Wildly imaginative dance programs have been part of the Columbia Festival of the Arts since the beginning. Who could forget those gleeful Pilobolus dancers sliding topless across the wet stage at Wilde Lake High School in 1989? Or Strange Fruit, the Australian performers straddling 13-foot poles as part of the 2007 LakeFest celebration?

Dancer/choreographer David Parsons once appeared to be walking on air above The Jim Rouse Theatre stage, thanks to lights that flashed at the precise moments he had landed in a different spot. Two years back, Diavolo nearly topped them all by hanging upside down inside a revolving wheel.

Still, dance doesn't come any more daring than what we see in "STREB vs. Gravity," sure to be recalled as the riskiest event in the festival's 20-year record of firsts.

Elizabeth Streb, director of this hot troupe widely seen in television ads for Puma shoes, first came to our attention at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C. We were blown away -- literally -- as two giant fans hurled Streb and her dancers towards us. A thin, plastic window was the only barrier that kept them from falling into our laps.

In 2006, we caught up with Streb and her "extreme dancers," as they are called, at the Lincoln Center Festival. In the first minute of that show, two dancers simultaneously launched into swan dives from scaffolding to a mini-mat 20 feet below.

Audible sounds like "pow, ka-boom, whoosh, and splat" emanated from the stage floor. Shouts of "Bravo!," war whoops and ovations resounded from the audience.

Expect similar wild and crazy antics when Streb's troupe brings its trmpolines and pole-vaulting equipment to the Columbia Festival for "STREB vs. Gravity" at The Jim Rouse Theatre June 20 at 8 p.m. Tickets of $50, $45 and $30 are disappearing fast. Discounts are available for students and senior citizens. Experienced dancers are invited to learn the "PopAction" method from STREB company members at Howard Community College's Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Building Dance Studios, June 19 at 11 a.m. Pre-registration is required with a $10 fee.

Latin dance heats up

Kicking off the dance slate at this year's Columbia Festival will be the Luna Negra Dance Theater, the new kids on the dance block. Under the direction of Cuban-born Eduardo Vilaro, the company blends ballet and modern dance techniques flavored by Latin movements and Afro-Caribbean jazz styles.

Vilaro trained at the Ailey School and earned his degree from Adelphi University, but he has performed with contemporary dance troupes up and down the East Coast.

Be among the first to discover this young, sassy dance company when Luna Negra Dance Theater performs at The Jim Rouse Theatre June 17 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $45, $40 and $30, depending on seat locations, with discounts for students and seniors.

Students of all ages are invited to learn the basics of the salsa, meringue and the cha-cha from Luna Negra company members in a CFA-sponsored master class at Howard Community College's Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Building Dance Studios June 16 at 7 p.m. Pre-registration and a $10 fee are required.

Meanwhile, experienced dancers are invited to work directly with Luna Negra company members to enhance their technical and performance skills at a master class June 17 at 11 a.m. Pre-registration is required with a $10 fee.

Fagan figures in finale

Garth Fagan Dance returns to the festival for the big closing weekend, and it will have absolutley no trouble filling up the Rouse Theatre with knowing and appreciative fans.

Garth Fagan remains one of the nice guys in the dance world. We caught up with the Tony Award-winning choreographer at an Alvin Ailey winter dance performance in New York City.

"I am so pleased to be bringing my company back to Columbia," he told this reporter, noting that he was a big fan of hometown girl Alicia Graf (now a star in her own right with the Ailey troupe). Mainly, though, Fagan reminded us how performing at the Columbia Festival back in 1991 served as a send-off for his troupe's smashingly successful world tour.

Garth Fagan was born in Jamaica -- which might explain his low-key, friendly disposition -- but he is known as a longtime New Yorker. His first company, "Bottom of the Bucket," which was later shortened to "Bucket Dance," began as an inner-city teen program in Rochester, N.Y.

Fagan's troupe is currently touring "Griot New York" with original music by Wynton Marsalis and a striking set designed by noted sculptor Martin Puryear. Fagan's unique choreography -- a blend of modern, ballet, Caribbean and African movement -- promises a smooth, sexy, dance program that is sure to linger long in the memory.

Garth Fagan Dance performs at The Jim Rouse Theatre June 27 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $55, $50, and $40, with discounts for seniors and students. Experienced dancers are invited to learn Fagan's stylized movement at HCC's Dance Studios June 26 at 11 a.m. Pre-registration is required with a $10 fee.

More detailed information on all dance events and classes at the festival can be had by calling 410-715-3089 or going to www.columbiafestival.com.

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