They have been working overtime in the dance studios of both Barnard College and The Juilliard School in recent weeks, readying programs of new choreography for this coming weekend. Each institution’s event has its own very specific, focused approach, but both promise exciting possibilities and fresh perspectives.

The Barnard Project, now in its fifth year at Dance Theater Workshop, gives the Barnard dance students an opportunity to work with four contrasting professional choreographers. This year’s intriguingly varied quartet consists of Brian Brooks, Juliana F. May, Vicky Shick and Kota Yamazaki. Each becomes an adjunct Barnard faculty member for the semester and their works range in size from six to 19 dancers.

The point of the Project, emphasized Mary Cochran, director of the Barnard Dance Department, is the partnership between the school and DTW. “All of the choreographers are considered DTW artists—people they have produced, and are interested in continuing to produce.” She and Carla Peterson, DTW’s artistic director, select the choreographers together. “We’re looking for variety, gender balance and also people that Carla, having worked closely with, has a feeling would really enjoy this opportunity,” said Cochran, who was a memorable member of the Paul Taylor Dance Company before coming to Barnard. “I appreciate how much the choreographers bring the dancers into their process. And they’re all beautiful movers themselves, which is great to be around. The students are really committed. There’s a level of sophistication and engagement with this project. It astonishes me that they manage to rehearse until 9 p.m., given their heavy academic load.”

Juilliard’s Choreographers and Composers performances. also an annual event, brings together the resources of this performing arts conservatory’s music and dance divisions. Six third-year dance students—selected by faculty based on their choreographic projects during last year’s composition classes— are paired up with six composers to collaborate during a fall semester course, with this weekend’s performances as the culmination. They choreograph for the first- and second-year students—all of them. When auditions were held, the choreographers were so impressed by the level of talent that between the six of them, they are using everyone.

Juilliard faculty members Janis Brenner (dance composition), Jerome Begin (the dance division’s music advisor) and Daniel Ott (music composition) mentor and guide the students as their collaborative process develops. “This is really trying to be a true collaboration,” says Brenner, a dancer and choreographer who has performed notably with Murray Louis and Meredith Monk, among others. “It’s a pretty rare opportunity to have, for both the choreographers and the composers. I never had the chance, at that age, to have a composer make a score with me, and have live musicians, especially at this level.”

She explains that the teams of collaborators paired up last spring. Once the respective divisions had selected the choreographers and composers who would participate, “we had a couple of workshops where they were mixing it up in the room, improvising together. At the end, they all sat down together and decided, for themselves, who they would like to work with.” They agreed in advance on the instrumentation for the music, so the choreographers had some idea of what the sound texture would be.

Once the next academic year began in September, the project launched into full gear. Showings along the way invited feedback from everyone else. Meetings with costume and lighting designers were scheduled. “I would say four out of the six choreographers have really stuck with what I saw in their original ideas and concepts, and two have evolved more into being something they didn’t expect at the beginning,” Brenner notes.

This year, there is an intriguing added feature to the Juilliard program. In the evening’s second half, students from the Paris Conservatory will perform works by three contemporary French choreographers: Christine Bastin, Jean-Claude Gallotta and Mourad Merzouki. They appear as part of a reciprocal exchange; Juilliard dancers performed at the Paris Conservatory last spring as part of a European tour. So since the New Yorkers brought their repertory to Paris, the French students will be bringing their Julliard counterparts—and the rest of us—a sampling of what they do.

> The Barnard Project

Dec. 3 through 5, Dance Theater Workshop, 219 W. 19 St. (betw. 7th & 8th Aves.), 212-924-0077 or www.dancetheaterworkshop.org; times vary; $12 and up.

> Composers and Choreographers 2009

Dec. 4 & 5. Peter Jay Sharp Theater, Juilliard School, 155 W. 65 St. (betw. Broadway & Amsterdam Ave.), 212-769-7406; times vary; Free.