For a season opener, Program I seemed a bit tame.

Friday’s performance at the Kravis Center, heralding the start of Miami City Ballet’s 24th year, was remarkably low-key: No sets, for one thing. And of course, in these lean times, again no orchestra.

And no new repertoire. Two ballets, from the midpoint of George Balanchine’s New York City Ballet career, announced a short, highly romantic and soloist-oriented Part I: Allegro Brillante (1956), which featured Jeanette Delgado and Rolando Sarabia; and Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux (1960) with Mary Carmen Catoya and Renato Penteado.

Two longer, more modern ballets – Paul Taylor’s Company B (1991) and Balanchine’s Symphony in Three Movements (1972) – corralled larger forces for more company-focused Parts II and III.

In Allegro, it was easy to notice Jeanette Delgado’s substantial development as a soloist just since last season. Her spirited work in Tchaikovsky’s long piano cadenza (from the Piano Concerto No. 3) was not only graceful but precise. She more than held the stage in an impassioned role that is practically nonstop. But the four couples of the corps struggled against the music, unable to match its fiery speed or drama. Toward the finale, they finally settled in as an ensemble – even rose to the occasion.

In the Tschaikovsky Pas, Renato Penteado showed a grace and consciousness of line that beautifully mirrored Mary Carmen Catoya. It was a visual reminder that his role is one made famous by artistic director Edward Villella. Well-matched in strength and depth, Catoya and Penteado convinced you to take in every lovely detail, even when Catoya missed a rhythmic mark (though Penteado never did).

Company B can be great fun, a retro romp of bobby-soxer skirts, Andrews Sisters’ pop tunes and swinging ‘40s social dances. Tico Tico soloist Alex Wong, and Daniel Baker as the Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy, burned up the floor with fine, high-stakes athletics and a great feel for jazz. Daniel Sarabia (Oh Johnny Oh Johnny) and Jeanette Delgado (Rum and Coke) ratcheted up the humor and sex appeal.

Soloists notwithstanding, Miami City Ballet seemed too inwardly focused in Company B. Too little energy flowed outward into the hall or even beyond the stage. And the ensemble’s pulse slowed despite the ballet’s upbeat tempos. Moments of beauty and the occasional picture-perfect snapshot could be enticing, but vanished in a flash. Even the Daddy-o coolness of Company B could be, well, lukewarm.

The only thing white-hot was Symphony in Three Movements. From the sizzling start to the spit-and-polish finish, all 32 dancers made you sit up and take full notice. The company’s enormous output of energy rose to levels more associated with past milestones or gala celebrations. This crackle of electricity made Symphony the evening’s game-changer.

Of course, there’s some history here. The company performed this ballet in January accompanied for the first time by the renowned Cleveland Orchestra. Still, it was surprising how far Friday’s performance of Symphony surpassed everything else on the program.

In Symphony, the dancers had something they wanted to say and spoke out with brilliant clarity. They were more than equal to the driving, spiky outbursts of the Stravinsky masterpiece, the ballet’s namesake. Of the three leading couples, Jennifer Kronenberg with Carlos Guerra and Tricia Albertson with Alex Wong were the intriguing characters woven throughout this plot-less ballet. But everyone – from the 10 demi-soloists to the corps of 16 ballerinas, made this ensemble piece tick like clockwork.

The Kravis audience, although responsive in the previous ballets, gave Symphony an extended ovation. You have to wonder, though: Given the regrettable loss of Marie Hale’s Ballet Florida, it’s surprising that Miami City Ballet, now the only game in town, didn’t attract a larger crowd of dance fans Friday night.

The Miami City Ballet presents this program again today at 1 p.m. at the Kravis Center. Tickets range from $19 to $169. Call 832-7469 or 1-800-572-8471 or visit www.kravis.org.

Yes, Virginia, there will be a Nutcracker at the Kravis Center. But Santa is bringing it by sleigh -- from Russia. With Ballet Florida out of commission and Miami City Ballet staging it only in Broward and Miami, the door is open for the Moscow Classical Ballet (Dec.24-26, Kravis Center, West Palm Beach).

Of the dizzying list of ballet companies with titles like Moscow this or Russian that, Moscow Classical is just what it says: an actual company based in Moscow. It was founded in 1966 under the old Soviet Ministry of Culture, and still receives some financial support from today’s Russian government.

Moscow Classical stages for an authentically Russian Nutcracker, too, incorporating elements from the 1892 original and a major 1934 revision. So arrive early and read up on the slightly different story line and some of its unfamiliar characters. Hints: Clara’s name is now Masha; there’s a Mouse Prince with seven heads, plus a Mouse Queen.

