The Sibelius score provided a moody, romantic backdrop for Elo’s sharp, fast moves that suggested the turmoil of nervous electric charges on brain synapses. A large rectangular panel of light rose slowly from the floor at stage right, hovered above the six dancers, then lowered and dimmed by the end of the allegro movement as the dancers repeated the opening gestures in total silence.

The choreography was extremely aware of each musical development: dancers gave sensitive physical shape to each evolving melodic pattern, and yet was sharply contrasted in style with the romanticism of the music, imposing sharp, angular twists of the torsos that rippled into harsh isolations at every joint.

Forsythe’s “Slingerland,” to music by Gavin Bryars, was danced by Katherine Eberle and Sam Chittenden with a quite supernatural elegance. They moved as though in a surreal space, like angels, with fluid, scooping gestures of the body, never losing physical contact with each other. Classical lifts and partnered turns, Eberle’s slides on her toe shoes, and their deep leans away from each other were connected by dips and rises that seemed to swoon into each other.

Liang himself attended this premiere of his “Out of Time,” to music by Maurice Ravel. This duet was a beautiful memoriam to Robert W. Bussard, who supported the production and commissioning of the work, but the piece surely stands on its own, with a moving and unsentimental universality. Two lovers faced loss and painful memory as Seth DelGrasso drew Katie Dehler up from the floor. They moved into tender, curling gestures around each other, each lift smoothly evolving into an embrace. The duet exuded a velvety texture to the end, when Dehler was gently lowered to a final repose and DelGrasso lifted and arched his body upward.

Pickett also appeared after her premiere of “Petal,” a lively dance created to some dynamic and muscular music by Philip Glass and Thomas Newman. The company of eight dancers performed this light and joyful finale, with the four females costumed in brilliant yellow leotards, and four men wearing green. I’m not sure about the title, but flowers certainly came to mind. The stage was recreated with three pure white, rectangular walls, and white floor, like a gift box. The two groups moved with rippling arms and energetic leaps and turns as a solo figure, or couple, took center stage; others watched from the side before joining in with unison movement. Sometimes the joyful quality of center movement was contrasted with a solo figure to the side moving with introverted, twisting and contracted gestures. This was fun to watch and the choreography worked well with Glass’s exciting percussive score.

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