Tania Isaac, a rising star on Philadelphia’s vibrant dance scene, and her company will kick off the 2006 Bates Dance Festival Saturday, July 15, with an evening-length tale inspired by Caribbean village life.

Other headliners are Marc Bamuthi Joseph, who will present his latest full-evening work, “Scourge,” fusing hip-hop, spoken word, dance and live music; and Robert Moses’ Kin, whose company is known for its eloquent and streetwise brand of contemporary dance.

Also featured during the festival July 15 to Aug.12 at Bates College in Lewiston will be presentations by performers/choreographers nugent+matteson dance, Cathy Young, Michael Foley, Gabriel Masson, Vincent Mantsoe and by choreographers from Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Renowned U.S. dance companies and established as well as emerging choreographers from around the world gather each year for the Bates Dance Festival to celebrate the diversity and creativity of contemporary dance. This is the festival’s 24th season.

Besides its main stage performances and lecture series, the festival offers two intensive training programs, one for adults and one for younger dancers. For more information, or to request a brochure, call the Bates Dance Festival at (207) 786-6381; e-mail [email protected]; or visit the festival Web site at www.batesdancefestival.org./

In her New England debut at the festival, Isaac will present “Standpipe.” Drawing from the raconteur style of island folk theater, she melds movement with video and an original reggae-inspired score by composer Grisha Coleman into a physically explosive style.

A sensual marriage of modern and Caribbean aesthetic, “Standpipe” is part personal documentary and part social commentary – a raga-soca blend of movement, words and images. The work swings from irreverence to celebration, athleticism to pure emotion. The performance will begin at 8 p.m. in Schaeffer Theatre, 305 College St.

Moses will present new repertory works that explore topics ranging from oral history in African-American culture to the dark side of contemporary urban culture, featuring the simple expressions of pure movement. The recipient of numerous awards, Moses’ work fuses different dance styles with a blend of powerful athletic technique and rhythmic complexity. In his latest work, “The President’s Daughter,” inspired by Thomas Jefferson’s complex relationship to slavery, Moses weaves a masterful tale with text, movement, music and visual design. He will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, July 21, and Saturday, July 22, in Schaeffer Theatre, College Street.

Bamuthi is a national poetry slam champion and Broadway veteran, and was featured on the past two seasons of HBO’s “Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry.” In “Scourge,” an exploration of the narrow space between history, myth and speculation, Bamuthi digs into his ancestral roots to tell the story of Haiti. The Seattle Times called Bamuthi “. . . a cutting edge artist forging his own hybrid medium – an amalgam of rap music, poetry, movement and theater … an electrifying performer and a great storyteller.” Bamuthi will perform at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 28 and 29, at Schaeffer Theatre.

The Faculty Gala concert will showcase resident artists’ diversity and talent in modern, jazz, improvisational, hip hop, and other dance forms. Foley, Masson, Young, nugent+matteson dance and others will also offer up an evening of solos. The Faculty Gala concert will be at 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5, in Schaeffer Theatre.

The annual Different Voices concerts, which feature new works by acclaimed international choreographers and emerging artists, will be at 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Aug. 10 and 11, in Schaeffer Theatre.

In conjunction with its performances, the festival will present “Inside Dance: Understanding Contemporary Dance,” a series of pre-and post-performance discussions and lectures led by Irish dance scholar and critic Michael Seaver. Offering audiences insight into the artists and their work, the lectures accompany performances by Moses Saturday, July 22, and by Bamuthi Saturday, July 29. Discussions will be held at 7:15 p.m. in Schaeffer Theater.

Besides main stage performances, the festival offers a selection of free and low-cost events. Bamuthi will present “Speakin’ Out,” a lecture/demonstration at 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 25, in the Olin Arts Center Concert Hall. “Global Exchange: Sharing Across Cultures,” a panel discussion with international visiting artists, will take place at 8 p.m. Thursday, July 27, in the Olin Arts Center Concert Hall.

The Musician’s Concert features an eclectic mix of music from around the globe performed by musicians/composers in residence. This will take place at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 1, in the Olin Arts Center Concert Hall.

The Equus Projects, which partners professional dancers with horses and their riders to create works that merge the artistry of dance with the athletics of equestrians, will be at 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 6, at an as-yet-undetermined location.

“Moving in the Moment,” an improvisational performance led by contact-improviser Nancy Stark Smith with a diverse group of festival dancers and musicians, will be presented at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8, in Alumni Gymnasium.

Rounding out the festival’s five-week season will be the Festival Finale, featuring dancers of all ages and abilities performing modern, jazz and hip hop dance works by Moses, Masson, Young and Jennifer Archibald. The Festival Finale will take place at 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12, in Alumni Gymnasium.