A few months before he died, in 2018, Paul Taylor chose his successor as company head. If we hadn’t seen the fellow dancing—very well, in fact—we might have wondered, “Who’s that?” But from the start, Michael Novak has led bravely and wisely, with eclectic dancer hires; unlikely but intuitive commissions (largely by women, somehow underused on main stages); the insertion of a summer season at the Joyce for freaky, chamber-sized Taylor; and, most of all, for his repertory choices for the annual fall blockbuster season at Lincoln Center. About the last, Novak stopped recycling last year’s stinkers. Now that Taylor no longer needed to be flattered, we could be treated to a rotation of his masterpieces, no matter the premiere date. This year, however, Novak seems to have slipped a bit. I detected three pretend-funny Taylors on the roster. So, be sure that Taylor’s Scudorama, Esplanade, Sunset, and/or Diggity (with Alex Katz’s cutout dogs making a delightful obstacle course of the stage) are on your program. Recent works to catch are by Lauren Lovette, the Ailey dancer and independent choreographer Hope Boykin, and Jody Sperling, who carries the swirling, whirling illusionist Loie Fuller into the contemporary moment. —Apollinaire Scherr