Mass. Dance Festival proves a well-balanced showcase

For the most part, diversity was matched by quality at Saturday night’s concert, which opened with a lyrical jazz number and a lively salsa routine by Fran & Mariale Dance Fusion. Five young performers from the Legacy Dance Company charmed the crowd with the rocketing rhythms and stylish moves of a jazz tap routine choreographed by Ryan P. Casey. Two companies showcased different styles of classical Indian dance. The off-kilter sculptural posturing of Upasana’s “Batu’’ was complemented by brilliant-hued costumes, elaborate hand gestures, and complex syncopated rhythms in the feet, each stomp overlaid with the jangle of ankle bells. Triveni Ensemble’s dramatic “Moods of the Goddess’’ reflected a rich storytelling tradition.

But it was modern dance that dominated, from a compelling performance by Sokolow Now! dancers Mark Kranz and Courtney Peix of the stark, linear “Largo Desolato,’’ from Anna Sokolow’s 1953 “Lyric Suite,’’ to the premiere of “Good Enough for Me’’ by Lorraine Chapman The Company, Inc. This new work takes its tone from the raspy pathos and humor of three Tom Waits tunes and evokes a cast of rather downtrodden folk well-versed in making do. Bodies fly, flop, and fall, balancing precariously, stumbling drunkenly, occasionally soaring through loose-limbed swings, turns, and lifts. The final duet is a powerful evocation of grief. As Jessica Howard tries to outrun her pain and desolation, Lindsey Ridgeway trails behind her, reaching to embrace, patiently trying to console and contain.

Few pieces scream female empowerment as vividly and sexily as the fabulous quintet from Tommy Neblett’s 1996 “La Giornata Omicida.’’ In red dresses, black ankle boots, and bobbed wigs, they strut, stomp, kick, and sashay like comic book femmes fatale. Peix’s skillfully crafted balletic romp “Benchmark’’ for Contrapose is coolly abstract, playing off sharp, eye-catching patterns of the hands and feet of six women springing on and off a long, low bench.

Boston Community Dance Project’s “Power Struggle’’ choreographed by SKooJ CorE-O, was all head-tossing angst, with nine women flinging and hurling themselves into the air and onto the floor. Chaos Theory Dance offered delightful comic relief with “Cello Theory Dance.’’ As Kristen Miller spun melodic lines over pedal loops with her cello bow, Billbob Brown and Meg Van Dyck playfully explored other uses for bows, sawing at each other and wielding the bows like wands, swords, divining rods.

Karen Campbell can be reached at karencampbell4@rcn.com.