The touring company of 50 dances to taped music. (And you just might recognize a handful of local children on stage, too.) For tickets $20-$65, call (561) 832-7469 or (800) 572-8471 or visit www.kravis.org.

Complexions Contemporary Ballet: They choreograph for TV’s So You Think You Can Dance. And they performed in films by the late actor/dancer Patrick Swayze.
They are choreographer Dwight Rhoden and dancer-extraordinaire Desmond Richardson, co-artistic directors of the high-voltage Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Since the two Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre stars founded Complexions 15 years ago, modern dance hasn’t been the same.

Considered one of the hottest troupes today, the New York-based Complexions has thrilled viewers worldwide with emotional, high-energy performances. Rhoden’s spirited ballets mix urban street dance, multimedia, art and poetry. And the 14 multicultural dancers are breathtaking for their athleticism, infectious spirit and incredible classical-ballet technique.

For its only West Palm Beach appearance this season, Complexions opens the dance series at Lake Worth’s Duncan Theatre with two performances early next year. For tickets, $37, call (561) 868-3309. (Jan. 15-16, Duncan Theatre)

Miami City Ballet: Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, a fast-paced favorite, is back in the Miami City Ballet lineup. The George Balanchine masterpiece was created for the 1934 Broadway hit On Your Toes (Rodgers and Hart). Not only does it include such remarkable elements as tap dancing and gangsters as characters, it also has that great Richard Rodgers score.

The Balanchine is programmed along with a premiere: Twyla Tharp’s The Golden Section, the finale of The Catherine Wheel. It features 13 dancers in golden dance wear, jogging and soaring nonstop through golden stage lighting. The effect is the unity of light and costumes, music by David Byrne and movement that is artful and aerobic.

For tickets $19-$169, call (561) 832-7469 or (877) 929-7010 or visit www.kravis.org. (Jan. 15-17, Kravis Center, West Palm Beach; Jan. 22-24, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Fort Lauderdale; tickets $19-$169, call (954) 462-0222 or (877) 929-7010 or visit www.browardcenter.org.

Israel Ballet: This is the only company in Israel devoted to performing the great classical ballets. And one of the most colorful – and international -- is Don Quixote, the story of the would-be noble knight of La Mancha, whose famous adventure includes chivalrous acts in the name of his beloved Dulcinea.

The ballet is also famous as one of the most technically difficult for dancers. It is full of exceptional solos and scenes requiring the peak of classical technique.
Israel Ballet was founded in 1967 by ballet stars Berta Yampolsky and Hillel Markman who continue as its artistic directors. The production includes lavish costumes, a multimedia staging and richly romantic music.

For tickets $25-$75, call (561) 832-7469 or (877) 929-7010 or visit www.kravis.org. (Feb. 13, Kravis Center)

Batsheva Ensemble: Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin is making his debut at the Arsht Center. But his audacious work Minus 16 turned up at the Kravis Center a few years back, performed by Chicago's Hubbard Street Dance. As artistic director of Batsheva Dance Company, Naharin has led the troupe to an international reputation as one of the most vibrant in contemporary dance. Its second company, Batsheva Ensemble, will perform the well-known Deca Dance [Dec. 5-6, Arsht Center], a reconstruction that mixes excerpts from Naharin's inventive work spanning the last 10 years (including Minus 16!).

Based in Tel Aviv, the company was founded in 1964 by the mother of American modern dance, Martha Graham. Naharin, a Graham-Batsheva dancer, began directing and choreographing for the company in 1990. His well-known technique for movement, called Gaga, develops dancers of great flexibility, agility, expressiveness and explosive power. This year, Naharin received the American Dance Festival Award for lifetime achievement.

For tickets, $25-$90, call the box office at (305) 949-6722 or visit www.arshtcenter.org.

Moscow Festival Ballet: The Moscow Festival Ballet was founded in 1989, around the time of the Soviet Union's break up. As one of the newer, independent touring companies, the Festival Ballet attracts award-winning graduates of the leading dance schools across Russia. Its founder/director, Bolshoi Ballet principal dancer Sergei Radchenko, brings together the great Russian ballet traditions in full-length classics such as its South Florida offerings: The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Coppélia.

In The Nutcracker, area children will join the Russians on stage in the holiday favorite. Swan Lake, one of the loveliest classics, is a suspenseful story of love, betrayal, and the triumph of good over evil. In Coppélia, a delightful family ballet, a toymaker creates a lifelike doll. His wish to bring Coppélia to life sets off a comedy of mistaken identities.

