept no stodgy retrospectives. America’s oldest dance company, the San Francisco Ballet, is one of the few world-renowned troupes able to pull off cutting-edge works alongside traditional ballets. When SFB kicks off its 75th anniversary tour at the Harris Theater in September, its mixed-rep program will be decidedly fresh. In  addition to local premieres from the heralded artistic director Helgi Tomasson, the lineup features hot choreographers—Mark Morris, Christopher Wheeldon, Jorma Elo—with developing ties to Chicago (Morris stops here often; a Wheeldon work pops up in the Joffrey’s upcoming season; and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago recently debuted a piece by Elo). The engagement comes as part of what the Harris’s president and managing director, Michael Tiknis, calls an increased dance presence at the theatre. That shift, coinciding with the theatre’s fifth anniversary, is good news for touring companies and homegrown talent alike.

Sep 16, 17, 19 at 7:30; Sep 18 at 6:30; Sep 20 at 1:30 and 7:30; Sep 21 at 1:30. Tickets for Sep 18, the theatre’s fifth anniversary gala, run $1,000; all other performances run $70-$115. Harris Theater, Millennium Park, 205 E Randolph. 312-334-7777.

Photography: Erik Tomasson