GroundWorks DanceTheater will be performing again in Akron. That’s always great news, for having this singular contemporary dance company do its innovative thing is a great sight to behold.

Artistic Director David Shimotakahara added a concert at the Akron-Summit County Public Library a couple of years ago in order to extend its presence in the Akron area, making way for at least three performances a year, counting this one, and ones at the Ice House and as part of the Heinz Poll Dance Festival.

It’s our luck, for GroundWorks doesn’t simply perform terrifically and bring quality stuff. It creates new and significant dances regularly, as it will for this performance.

GroundWorks DanceTheater. Photo from www.ohio.com

A new addition to the bill will be nationally-known choreographer Doug Elkins’ work created for GroundWorks called “My Humming Bird at the Highline.” Though this will be an Akron premiere, the piece has already been seen in the Cleveland area, where critic Don Rosenberg commented that Elkins brings his “familiar, quirky vocabulary” which the dancers pick up on and perform with great intensity. The six section work explores the joys and sorrows of relationships — something we can all relate to.

Three other works will be performed during the stop in the area. Amy Miller’s “Allow” is set to a rhythmic, repetitive percussive music line set by Oberlin College alumnus Alex Christie. This double duet is ostensibly a look into “chaos and split-second coherence,” it is said, and yet has a sense of formal order amid the pounding beat of the music.

David Shimotakahara’s “Circadian” is a duet associated, the company says, “with the earth’s rotation,” and is like other pieces by this company, set to original music (this time by Gustavo Aguilar). The title refers in a sense to one’s body clock, a 24-hour cycle of innate, irresistible rhythms that make up our daily lives. The music has  a kind of classical feel to it, during which the dance is comprised of intense, close interactive movement between the dancers.

GroundWorks DanceTheater. Photo from www.aosoc.org

Finally, Shimotakahara’s “Lights Up,” a zany and madcap dance romp set to music provided onstage by a saxophonist, bassist and guitarist, pays tribute to jazz musicians. Apparently the interplay between musicians and dancers adds a considerable level of energy to the work.

GroundWorks DanceTheater, a Knight Arts grantee, is quality dance, and the dancers with the company are equally skilled in solo and ensemble work. The proscenium setting of the venue of the Akron-Summit County Public Library is far different from other area appearances, but his company adapts to multiple settings every year and will certainly feel at home in this one.

GroundWorks DanceTheater will appear at 7:30 p.m., Friday-Saturday, November 16-17 in the Akron-Summit County Public Library, 60 S. High St., Akron; 216-751-0088; www.groundworksdance.org. Tickets are $20-$25 with discounts for students.