by MARITES CARINO

Now that FIND (the Festival international de nouvelle danse) is history, dancegoers will feel an emptiness this fall. But with or without the festival, Montreal will always be a dance town, so here's a peek at what's in motion.

September is a big month for checking out talent both new and old. Over at Tangente, experience the harvest of new discoveries in the Danse Buissionnière series where choreographers with still unfamiliar names make themselves known, Sept. 9-12. Take Namchi Bazar for one, who delighted in the series last year. This year she'll be sharing an evening of new dance creations with Frédéric Gravel (Sept. 24-26) as part of Studio 303's residency for emerging artists.

Speaking of emerging, one choreographer-dancer who's stretched to new levels with his company Rubberbandance Group is Victor Quijada. By using a mix of breakdance moves, classical ballet and contemporary dance, Quijada has cooked up a new creation called Slicing Static, which opens at Usine C on Sept. 14 and runs until the 18th.

At the other end of the spectrum, more established choreographers such as Jane Mappin, Carol Prieur, Anne Bruce Falconer and Mathilde Monnard group together in Quarantaine, a multimedia collaboration orchestrated by composer Charmaine LeBlanc and visual artist Alain Cadieux (Sept. 8-15). In this piece, dancers use their voices to both expose and liberate their inner space.

At the tail end of the month (Sept. 17-31), O Vertigo artistic director Ginette Laurin opens her new work, La Résonance du double. Created during her artist's residency at the Musée d'art contemporain, Laurin explores individuality through movement. The piece is made up of six installations that involve twins, sound, shadows and bed imprints.

New York spin

Aficionados of the Big Apple and the music of Laurie Anderson will be interested in seeing City of Twist, a work by fellow New York choreographer Stephen Petronio. The piece is part of an evening celebrating the company's 20th birthday, which is dedicated to the city that never sleeps, Sept. 30-Oct.2 at Place des Arts.

At the end of the month, Montreal cultural institutions throw open their doors (Sept. 24-26) for the annual Journées de la Culture celebration. Dance groups like La Compagnie Marie Chouinard, La Fondation Jean-Pierre Perreault and Tango Libre are holding open houses complete with tours and demonstrations (www.journeesdelaculture.qc.ca for more).

Les Grands Ballets Canadiens kick off October and their new season with Roméo et Juliette (Oct. 14-23) at Place des Arts, a production by French choreographer Jean-Christophe Maillot. If you're into something a little more contemporary, Montreal's primo B-girl collective Solid State is set to shake it up again at Tangente from Oct. 7-10 with their latest.

Here's something to look forward to in November: The last time Belgian company Ultima Vez came to town four years ago with a performance of In Spite of Wishing and Wanting, they blew me away with their artistry and athleticism. Artistic director and founder Wim Vandekeybus returns Nov. 5-6 to Place des Arts with a new work, Blush, which employs Vandekeybus's signature powerful mix of dance, words and images to examine the sweetness, struggles and sorrows of love.

Also, dance space Tangente becomes a central showcase for the Festival du Monde Arabe, which features two weeks of music, words and dance Nov. 2-14. Keep an eye out for Lebanese choreographer Majdi Gou Matar.

Ottawa's National Arts Centre definitely has one up on Montreal this November: a performance of Masurca Fogo (Mazurka of Fire), by Germany's influential choreographer Pina Bausch. This lively choreography for 22 incorporates song styles from tango to pop hits in a work that uses text, dance and film. The show, which was concocted for Lisbon's Expo '98, will definitely be worth a bus ride. But buyer beware, even though it's a ways to show time (Nov. 26-27), get your ticket now.

Bonne saison!