In the tradition of Isadora Duncan’s parlor performances in the early 20^th Century, Eveoke’s “Luna – Dances of Love” is touring private homes and galleries this month.

“Luna” is a series of three dances choreographed by Gina Angelique that explores different qualities of love, and all are designed for intimate spaces. It opened Friday night at the downtown studio of photographer Jeffrey Lamont Brown. Two new works and a stunning revival performed by Angelique had many in the audience clutching their wine glasses and wiping away tears.

The revival was “Serpentine” (2003). The new works were “Luna” and “Trailblazing.”

“Serpentine” describes Angelique’s love of country and her dedication to socially relevant art. She created the piece in the hallway outside her newborn son’s bedroom, so her movement was confined to a small area, but her emotional intensity filled the room.

On a 9-by-12 carpet just a few feet away from the audience, she was riveting as she coiled her hands, contracted and shimmied her hips to cutting lyrics by Ani Difranco. Most impressive was her masterful ability to direct attention to her delicate hands and detailed fingers.

The piece was intended for Nikki Dunnan, but she recently broke a bone in her foot and had to sit and watch, and contemplate her ironic situation.

Dunnan co-founded Eveoke with Angelique back in 1994, and together they’ve been on a mission to cultivate social action through arts education and performance. Over the years, thousands of youngsters have come through the Eveoke dance program, and they’ve shocked and showered audiences with dozens of politically charged dance theatre pieces such as “Soul of a Young Girl…Dances of Anne Frank,” “Funkalosophy” and “Mothers.” Dunnan is a brilliant performer, master teacher and curator of the Celebrate Dance Festival, but she has even more to think about during her recovery.

In August, Angelique and Eveoke producer Christopher Hall announced their plans to move to Northern California to focus on organic farming and "green" artistic productions. Dunnan is now taking over as Eveoke’s director and company dancer Erika Malone will help manage the company. So “Serpentine” was a poignant farewell and a symbol of great change.

“I Love Color,” choreographed by Anthony Rodriguez and danced by Rodriguez and Malone, was a very short series of playful hillbilly jigs that served to cleanse the viewers’ palettes and offered a moment to prepare for another compelling tearjerker.

Soaring strings and tick-tock sounds in Vladimir Martynov’s “Come In!” sucked everyone into the story of “Luna,” before dancer Ericka Moore even moved. Angelique created the piece as a tribute to the midwife who helped with the birth of her daughter, Isadora Luna Millay, and it's a masterful piece of choreography that expresses an intense physical process with beauty and grace.

The music rises and falls continuously, so there were times when it felt like the piece should end, where the anticipation was overly protracted. (Dunnan performed the piece at the Celebrate Dance Festival this summer, and it seemed shorter then). However, Angelique magically recaptured attention again and again with fresh sequences.

Moore was mesmerizing and moved with elegant internal power and gut-wrenching emotion, and while there were no giant leaps, the movement was physically taxing. She gently stroked the carpet and rose out of contractions from the floor into soaring arabesques. A memorable image was a tearful Moore pulling her head up, challenging herself to be strong and endure. As in “Serpentine,” the focus was on her exquisite hands and detailed fingers.

In conversation during the intermission, two people said Moore had given them a precious “gift.” It was indeed a rare performance that will linger in the minds of viewers for a long time and should be filmed and archived.

Angelique’s “Trailblazing” is a duet dedicated to Hall, her art and life partner. The choreography is highly imaginative, and is so turbulent, one wonders how the couple has stayed together all of these years.

It explores the constant reconfiguration of a partnership through times of frustration and comfort and is designed for a rotation of three casts. On Friday the partners were Anthony Rodriguez and Douglas Johnson, and they danced with bone-crushing realism that was painful to watch.

Like human ships crossing a dangerous ocean, the men balanced on their bellies with their arms stretched back and their hands holding onto their ankles. Sweat rolled down their faces as they struggled to stay upright. You worried that their arms might pop out of the shoulder socket, but they found strength in their partner.

Midstream the piece began to suffer from a lack of joy and was overwhelmed by Arvo Part’s booming score, "Lamentate." One brief moment of fun was revealed in sequences where the men waltzed around on half toe, like strange Barbie Dolls, catching each other by the head in precarious balanced poses. But there was resolution and a beautiful “trailblazing” moment at the very end. As Rodriguez convulsed on the carpet, Johnson watched over him, unsure how to assist him. But in a series of sweeping arcs, he joined him on the floor, and as Rodriguez rose up into a torturous reverse arch, Johnson inserted himself through the opening to create one glorious human unit.

“Luna-Dances of Love” runs through February 25^th. Several private venues have already sold out. “Pay What you Can” performances are also available.