Talk about planning ahead: The folks who run the nEW Festival are presenting a "project development" phase this month as a window into a full-scale production in January 2007. Running for three weeks, the summer nEW event includes free classes open to anyone who wants to learn techniques practiced by local dance teacher/choreographers, each with his or her own distinct philosophy and approach to movement: Hellmut Gottschild, Merian Soto and Eva Gholson.

An open studio session provides the general public with a chance to peek behind the scenes of an actual rehearsal. Monday evening discussions focus on a range of dance theater topics, there are improv and "Performance Art for Dummies" workshops and it all culminates in a weekend DanceHouse showcase of works produced during the three-week development process.

The showcase presents "informal" performances—these are works-in-progress, mind you; still, they're intriguing. Shows include Melanie Stewart Dance Theater's Kane, inspired by died-too-young British playwright Sarah Kane's edgy and self-referential 4.48 Psychosis; Pluck's Automatic Bastard, a one-man show featuring a naked guy with plenty of stories and "uncomfortable truths" to rant about; Paule Turner/court's Strangers with Candy (pictured), based on a Leonard Cohen novel; and Fail Better, by Nichole Canuso Dance Company, a "stage journey" intended as a metaphor for motherhood. Canuso's piece is directed by Jennifer Childs, and putting these two heads together should mean a nice mix of smart humor and clever stage action.