Charles Reinhart moved the American Dance Festival from New London, Conn., to Duke University and Durham in 1978. The move made dance part of Durham's cultural identity and engendered a community of dancers, choreographers and dance fans.

This season, which ends tonight, celebrated the festival's 75th year. The result was an unprecedented look at the past and future of dance. Area performing arts fans are unlikely to see so much in so little time ever again.

The ADF and officials at the new $44 million Durham Performing Arts Center are discussing moving some performances to the center for the summer of 2009. In theory, the new center would stage many or most of the performances that now take place at Duke's 1,232-seat Page Auditorium.

If that happens, some of the seats will be blocked off; there is no expectation to fill the 2,800-seat hall after drawing sellouts at Page.

Meanwhile, Reynolds Industries Theater at Duke would continue to be used as a smaller venue.

ADF Director Reinhart and Bob Klaus, general manager of the Performing Arts Center, both use very broad language when discussing an agreement.

Reinhart: "We want to be downtown at the Performing Arts Center unless there is some unforeseen land mine. We don't have anything legally on paper. It's a question of honor, trust. We haven't signed, as such. Duke is working for us on this."

Adds Klaus: "We've had some exciting meetings and everybody is very optimistic about the future."

Klaus offers no time frame for nailing down an agreement. "More important than a specific date is to make sure we have a great plan that is a match for the new Performing Arts Center and the really bright future of ADF." The length of a possible contract? "Whatever makes the most sense for everyone," Klaus says.

Reinhart has been a major force on America's dance scene for decades, but he knows he's getting up in age. The 77-year-old had a heart attack several years back, so two years ago Jodee Nimerichter was named co-director. Reinhart's numbers for budgets and audiences, however, aren't available as he pleads off on precise figures due to the press of business in the festival's last week or the complexity of an operation he has micromanaged for decades.