Shows: Saturday, Dec. 26, The Nutcracker, Sunrise Theatre, Fort Pierce. Tickets: $27.50-$99; (772) 461-4775, www.sunrisetheatre.com. Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m.: Swan Lake, Sunrise Theatre. Tickets: $45, $55; Thursday, Feb. 25 at 8 p.m.: Coppélia, Kaye Performing Arts Auditorium, FAU, Boca Raton. Tickets: $40, $45; (561) 278-7677, www.sunsetet.com; Friday, Feb. 26 at 8 p.m.: Coppélia, Eissey Campus Theatre, PBCC, Palm Beach Gardens. Tickets: $40, $45 (561) 278-7677, www.sunsetet.com.

Festival of the Arts Boca: For the final concert of its fourth year, Festival of the Arts Boca 2010 will celebrate Russian artists and music -- and its first ballet performance [Saturday, March 13, Count de Hoernle Amphitheatre, Mizner Park, Boca Raton]. The duo of American Ballet Theatre stars Irina Dvorovenko and Maxim Beloserkovsky will perform two ballets: Splendid Isolation (to the Adagietto of Mahler's Symphony No. 5) and the Black Swan Pas de Deux from Swan Lake (music of Tchaikovsky).

Even better, Irina and Maxim will have live music by the renowned Russian National Orchestra, the festival's resident ensemble, conducted by Constantine Kitsopoulos. The program also includes the RNO in a slew of Russian orchestral favorites: Borodin's Polovetsian Dances from his opera Prince Igor, Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition and Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.

For tickets, ($25-$150) call (866) 571-ARTS (2787) or (561) 368-8445. Visit www.festivaloftheartsboca.org for other events from March 5-13.

LAKE WORTH -- The tiny studio was packed. A Klein Dance Company audience normally fits onto the two rows of benches that overlook the dance floor and stretch the length of the Lake Avenue studio.

Sunday night was different. Chairs had been added, lots of them, creating a semi-circle, as if embracing the stage and dancers. Modern-dance fans, former company dancers and family members looked on as Klein Dance completed its 20th season and, in its present state, performed its last. It was also the last day that the landmark at 811 Lake Ave. in Lake Worth would house the Klein Dance Studio.

The emotional finale featured seven long-term Klein performers plus one guest artist in a night of new choreography by Klein alumna Andrea Ollarvide (at right). And indeed all the produce was fresh-picked; the oldest work on the program had been premiered in December.

Clarence Brooks, who performed the work Man Is Baby at Florida Atlantic University six months ago, reprised it for the first time at the Klein Studio. The solo is set to I Am a Bird Now, by the pop band Antony & the Johnsons. It relies on repeated arm patterns – the slow sweep of wide arcs, a hand drawn across the chest.

But nothing about Man Is Baby is literal. The ballet is a wellspring of strong, deep spirituality that Brooks, FAU assistant professor and director of dance, has internalized beautifully. If the Klein dancers wore Ollarvide’s choreography well, like a mantle, Brooks seemed to be at one with the work from the inside out.

The longest work, 811 Lake Avenue, Lake Worth, Florida 33460, was also the newest. Ollarvide began creating it in March as a tribute to the studio, a dance space she has called home since age 12. Also the largest work, it featured a cast of five women: Kori Epps, Amber Hartman, Stephanie McCluney, Kiya Schnorr and Ollarvide – familiar artists from both Klein Dance and the PBA (Palm Beach Atlantic University) Dance Ensemble.

Ollarvide in particular has been a special spark onstage in Klein Dance since 2004. One of the company’s loveliest dancers, she is a native Floridian, living in Palm Beach County all her life. She began dancing at the age of 4, and graduated from the Dreyfoos School of the Arts in 2006. Although she was accepted into the acclaimed Dance Conservatory of Purchase College in New York, she chose to attend Palm Beach Atlantic University where she studied dance and film production. Beginning in August, she is transferring to Miami’s New World School of the Arts.

Ollarvide credits company Artistic Director Demetrius Klein and Eileen Hebron, actress and former American Ballet Theatre dancer, among her mentors. At Klein’s request, the choreographer gave her first one-woman show in October 2007 at the Klein studio.

In her salute to what she calls “the most comfortable place,” she calls for some of the most uncomfortable-looking modern techniques. The five women open the 25-minute work on the floor – or hovering just above it. They are stretched out, face down, leaning on their elbows, their hands clasped in front of them.

