Sarah Kaufman | Dance

This year saw the deserving return of several long-absent gems, making clear that world premieres aren't the only route to excitement in the dance world. Mark Morris's " Dido and Aeneas," a smart, heartbreaking account of the love between the queen of Carthage and the Trojan war hero, was last seen here 15 years ago. How lucky we were that -- at last -- Morris's company offered up another look at this modern masterpiece at George Mason University. So it was with the full-length ballet "Raymonda." We hadn't seen it locally in who knows how long -- even excerpts are rare -- but then the New National Theatre Ballet of Tokyo, on its first overseas tour, performed this overlooked treasure during the Kennedy Center's Japan Festival. And kudos to the Suzanne Farrell Ballet for dancing George Balanchine works never seen here. Especially welcome, too, were intriguing glimpses of regional ballet troupes, returning for the Kennedy Center's "Ballet Across America." Homecomings never looked so good.

1. Mark Morris Dance Group's "Dido and Aeneas" at George Mason University.

2. The San Francisco Ballet's mixed repertory program, with Christopher Wheeldon's "Within the Golden Hour," Mark Morris's "Joyride" and George Balanchine's "The Four Temperaments," at the Kennedy Center.

3. Shen Wei Dance Arts, performing "Re-" and "Map" at the Kennedy Center.

4. The Suzanne Farrell Ballet's performances of George Balanchine's "Liebeslieder Walzer," "Ragtime" and "Episodes" at the Kennedy Center.

5. Tokyo's New National Theatre Ballet dancing "Raymonda" at the Kennedy Center.

6. The Washington Ballet's performances of Twyla Tharp's "Nine Sinatra Songs," Christopher Wheeldon's "There Where She Loved" and Mark Morris's "Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes" at the Harman Center for the Arts.

7. Susan Marshall's Fellini-esque "Sawdust Palace" at Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

8. The Kennedy Center's three "Ballet Across America" programs, featuring nine regional companies -- not every performance was a revelation, but the concept is a keeper.

9. Savion Glover's three-man wallop "Bare Soundz" at the Warner Theatre.

10. The Joffrey Ballet's "Nutcracker" at the Kennedy Center.