By ANNE HERMAN
Hoop dancing: Taylor McMahon (right) and Jessica Embley (left) in Dance Spectrum Alaska performance.
A small, enthusiastic audience carried the Dance Spectrum Alaska dancers through a mediocre performance Friday evening at the Discovery Theatre. The performers struggled through much of the first half of the concert, weakening what in some cases could have been interesting works.

This was an unfortunate event because DSA has more to offer audiences that what we saw Friday night. Past concerts have presented the troupe as strong, athletic dancers with a streak of hip-hop that shone though much of the company’s repertoire. Friday’s performance was, in many ways, a repetition of ideas, movements and musical themes that we have seen from DSA before.

Several works did stand out, though. Guest choreographer and dancer Samuel Gottstein’s “Jitterbug” was a fun, lively tap number for himself and Karlyn Grotts. Gottstein was relaxed and on top of his tap dancing. He threw out rhythms like they were change from his pocket. Grotts was a bit stiffer in her movements and how she carried herself. But her tapping was on the mark as well.

The concert ended on a high with guest choreographer Carlos Jones’ “The Light Lives On.” You can always count on Jones to jack up the heat and this work was no exception. It gave the dancers the opportunity to really break loose and strut their stuff, something they didn’t do for most of the evening. Of course, the legendary B.B. King singing the blues for them helped a lot.

The dance was full of shoulders and hips showing off what they do best…shake and roll. Gottstein brought his relaxed manner to this work and complemented Courtney Wilhelm, who seems to revel in this style of action. The other dancers in the piece were just as confident and sassy.

DSA choreographer Alison O’Donnell’s 1998 “Celestial Sanctuary” was a moody, romantic piece for five women. The dancers’ soft gestures, slow turns and spirals wove their way through a darkly dappled landscape. One movement flowed into the next, creating a stream of actions that pulled the viewer along. The one jarring note was the dance’s conclusion, which ended quite abruptly and caught the viewer off-balance.

Here, though, was the problem with the concert. Although O’Donnell’s work was nice to watch, it was a bit dated for 2010. Unfortunately, most of the concert Friday night looked like this dance. And while one work is O.K., four or five in the same somewhat old-looking vein get to be a bit boring. There was minimal change in choreographic ingenuity or imagination in most of the works. That took the concert from being potentially fabulous to being average. Dancers who were timid and poorly prepared at times pulled the concert down as well.

DSA has pushed the entertainment envelope hard in the past with its choreographers and performers. Friday’s concert was not its finest. Perhaps the troupe needs to review what it does best and bring that back so it can move forward again artistically and celebrate its talents.

The program will be repeated at 8 p.m. on Saturday night in the Discovery Theatre.

Anne Herman holds a master's degree in dance and has been a consultant for the National Endowment for the Arts.