Choreographer John Malashock and klezmer revivalist Yale Strom have teamed up again, this time in Chagall, a provocative exploration of the artist's relationships with women throughout his 97-year life. A work-in-progress, three scenes from Chagall are premiering at the San Diego Jewish Arts Festival at the Lyceum Theatre this weekend.

Each of the three scenes in Chagall is an amuse bouche, a tempting appetizer that makes you look forward to the rest of the fare; there are 16 more scenes under construction.

Whimsical imagery and gestures deftly hint at Chagall's iconic paintings. Klezmer music sets the tone, but the score includes a variety of musical styles to reflect what Chagall may have heard in Belarus, St. Petersburg, New York, and Paris.

Malashock's star dancer Michael Mizerany is terrific in the title role.

Chagall is often the principal figure in his paintings; Mizerany appears in bright green trousers and reveals an uncanny likeness to the artist.

Muscular and animated, he builds a youthful character and salivates at the sight of his first lover, Thea, danced by a smoldering Lara Segura. For her character, movement and music take a cue from the painting Red Nude Sitting Up. Segura's Thea reclines in a slinky sheath dress as a saxophone moans. Her beloved Marc Chagall nearly goes out of his mind.

But Thea is out of the picture when Chagall meets his soon to be wife and muse, Bella, danced by the firecracker Christine Marshall. Their duet taps into the painting The Walk, in which Chagall holds Bella's hand as she floats over his head. In their dance, the weightless kite image becomes sexually charged. Mizerany lifts a diminutive Marshall over his head and they whirl as one: he's beaming, and soon she's facing him, riding on his shoulders in the splits.

As villagers, dancers Blythe Barton, Greg Sample, and Khamla Somphanh complement the duets with folksy footwork and subtle gestures, derived from the early painting I and Vitebsk, a swirl of Jewish, animal, and Russian images.

There are a few moments in this dreamscape when Malashock's gestures feel too literal, as when Chagall grips a paintbrush and giddily strokes Thea's inner thigh. Still, the work remains mostly abstract, and the score is surprisingly dynamic. Malashock and Strom tell Chagall's life story without props, unless you count a small riser, and no projections of actual paintings on a back wall.

The team has had practice. Malashock and Strom have a strong history as artists who explore their Jewish heritage. They have collaborated successfully on two other works, Customs of the House and Tribes. After its premiere at the festival in 1996, Malashock took Tribes on a tour throughout Eastern Europe.

Along with an engaging musical interlude by Strom's band Hot P'Stromi, a restaging of Tribes completes this polished program. The complexity of Malashock's partnering is remarkable, as are upside down swings, one-handed windups with feet spiraling on the floor, and sharp hands quivering in unison.

An attractive cast (Blythe Barton, Bradley R. Lundberg, Christine Marshall, Michael Mizerany, Greg Sample, Lara Segura, and Khamla Somphanh) offers solid performances. Though restricted by the small stage, the dancers push the boundaries of physicality and take risks with live music. Their gaze is deliberate and commanding, thanks to Malashock's strong direction. Also watch for the tribe's slow, ab-crunching rise from the floor with limbs stretched in a flying V.

Chagall continues at the Lyceum Theatre on Saturday and Sunday, June 12th and 13th. Seating is limited.

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