But there is tension. Their feet are flexed, and only their toes and elbows actually touch the floor. It is a very striking pose that cycles throughout the major work. And with rock music by The Jesus Lizard, the ladies show off not only the demanding choreography, but also their own considerable abilities in extreme exercises, gymnastics, relay racing and partnering.

Ollarvide, in the post-performance discussion, said that she had given her fellow dancers certain words or images to start the exploration process and to trigger distant memories of the Lake Avenue Studio. If that’s the case, life at the studio must have been a high-wire balancing act: All five dancers walk gingerly along two parallel dance barres. Yet this single-file expedition keeps you on the edge of your seat, gritting your teeth because the two barres aren’t even the same height. Worse, one wobbles.

Aside from the two barres, a third plus a bar stool, a three-step riser, a 4-foot speaker and the white drape that stretches along stage rear comprise the 811 Lake Avenue set. As she exits beneath the curtain, Ollarvide blows a kiss to the dance floor.

The three barres, reassembled and manipulated by Nick Klein, took on new purposes. After posing as stationary visuals in 811 Lake Avenue, they transform into movable, percussive sound sources in Assignments, Ollarvide’s solo on the program’s first half. At the end, dancer and sound artist come together to create a touching symbolic as well as physical partnership.

The evening began with Upstairs, a love duet featuring exceptional ballerina Stephanie McCluney and returning former Klein dancer Denver Milord. It rather summed up a feeling of tribute, of remembrance and respect, whether between a couple or, as in the company finale, between a dance family and its home.

Each of Rasta Thomas’ three nights at the Kravis Center packed the little Rinker Playhouse to the gills.

An imaginative lighting plot kept even the bare black-box stage looking good for the Bad Boys of Dance. And the eight dancers of enormous ability and facility – including Thomas and his wife of two years, Adrienne Caterna-Thomas -- could be mesmerizing in the sheer volume of movement they could sustain.

Although Thomas began his career as a ballet and martial-arts prodigy, he has been redefining himself in his 20s. He unveiled one shift in 2007 at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival: his new company, the Bad Boys of Dance.

Friday night at Kravis, the Bad Boys mixed a fizzy, knock-out cocktail of MTV, Broadway and street slang called Rock the Ballet. Choreographed by the Thomases, troupe members and others, Act I was a wildly unpredictable variation on boy-meets-girl. Act II was Caterna-Thomas’ 25-minute rush of whitewater: explosive, competition-style dance scenes set to rock hits by Michael Jackson, Queen and Prince.

The eight artists took contemporary dance off-road, into the bone-jarring terrains of techno, hip-hop and gymnastics. Yet they also waltzed, tapped and tangoed. They often encouraged the audience to clap along rhythmically to the upbeat tunes. But in true bad-boy fashion, they relished the shocked laughter and shouts spawned by convention-crunching, booty shaking and shirtless stud-muffin gyrations.

And yes, Virginia, there was actual ballet. Suddenly, out of the whirlwind of energy and activity would spin a sequence of grand jetés, pirouettes and fouettés – just enough to make your jaw drop, and realize that, yeah, these guys – and girl – don’t just think they can dance. In a wink, the precise, beautifully executed classic moves were gone, dissolving back into the more radical flow or the dramatic endings.

At their best, the eight put the flawless in technique and the razzle-dazzle in rhythm. Thomas still has a high-speed energy, a presence and competitive edge that make him a stand-out even in all-male ensembles.

For the show’s encore, he reprised Vladimir Angelov’s Bumblebee, a bit slower than in 2005 for Miami’s International Festival of Ballet. But hey, he hadn’t danced an entire program before that debut, nor did he have an 18-month-old daughter, whom he and his wife brought on stage during Friday night’s final bows.

And petite Caterna-Thomas is a sparkplug; no need for fire-engine red or hot pink costumes. If the couple’s Act I pas de deux, I’m Your Man (music by Michael Bublé), was a steamy eyeful, Thomas’ emotional solo Heartbroken (Bill Withers’ Ain’t No Sunshine) hit every rhythmic mark regardless of the sudden leaps or back flips.

Comedy ran throughout the show. But an indelible memory is of I Love Lucy: five men dancing with life-size plastic blow-up dolls. To the strains of the Habanera from Georges Bizet's Carmen, the gentlemen partnered their “ballerinas” in classical formalities at their funniest.

Of the six Bad Boys, Michael Keefe was outstanding in solos as well as his many duets with Caterna-Thomas. And real personalities along with all-out showmanship marked appearances by Robbie Nicholson and Anthony Colantone.