"I am an individual of great integrity and it's not because I read about it, it's because I've lived it -- I've been dancing since I was 5, I left home at 13 and it's a hard-knock life," says Canfield, on the verge of his first full season as artistic director of Nevada Ballet Theatre after playing caretaker as interim chief. And if he's a taskmaster, that's because he's determined that his dancers will master this task.

"I want to be a force to train a child and I have to back off at times. A lot of times it's looked upon like it's an inappropriate style of education, and it's not. It's the real world. If your child and you are going to put that much time and effort into it, then I want you to be ready."

Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada was scheduled to perform King Lear in January 2010 at the local theatre but the company had to cancel its western Canada tour because of a lack of government grant funding and the uncertain economic situation, its CEO said in an e-mail sent to Shell Theatre officials.

To clarify what’s happening, Cincinnati Ballet received $102,574 in fiscal year 2008, but will only receive about half that amount — $55,000 — for 2010.

Ballet San Jose: Dennis Nahat's delightful "Coppélia" has been an essential part of Ballet San Jose's repertoire through the company's various incarnations. The alternately creepy and hilarious libretto, inspired by themes from E.T.A. Hoffmann's "Der Sandmann," involves a mad scientist-inventor whose beautiful, lifelike dancing doll wreaks havoc on the love life of a deluded young man. At San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, Oct. 3-11; $30-$85; 408-288-2800, www.balletsj.org.