Coming soon to BAM

The Fairy Queen. Photo by Neil Libbert

BAM released its spring schedule today, promising a diverse range of performances, from opera to dance to theater.

Some early highlights include:

Theater: Get double doses of Shakespeare with "As You Like It" (Jan 12-March 13) and "The Tempest" (Feb 14-March 13), both part of BAM's partnership with The Bridge Project, led by the Academy award-winning director Sam Mendes.

Opera: Opera comes to BAM, with a combined showing of Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas and Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Actéon (March 18, 20 and 21), Purcell's "The Fairy Queen" (March 23, 25-27), and two evenings of baroque cabaret (March 21 and 24), featuring music from an evening of arias and instrumentals by Purcell, Handel, Mancini, and Blow. Performed by members of Les Arts Florissants.

Music: The Sounds Like Brooklyn festival returns this February, showcasing the borough's best bands. Previous headlining bands have included Mos Def, The National, and Beirut. This year's complete lineup will be announced in late December. On April 17, Falla and Flamenco comes to Brooklyn, with a program of three works by Falla that imbue 20th-century music with flamenco’s ancient gypsy traditions.

Dance: Some of the best troupes around come to BAM next year, bringing innovative, compelling works with them. In February, it's the Mark Morris Dance Group (Feb. 23, 25-27), and, down the line, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (June 10-20). And from May 28-30, through DanceAfrica, African and American companies, including Brooklyn’s very own BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble from Bedford-Stuyvesant, will celebrate the cultures of Africa and its Diaspora.

Tickets go on sale at varying dates. For more information, go to www.bam.org.