There are all sorts of reasons to make the trip to this upscale Colorado ski resort, off season, for the Vail Dance Festival: the fine companies packed into two weeks—Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet of San Francisco, Philadelphia’s BalletX, the Paul Taylor, Kyle Abraham, and Michelle Dorrance troupes, and more; the unprecedented number of commissions premiering on a single night (seven! by leading and brightening lights); the glorious mountains that serve as backdrop. But what most distinguishes Vail Dance are the International Evenings of Dance, I through III. After decades of easeful, charming, very American dancing, New York City Ballet principal Damian Woetzel assumed the reins of the Vail festival, where he has made the most of his experience, connections, and infectious joie de vivre. The International Evenings feature the cross-pollination of a stable of outstanding dancers across the spectrum (though, naturally, there’s a high ratio of New York ballet people). It’s like a meal whipped up in a great chef’s home kitchen for friends: that sense of adventure, camaraderie, fun, and yum. —Apollinaire Scherr