If you’ve spent all your money on your Hamptons share and you’re looking for cheap ways to get a dose of culture, now’s the time to take advantage of three early fall dance festivals. From September 9 to 12 is “Evening Stars,” the free dance series at Battery Park, and from September 8 to 18 is the rollicking Dancenow/NYC festival. Tickets go on sale for City Center’s Fall for Dance Festival on September 10 – and all tickets are only $10.

The hot ticket – even though it’s free – is the September 11 program of “Evening Stars,” which is presented by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. This evening’s presentation is an absolute must-see, and I can’t recommend it enough. On the bill are three exceptionally powerful works that will stay with you long after you’ve taken the train uptown. They are: “Requiem” by Buglisi/Foreman Dance; “Psalm” by Limon Dance Company; and “Promethean Fire” by the Paul Taylor Company.

The first and the last were created after September 11, 2001. But what makes them great works is that they do not depend on that context. “Requiem,” by choreographer Jacqulyn Buglisi, is a slow and solemn work inspired by the Italian painter Artemisia Gentileschi. In it, several women stand on pedestals and move with aching poise, as if they were statues or goddesses weeping for mortal men. The costumes are richly colored and royal, giving the whole work a painterly setting.

To see this on the same bill as Paul Taylor’s “Promethean Fire” is really a brilliant stroke of programming by Linda Shelton of the Joyce. Mr. Taylor’s work is linear and dynamic yet has a swirling, fiery edge. The themes of destruction and renewal are woven throughout this well-composed work.

Jose Limon’s “Psalm” was created in a different generation – in 1967 – and it speaks to sadness from a different, but equally compelling, perspective. Based on the ancient Jewish belief that 36 men are the bearers of all burdens, “Psalm” is the story of one “Just Man” who dances for humanity.

But it’s not just one night of the festival that offers a worthwhile program. Savion Glover and his crew will be performing on September 10. And on September 12 is an eclectic ballet bill that will whet your appetite for the upcoming seasons. American Ballet Theatre will present the pas de deux from “Don Quixote” and New York City Ballet will dance Ulysses Dove’s aggressive “Red Angles.”

There are also some worthy out-of-towners bringing delights: Ballet- 539 1870 658 1882Met Columbus will perform Stanton Welch’s “Play,” which is set to music by Moby. There will be a shorter version of Balanchine’s tribute to Gershwin, “Who Cares?” danced by the Boston Ballet, and the Joffrey Ballet will dance Gerald Arpino’s “Light Rain.”

While Evening Stars is a sort of greatest hits of recent dance, the Dancenow/NYC festival, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary season, presents new and emerging choreographers. This year there are four venues – Joe’s Pub, the Joyce SoHo, a drained pool at Highbridge Park, and the Marcus Garvey Park Amphitheater in Harlem.

The sure thing during this 10-day festival is opening night, which also includes a fund-raising party (but tickets are only $25). On the bill are clever types who blend dance with a sense of irony and contemporary wit: Larry Keigwin, Monica Bill Barnes, Doug Elkins, and David Neumann. The rest of Dancenow might be more hit-or-miss, but you can trust the judgment of the minds behind this festival. The directors, Tamara Greenfield and Robin Staff, sift through thousands of entries and pick the ones that will most click with a diverse, savvy audience – from uptown and downtown (but mainly down).

If you can handle some delayed gratification, make your way over the City Center and put down your $10 to guarantee a ticket to the Fall For Dance festival. This new six-night festival is designed to reach out to new dance audiences. Each night from September 28 to October 3, the stage will feature five very different dance companies, each performing one work from its repertoire.

Each evening balances different styles of dance, ranging from ballet and contemporary to experimental and ethnic. Dance Theater of Harlem kicks off the festival with a performance of Balanchine’s neo-classical ballet masterpiece “Agon,” which is on the same program as Merce Cunningham’s contemporary “How to Pass Kick Fall and Run,” as well as the high-energy of STREB’s “Ricochet.” Check out www.nycitycenter.org for more info on who’s dancing when.

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If you can bear to think about the Republican Convention one last time, it’s worth taking a minute to consider the body movement of those who took the podium.

The best performances came from the off-leads – or in dance-company terms, the soloists rather than the principals. If there was one person who looked like a star, it was Lynne Cheney. During her speech, she turned her gaze around the room with a queenly reserve, giving everyone around her just enough time. Poses and smiles have a human quality, and they were delivered with the delicacy of a glamorous grandmother.

Though perhaps it was not surprising given his past, Arnold Schwarzenegger presented a strong yet careful demeanor. His posture is excellent because he holds his upper body from his stomach and his core muscles. His politician arm movement had a broad quality, and I found his physical presence had a comforting element to it. He’s like a burly, Republican Santa Claus.

As for the headliners, first lady Laura Bush was a bit too wooden, but she does have a great sense of poise. She’s a practiced performer who gets everything done without flair, but also without mistakes.

Vice President Cheney projected such a solid image that he didn’t need razzle-dazzle charisma to captivate the room. If Mr. Cheney were a ballet dancer, he would be American Ballet Theatre’s Jose Manuel Carreno. Bear with me here: Mr. Carreno’s trademark is to deliver a series of fast, technically brilliant turns with a slow, measured finish that brings the house down. In the same way, Mr. Cheney makes his points, constructs his arguments, and then caps them off with that slow, measured finish. It sent the convention hall into repeated explosions.

In his convention-closing speech, President Bush gave me less material with which to wax poetic. He looked as if he were concentrating so hard on not making any verbal mistakes that he couldn’t really move his body. That said, his style works well on television; he’s looking straight at the cam era and not moving around a lot. When he teared up it looked genuine rather than manufactured.

One thing I find odd about his movement is that when he’s standing around (I noticed this as he was waiting to take the podium during a campaign stop) his arms are at his sides, and he holds them a little further away from the body than is natural. Maybe he’s lifting a lot of weights? Mr. Bush’s movement is more interesting when he mixes with the crowd. He seems to come to life when he’s working the room and shaking hands. He has a welcoming way of reaching out to people. Which is certainly not a liability.