Let's dance: October at Mercat de les Flors

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Thanks to its commitment to the arts, dedicated performance spaces and culture-savvy audiences, there are few better places in the world for seeing contemporary dance than Barcelona. This month is no exception with a fine selection of performances at Mercat de les Flors from world-renowned companies.

Sol Picó’s El Llac de Les Mosques is the pick of the bunch and gets the Mercat de les Flors’s autumn season off to an explosive start. Accompanied here by a live rock band, male dancer and a stagehand/actor, Sol Picó is one of Spain’s most vital and imaginative dancers and choreographers. A world away from the traditional dance fare of skinny minnies gliding across the stage, her work has an energy and edge that makes it a great choice for those who are new to the art form. (October 1st to 4th, €16)

Carolyn Carlson’s haunting piece, Blue Lady caused a sensation when it premiered in 1983. Twenty-five years on, the American choreographer has reinterpreted the work, with Finnish male dancer Tero Sarrinen in the female soloist’s role. (October 10th to 12th, €22)

From Susanne Linke, one of the pioneers of German dance theatre, comes the autobiographical Schritte Verfolgen. Unable to hear or speak until the age of six due to a bout of meningitis, this piece (split between four dancers of different ages) charts Linke’s fight to communicate through gesture and movement. (October 15th to 17th, €22)

Rounding off October at Mercat de les Flors is Cobosmika, a Palamós-based company that incorporates martial arts moves, improvisation and physical theatre into its work. (October 27th to November 1st, €16)

Mercat de les Flors: Lleida 59, www.mercatflors.org