There are two solos in the program: “Saudade,” by Katie Currier is a lyrical, day-dreamy work, performed this evening by Xué, who shifts from place to place with a graceful, wave-like quality. “The Weeping Willow,” by Kyle Abraham, is more intense, and danced excellently by ABT trainee Kayla Mak. The cinematic lighting and iridescent costume help, but Mak is so controlled in her rapid, almost insect-like movements that you get the impression of seeing her afterimage more than her body in the present. It’s spellbinding. 

In pas de deux, the ABT Studio Company dancers tend to be strongest dancing on their own, though they can execute any manner of complex lifts, turns, and fish dives. These tricks are the best part of Christopher Wheeldon’s “An American in Paris” pas, performed by Delfina Nelson-Todd and Matteo Curley Bynoe, leaving opportunities for more indulgence and style in the dancing in-between. In Twyla Tharp’s “Cornbread” performed by a spritely Audrey Tovar-Dunster and a playful Maximilian Catazaro, the couple pull off the work’s greatest challenge: having fun while keeping up with Tharp’s relentless steps. A few variations in, the two settle comfortably in the attitude that the piece requires. 

“Variations for Three,” choreographed by New York City Ballet’s Tiler Peck (and originally commissioned by the Vail Dance Festival) is one of the highlights of the program. Daniel Guzman, Geonhee Park, and Younjae Park are flashy yet well comported. In unison, simple pirouettes and tours seem sparkling, and in solo moments, they have the chance to show off with impossibly high jumps. It’s a lively number, with a touch of humor—a bit of a jig, a flexed foot—and competitiveness that calls to mind Hans Van Manen’s “Solo.”

Brady Farrar, a member of ABT’s corps de ballet, is the choreographer of “Cerulean Skies,” a poised and expressive neoclassical work. It’s an ensemble number with six dancers who keep the pace of the tumbling piano score—Chopin’s Polonaise in A-Flat Major, and breathe into lingering extensions. A fine balance of simplicity and indulgence. 

Closing the program is Alexei Ratmansky’s “Bernstein in a Bubble”—a kind of “West Side Story”-style show piece, filled with little jokes (crawling under a leg in arabesque), jazzy partnering, and sailing supported leaps. It demands a lot of the dancers, who take to it with great enthusiasm. They know, after all, how to put on a show.