Ballet Builders celebrated 15 years of providing opportunities to emerging choreographers, April 9 and 10, at Florence Gould Hall, in New York City. The seven choreographers, selected from 50 applicants, hailed from NYC; Minneapolis; Rochester, NY; Austin, TX; and Nashville, TN, giving local viewers a rare chance to see works from far-flung regions of the country along with others by home-based talents.

Before the performance, the dancers warmed up in sweat clothes onstage, in full view of the audience. Gina Patterson's No Defense reassured us, however, that this was a dressy affair. Dancers from Ballet Austin performed three pas de deux to music by Tucker Livingston that revealed the sweeter side of love. The dances were skillfully and unpredictably linked together, creating a sense of drama and community centered around a mysterious man in a raincoat, danced by Eric Midgley. In the final duet, he at last shed his melancholy and opened himself to love. Patterson and Midgley danced the "Silent Nights" section with confident abandon, and Livingston's music touched the dance with sincerity throughout.

Another standout on the program was Nashville Ballet Artistic Director Paul Vasterling's Efimero. Sadie Harris, a dancer with exquisite line, and John Upleger successfully conveyed the tension of a relationship in peril. In one breathtaking moment Upleger tossed his partner to the floor. She was sent spinning on her stomach with her back arched and her legs outstretched like a sailboat lost in a storm.

Jamey Leverett's Pedestal dealt with the loss of her mentor, the late Timothy Draper, founder of Rochester City Ballet. The dancers were clad in ballet skirts and tutus, but barefoot. the absence of pointe shoes suggested an affecting metaphor for death. This piece was ambitious in its use of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings, but the dancers and choreography did not match the music's pathos. The three sections of the ballet felt emotionally disconnected.

Slow Dance by Bonnie Scheibman combined ballroom and ballet in a pas de deux full of innocence and courtly formality to music by Felix Mendelssohn. Scheibman, of NYC, captured the feeling of a society cocktail party. The dancers appeared relaxed as they politely avoided each other's eyes, perhaps scanning the room for late arrivals.

Romp 'n Roll, by Melissa Barak of the New York City Ballet, was a frolic for two couples set to a compelling modern score by Matthew Pierce. Clad in colorful unitards, the case performed with the unmistakable attack of NYCB dancers, and Peter Martins' influence marked the work.

Aria, by Jennifer Hart of Minnesota Dance Theater, was a cool pas de deux of dissolving love to music by Antonio Vivaldi. The ballerina's noisy pointe shoes all but obscured the elegant choreography.

A more dynamic choice of music would have better served Whispers, an energetic, modern jazz dance by Alison Seidenstricker, artistic director of ASEID Contemporary Dance Company.