It was a grand year for dancing, certainly the strongest in recent memory, with a virtual avalanche of companies covering Pittsburgh this past fall.

Much of the overflow credit went to the International Festival of Firsts, which had a strong movement component running through it, and Neil Barkley's fledgling African American Cultural Center, which started off its first season with a Philadanco/Ron Brown double whammy.

Twyla Tharp's "Movin' Out" brought new dance audiences in droves, ostensibly to hear the Billy Joel score, but secretly caught up in a power-packed ballet.

Locally we found Attack Theatre's Michele de la Reza and Peter Kope stepping into a prominent local role, Sreyashi Dey performing with extraordinary clarity in her classical Odissi style and Labco bringing on a welcome edgy accent to a usually congenial dance community. Speaking of welcome, Pearlann Porter's Pillow Project Dance Company burst onto the scene with its own adrenaline rush.

With the enormous wealth of movement at hand, not all made it into the Top Ten, but here are the ones who did:

1. NEDERLANDS DANS THEATER
Pittsburgh Dance Council, Benedum Center, Mar. 19

This may be a controversial choice, with reactions to Jiri Kylian's program running all over the map. Nonetheless, it was an evening that presented an important European choreographer with an undeniable range, from the classic "Symphony of Psalms" to a new abstraction, "Click-Pause-Silence." And in keeping with Kylian's penchant for incorporating new choreographers, he included "Walking Mad" by Mats Ek. It was the Kylian philosophy in a nutshell.

2. LES GRANDS BALLETS CANADIENS DE MONTREAL
PDC, Benedum, Nov. 6

Ordinarily an abbreviated selection of ballets would appear disjointed and ultimately unsatisfying. But this was the surprise hit of the season from a Montreal-based company that is virtually unknown in the United States. Plumbing the riches of Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin's "Minus One," this array of nail-biting, eye-popping dance was so mesmerizing that the ending came much too soon, and begs for a PDC encore in the near future. After seeing a similar collection by Naharin's own company, Batsheva, at Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., this "Opus" captivated the audience far more with an unbounded joie de vivre.

3. CESC GELABERT
International Festival of Firsts, Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, Oct. 13 and 15

What a masterful and elegant dancer! It may be cheating to include both hour-long performances from the artistic director of Spain's Gelabert-Azzopardi Dance Company. But with these solos, one using X-ray vision to go inside the human body ("Glimpse"), the other a wonderfully intelligent dissection of time and rhythm ("Preludis"), Gelabert perfectly symbolized the intimate excitement to be found in Pittsburgh's newest global venture.

4. RONALD K. BROWN/EVIDENCE
African American Cultural Center, CAPA, Oct. 29

Brown has explored the exotic African landscape like no other, with rhythms so complex that they boggle the mind and dancers that cling to them with a fierce passion that never abates. The hypnotic program included a tribute to Nina Simone in "Come Ye," the intensely spiritual "Grace" and, best of all, the throbbing impact of "Upside Down." Barkley showed that he could make a real impact on Pittsburgh's arts scene.

5. PITTSBURGH BALLET THEATRE
Benedum Center, April 29

Sprinkle Pete Seeger's political lyrics amid Bruce Springsteen's American anthems and we got the historical elements of rock and rock elevated to high art. Lynne Taylor-Corbett gave "The Ballad of You and Me" a new meaning, while Matjash Mrocewski and Derek Deane took on Springsteen's personal passions in "Nebraska" and "Hungry Heart." Then there was local legend Joe Grushecky, rockin' this Benedum house to complete an already full plate.

6. PENNSYLVANIA BALLET
PDC, Benedum Center, Oct. 1

This was Christopher Wheeldon's satisfying new version that held on to the ballet's Russian heritage while putting it awash in Edgar Degas' Impressionistic style. It could have been schizophrenic in character, but instead this "Swan Lake" held a fine line in highlighting the duality that has captivated audiences for over a century. Neatly exploited by Wheeldon's imaginative choreography, this ballet put Pennsylvania Ballet back on the national dance map.

7. PAPPA TARAHUMAR
PDC, Byham Theater, Oct 8

Serving to open both the Dance Council season and the Festival of Firsts, Japan's Pappa T. created a pungent theatrical atmosphere in a timeless seashore setting. A poetic fluidity permeated this "Ship in a View" as it crossed cultural boundaries to establish a connection to Pittsburgh's own Three Rivers.

8. DOUG VARONE AND DANCERS
PDC, Byham Theater, Nov. 20

This journeyman New York choreographer finally got the local accolades he has deserved. With a program that a savvy Pittsburgh audience greatly appreciated, they watched the luscious phrasing of "Castles" and two thoughtful Varone staples, "Home" and "Rise."

9. ATTACK THEATRE
Frick Fine Arts Museum, Oct. 3 and Heinz Hall, Nov. 5

No one mutates with the enthusiasm of Attack Theater, best exemplified by the group's gutsy improvisatory interpretation of Felix de la Concha's exhibit at the Frick and then immersing itself in Stravinsky's "Le Histoire du Soldat" with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. With a new studio where they mentor rising young artists, the chameleon-like de la Reza and Kope currently symbolize the best in Pittsburgh dance.

10. DANCE ALLOY
Kelly-Strayhorn Theater, Dec. 3

Heading in a brave new direction, this fresh-faced incarnation of the Alloy under Beth Corning is nonetheless hungry and superfit to tackle her theatrical intensity. They feasted on a trio of Pittsburgh premieres in "You've Got Male," including the mesmerizing Pilobolus' "Duet," David Shimotakahara's "Open Seating" and Stephen Koester's "4,3,2,1 - Four Short Dances with Little in Common."

Jane Vranish can be reached at jvranish@post-gazette.com.