jackpot city casino Review: Philadelphia’s BalletX Shows Variety but Little Depth

In many ways contemporary ballet is a wide-open frontier, brimming with possibilities. But with so many options, the work it generates can tend toward the generic — even when there is an obvious concept at play. On Wednesday at the Joyce Theater, that was the case with the program by BalletX, a Philadelphia company dedicated to presenting new work. Yes, there are premieres, but do they push the form? Are they built to last? No and no.

BalletX, formed in 2005 and led by Christine Cox, brought three New York premieres to the Joyce with disparate premises. One explored the healing power of relationships; another was a celebration of queer culture; and the third was a look at the resilience of Japanese people after World War II. Instead of a well-rounded, complex dance experience, the choreography and the impetuses behind it just felt random.

In Jodie Gates’s “Beautiful Once” (2017), set to music by Ryan Lott, a community is built through relationships. It begins with a woman stepping into a small spotlight that grows to fill the stage. Duets take over as dancers leap and spin, curling from side to side and lifted into the air like skaters.

The idea — that relationships provide the fuel for survival — is clear enough, yet the work’s choreographic sameness wears thin. At least the dancers have material to display their technique and expansiveness, especially in their upper bodies. But the piece slides into sentimental territory when lyrics are heard: “Weren’t we beautiful once?”

ImageMinori Sakita and Jared Kelly in Jodie Gates’s “Beautiful Once.”Credit...Rachel Papo for The New York Times

The dancers, illuminated in a rectangle of light, line up and two by two they embrace, warmly, before retreating to the back. It’s like a conveyor belt of hugs. In the final second, after most of the dancers leave, one couple remains and — no surprise — falls into each other’s arms.

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