Last Wednesday night Mikhail Baryshnikov – who defected from the Soviet Union in 1974 – was honored by the Jerome Robbins Foundation for his contribution to the field of dance. We were all there to honor him at the ceremony at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, but I was disappointed to hear what he had to say. For when he moped up to the podium to receive his $100,000 award, Mr. Baryshnikov began whining about the results of the presidential election. “I feel angry and defeated for obvious reasons,” he said. He went on to point out the fine line “between hope and despair.” He further noted: “Hope has disappeared for a better way to govern and create.” His remarks played well with the BAM crowd. But it made me think: Here’s a man who lived under a murderous regime, came to this country, where he became a mega-star. Along the way, he seems to have been indoctrinated with Hollywood-style liberalism. It is surprising that a former subject of the Soviet Union can look at images of oppression in Arab nations and bemoan the election of a president who seeks to give those nations greater freedom.

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It’s time again for an installment of Dance on a Shoestring. On November 12 and 13, New York Theater Ballet, the tiny ballet company that Diana Byer founded in 1978, is presenting the second program in its five-part Dance on a Shoestring series. The bill includes several works – the pas de deux from “Romeo and Juliet,” John Taras’s “Design for Strings,” and an excerpt from Jose Limon’s “Dances for Isodora” – that show off what the company’s dancers can do.

But the event also shows off what the children in the company’s school can do. And 28 of those children are from homeless shelters all over New York City. Ms. Byer goes to the shelters and finds kids who want to dance. “They know me now. They call me if they have someone who just has to dance,” said Ms. Byer.

What’s more, after the performances, Ms. Byer is taking her company on tour with repertory and its one-hour version of “The Nutcracker.” Where are they headed? “Places you’ve never heard of,” said Ms. Byer. The troupe is going to very small towns in Iowa, Arkansas, Colorado, and Wyoming, where live performances are infrequent. She’s also picked towns that are so out of the way that going to see “The Nutcracker” would be a major trip – that way she’s not poaching anyone else’s ticket sales of the Christmas classic, which companies count on.

“I made sure there was not another ‘Nutcracker’ within a 100-mile radius,” said Ms. Byer.

Ms. Byer’s organization is one of those that runs on sheer force of will. She’s got 12 dancers, some part-time administrative help, and a studio that the company grew out of years ago. But she’s making dance happen and bringing it to people who would otherwise not experience it.

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If the election directed your attention away from the launch of the citywide arts festival “Mexico Now,” there’s still time to take in a little culture. Opening tonight at the Joyce Theater is the Mazatlan, Mexico-based contemporary dance troupe Delfos Danza Contemporanea. This company is about as far from mariachis and girls in long, ruffled skirts as you can get. Delfos Danza Contemporanea, making its New York debut, will present “Brief Moments,” a collection of six short works from its repertory. Dark and mysterious, these pieces tap into Mexican aesthetic via churning introspection. One of the six works, “Alone and My Soul,” depicts (according to the press release): “a man pushing his body to the limit to unearth the source of his sustained energy.” Sounds like a break-up ballet to me: Go ahead, let your sorrows overwhelm you.

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Though American Ballet Theatre’s season finished up over the weekend, it already has announced its spring season. And here’s a little something to get you through the long, dark winter: “Le Corsaire” is back!

If you’ve never seen this 19th-century classic, you’re in for some of the boldest, most aggressive male dancing in the repertory. We’re talking about turns that practically cause shifts in air currents. Jumps that make staid Upper East Siders hoot and holler like bleacher creatures.

For a company so completely loaded with male talent, this is going to be a very exciting ballet. The opening night cast will be Julio Bocca, Angel Corella, and Nina Ananiashvili. But hold on to your hats: The high-flying Carlos Acosta is coming back to dance with ABT, and he, too, will dance “Le Corsaire.”

The season also contains the United States premiere of a new production of Sir Fredrick Ashton’s “Sylvia,” as well as the continuation of ABT’s celebration of Michel Fokine, which includes “Petrouchka,” “Polovtsian Dances,” “Les Slyphides,” and “Le Spectre de la Rose.” There are plenty of full-evening classics on tap for spring – “Don Quixote,” “Raymonda,” and “Giselle”- plus the return of the delightful all-Tchaikovsky program. So if you can hold out through another season of snow, sleet, and Ugg boots, there’s plenty to look forward to.