WBEZ chooses its top picks for dance this fall in Chicago.

We’re stepping into dance season. Fall’s dance card is filled with action and surprises — from immersive works, to those that require content warnings to a full piece set to the iconic music of Leonard Cohen.

INSÉKTA’s Matadora

The Spanish word “matadora” derives from “matar”: to kill. “Matador,” without the terminal a, is familiar even to non-Spanish speakers as the term for a bullfighter, the killer of the bull (if the fight goes according to plan). The dancemaker INSÉKTA adds an -a to the end, a feminine affix, to title their evening-length world premiere about the suppressed feminine rage of an untameable beast. INSÉKTA, known as Camila Rivero Pooley outside of performing life, graduated in 2018 from Columbia College’s dance program. They staged an earlier version of the work at the Dance Center last year, and then were invited to open the center’s 2026-27 season with the five-dancer piece at its full length. The dance sounds bold — the description of the piece carries a content warning for body horror, harm and sensuality. Tickets from $10.