“Modern Choreographic Voices” shows Atlanta Ballet’s eclectic range

Look backstage during an Atlanta Ballet performance this weekend, and you might see some unusual moves happening in the wings. Dancers may start standing upright, stepping rhythmically in place. Held torsos go pliant, wavering from side to side as hips lower and knees give in to the momentum of the sway.

It's a necessary transition between three works featured in "The Best of Modern Choreographic Voices" at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. The eclectic sampler will test dancers' abilities to move between different styles: Alexei Ratmansky's exquisitely neoclassical "Seven Sonatas," Gina Patterson's emotionally-driven "Quietly Walking" and Ohad Naharin's visceral "Minus 16."

The program closes a five-year series showcasing works that expand dancers’ artistic range and audiences’ conceptions of concert dance.

Not every dance company puts such varied works on a program. Many dancers in other companies can neither adapt to different styles so quickly, nor perform them at such a high level, said Ballet Mistress Dale Shields. For Atlanta Ballet dancers, it’s hard on their bodies, but they thrive on pushing their physical and emotional limits.

The triple bill will show just how far Atlanta Ballet dancers will stretch themselves. Like events in a triathlon, each ballet poses unique demands.

"Seven Sonatas" is one of the most difficult and aerobically challenging ballets in the company's repertoire. Since its 2009 premiere at American Ballet Theatre, the chamber work has consistently garnered praise, exemplifying Ratmansky's gift for finding freshly poetic expression in a classical dance language. Last year, Atlanta Ballet was the first company to perform it outside of ABT.

Ratmansky, former artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet, reveals six dancers' individual qualities within Domenico Scarlatti's intricate musical forms. Sparkling pointe work, quick direction changes and gently suspended lifts embody the music's lilts and cadences.

Dancers dive into fluidity in Patterson’s “Quietly Walking.” With strong emotional currents, the visually striking work is more grounded, with a contemporary sense of balletic line. Max Richter’s music evokes urgency, then serenity, as dancers slip through twisting and turning off-angle lifts, exploring the human need to connect with nature and with one another.

If “Quietly Walking” is driven by emotion, “Minus 16” rises more from instinct and sensation. Based in Naharin’s trendsetting Gaga technique and associated language, dancers are deeply grounded and attuned to their bodies, and each other, as movement bursts from inner impulses. The explosiveness is dangerous and edgy; improvised sections and audience participation can spark wildly unpredictable results.

Gaga seems at the opposite end of the spectrum from Ratmansky’s airy neoclassicism. But through Gaga practice, Shields has observed dancers grow more open and naturalistic in classical work. Though seemingly at odds, she said, ballet and Gaga “help each other out.”