I have a thing for flamenco. So when I heard that flamenco (not easy to locate in Kansas) would be a part of the University Dance Company spring concert, I was hooked. Unfortunately, I was also booked Friday and Saturday, so I cheated. I went to the dress rehearsal.

It’s hard trying to review a dress rehearsal. I’d forgotten how much audience response affects one’s perception of a particular piece, how energy is exchanged between performers and audience. An enthusiastic audience always adds electricity, a zip to the current.

On the other hand, without the distraction of an audience – the shifting and coughs and chatting between pieces – my focus felt more concentrated.

University Dance Company performances are known for their diversity, the juxtaposition of style and form. From Baroque to cutting-edge modern, music from Verdi to Elvis, this program does not disappoint. Before I get to specifics, however, I have to note that Susan Rendall’s costuming contributed mightily to the overall impact of several pieces (the black and white in the finale was amazing), and Ann Hause is a genius with lighting and focus.

The performance opened with music from “La Traviata,” by Giuseppe Verdi, familiar scores with new choreography – a ballet so light, sweet and frothy that the chiffon of the dresses floated of its own accord in the air.

“Baroque Backward and Forward,” choreographed by Joan Stone, was elaborately costumed and intricate. Baroque, so stylized, can appear formulaic and quaint, but it is complex and demanding as every measure has a different step.

Spring performances are a showcase for the talents of graduating dance majors, in this case Meggi Sweeney and Morgan Fogarty. Each choreographed an original work with three parts, in which each had solos, and also were joined by other company members. In Sweeney’s “Nommo,” the dancers didn’t just reflect mood, they were mood: three bodies starkly outlined against a smoky lit backdrop, with music of flute, clarinet and two bassoons, tight and intense. Fogarty’s piece, “Elvis Suite,” was electric, upbeat, taking up the entire stage, set to three songs by Elvis Presley.

Michelle Heffner Hayes, a new dance faculty member, performed a solo flamenco work, “Tu Guajirita (Your Little Country Girl),” choreographed by visiting artist Niurca Márquez and set to music by flamenco guitarist Jose Luis Rodriguez. She also directed and trained the dancers in the dramatic company finale, “Pa’lante es Pa’lla (Forward is That Way),” also choreographed by Márquez.

Flamenco is known for its powerful foot movements, the incremental building of sound and power, yet its essence is sensual, the body both tightly held and inexplicably curved. While feet may be loud and hard, hands are inviting and seductive. A large stage may not foster a full appreciation of the form … or it may just be that I like my flamenco in back-alley cafes, sitting at tiny tables covered with food and wine, so close to the dancers that one feels a mist of sweat at every abrupt turn.

Finally, “Womansong” – choreographed by Muriel Cohan and Patrick Suzeau and set to music by Hedningarna, a contemporary Swedish vocal group – may have been my favorite piece of the evening. Halfway through, I realized I was crying. It was yet another juxtaposition, this time in my head: the tension and tragedy of these last few weeks after the Virginia Tech shootings in contrast to these strong, beautiful young women, stunning in red and purple, moving with such grace and power through space.

Also on the program were works by KU dance faculty Jerel Hilding and Willie Lenoir.