The dance: MODERN

Where to see it: San Francisco

Sexy factor: Like finding yourself backstage at Cirque du Soleil's Zumanity

The moves: Before Isadora Duncan's very dramatic exit (she died in 1927 when her long scarf got tangled in the open spokes of a convertible), the dancer tossed aside her torturous ballet pointe shoes and gave birth to contemporary American dance. Duncan angered moralists with her scandalous performances, on and off the stage, which included nudity and bisexuality. It seems appropriate that San Francisco, the city of Duncan's birth, is the site of the Lines dance company, which embodies her innovative force and physical sensuality. Lines mixes traditional ballet with Asian, African, and even animalistic elements. Their costumes conceal little as the lithe dancers morph and intertwine from one impossible shape to another in choreographer Alonzo King's seductive mélange.

The stage: The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Lines also has a full calendar of tour dates.

Do a little dance: San Francisco Dance Center studios are the company's home, with lots of daily open classes for all levels and dance styles.

San Francisco Dance Center
Tel: 415 863 3040

Lines Ballet
Tel: 415 863 3040