What we saw was, Amjad — a dramatic dance en pointe; it looked like classical ballet, with many of its individual movements sped up. It was well done.

But Amjad was also choreographer Édouard Lock's highly personal and respectful view of the Romantic ballets, Swan Lake, and Sleeping Beauty.

And Gavin Byars' fine score was a true re-composition of Tchaikovsky's original melodies which the four onstage musicians — pianist, cellist, violist, and violinist — interpreted with sheer passion.

Amjad was also romantic and sexy. The men and women were dressed in black; their dance a series of impressive quick-cuts of fluttering arm and swift leg movements; all with a controlled torso.

And when the white spotlights shifted position on the black stage, the dance and the dancers moved on.

But over time, this free patterning of Amjad was difficult to follow ... it was hard to see a structure, and the piece started to feel too long ...

Here was a case of liking and (yet) disliking a performance piece.