In 2004, the company went dark for financial reasons, and at the time it seemed like a dubious decision. What is a dance troupe without dancers, after all?

But the year has given the company a chance to reassess its direction and evaluate its identity, leading to what Brown calls "paradigm shifts." Those shifts have filtered down into practical decisions about everything from programming to venues. For instance, for mixed repertory shows, Oakland Ballet will trade the cavernous grandeur of the Paramount Theatre for the intimacy of the smaller Calvin Simmons Theatre, although they'll be back at the Paramount for "Nutcracker."

So after a yearlong fund-raising effort, the organization has erased its $250,000 debt and is ready to stage a comeback with a gala 40th anniversary program that celebrates Oakland Ballet's multifaceted history.

And what a history. Oakland is one of a handful of companies in the world with pieces from the rich legacy of the Ballets Russes era in its active repertoire, from which dancers will be performing a tableau from Bronislava Njinska's architectural and unsettling "Les Noces," as well as excerpts from her naughty Riviera house party, "Les Biches."

But there's also a side of the Oakland Ballet repertory that taps into a terrific store of Americana ballets. The October show will highlight American stories as varied as Eugene Loring's "Billy the Kid," a commission to the music of Ella Fitzgerald from the estimable Donald McKayle, and Michael Lowe's appropriately celebratory "Double Happiness."

Oakland Ballet, "Billy the Kid," "Les Noces," "Double Happiness," "Les Biches," "Ella," Oct. 14-16, Calvin Simmons Theatre, Oakland, $7-$52, 510-286-8914, www.oaklandballet.org.