Dear Dancers,

Temperatures are still topping a torpid 90º by day here in the Big Apple, but the evening air already brings the fresh promise of fall -- and with it, all the excitement of a new dance season. The New York City Ballet is back from its summer home in Saratoga Springs, and hard at work preparing for its 50th Anniversary Year. The company, founded by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein, has a full calendar of festivals and celebrations coming up.

For the record, the first performance of City Ballet as such (after previous start-up attempts as Ballet Society and Ballet Caravan), was at City Center on 57th Street, that magnificent Mosque-turned-theater which still presents a continuing feast of the finest dance from around the world. City Ballet's debut took place there on October 11, 1948, offering a bill that pleased crowd and critics alike: Balanchine's "Concerto Barocco," with Janet Reed and Frank Hobi; "Symphony in C," with Tanaquil Le Clerq and Francisco Monicon; and "Orpheus," with Maria Tallchief and Nicholas Magallanes. Visit the City Ballet website to find out when you can see these historic pieces danced by today's legends-in-the-making, and to view the entire repertoire.

Speaking of City Center, it will be the site of another NYC anniversary celebration, the 40th season of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. The dates are December 2 through January 3, but it's not too soon to snap up tickets if you're planning to be here during the holidays. Call CityTix at (212) 581-1212. Other City Center attractions this season include Julio Bocca and Ballet Argentina (September 16-20), The National Ballet of Canada (October 6-11), the San Francisco Ballet, (October 20-25), and American Ballet Theatre (October 27-November 8). If you do see the Canadian contingent, keep an eye out for lovely Jennifer Kropac, a former student of mine!

Also don't miss the doings downtown at the The Joyce Theater, beginning on September 22 with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company and proceeding throughout the fall with such varied fare as Compagnie Maguy Marin, David Dorfman Dance, Garth Fagan Dance, Ballet Hispanico and Stephen Petronio. In addition, there's a Next Wave Festival scheduled at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), starting with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company from October 6-11. Finally, Dance Theatre Workshop's Bessie Shönberg Theater kicks off with Chris Aiken, Kirstie Simson, Philip Hamilton & Peter Jones from October 1-4 and Headlong Dance Theater from October 8-11.

You may have heard about the Times Square construction disaster that took one life, injured many people and paralyzed the Great White Way for most of August. All is well now, and the shows and restaurants which were forced to close are welcoming audiences and diners once more. Other news: If you haven't been here for a while, you'll be interested to find that Columbus Circle really is a traffic circle now, and much of the congestion en route from the Lincoln Center area to the Theater District has been relieved. (Why didn't somebody think of that sooner?)

Thank you for all of your feedback over the summer. I can't answer each of you personally, but in future letters I'll deal with many of the topics you mentioned. Incidentally, several of you have written to correct me regarding Baryshnikov's height, which I gave as just over 5'3". Confession: I guessed at that number the last time I was next to him at the barre. However, I could be wrong and I'll do some sleuthing in order to get the official figure. However, my point stands. He is not as tall as the average male dancer, and yet he dances much larger than life. Talent will out, and there is no single "body type" which is a prescription for greatness in this business.

Check out my update on the Metrocard, as well as a new postcard on eminent ballet teacher Wilhelm Burmann.

Here's a back-to-school thought from the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche: "Dancing in all its forms cannot be excluded from the curriculum of all noble education: dancing with the feet, with ideas, with words, and, need I add that one must also be able to dance with the pen."

Translation: Keep dancing, but do your homework!