For its latest tour to New York, the venerable Dayton Contemporary Dance Company is promoting its acquisition of Paul Taylor’s Esplanade. And why not? As the first African-American troupe to perform this 1975 evergreen, Dayton has beat Ailey to it—always a reason to crow. More important, Esplanade can never be seen too many times. Cycling from joy to grief and back again with steps as immediate as primary colors, its emotional terrain is vast. And like other sturdy masterpieces, Esplanade gains—we gain—when a new crew takes it on. However, if I had to choose I’d show up for the Rennie Harris premiere. I’d always show up for the Harris premiere. (Remember that name: Harris like the presidential candidate, Rennie like no one else). For Jacob’s Ladder, he’s riffing off the painter Jacob Lawrences’s universalizing portraits of Black urban life. Given Harris’s cred as street-dance historian and maestro, this will likely prove a blessed union. —Apollinaire Scherr