Jean Isaacs knows how much a venue can change a dance, without any structural changes to choreography. That's her specialty when planning Trolley Dances and other programs in town and abroad.

You could almost touch the dancers in When Strangers Meet when it premiered at an intimate Dance Place studio in January. A journey through ancient and exotic worlds, the work is set to the music of Yo Yo Ma and his Silk Road Ensemble. The close proximity focused attention on individual dancers and their expressions. For the weekend show at the Don Powell Theater, an expansive stage and subtle lighting shifted more attention to the work's beautiful groupings and spatial designs.

Lighting by Luke Olson made colorful costumes by Kit Frye and Heather Hass brighter. The larger space gave viewers a new perspective and suggested a wider frontier yet to be discovered. Further, it allowed the attractive cast to move with unrestricted vigor.

Summer Jones and Trystan Loucado had wonderful chemistry and form in their romantic duet. Anthony Diaz never looked better in sharp turns and jumps, and also in the section Akhalqalaqi, an exhilarating burst of fast footwork where Asia meets Riverdance. The collection of dances evoked strong images of tribes crossing bridges and climbing mountains, as with two dancers linked horizontally, and the group climbing over each other to reach the top and discover the other side.

And Isaacs enjoys changing the dynamic of a dance by switching dancers, even genders. The revival of Hurt and More Hurt was a fun and silly romp, but it grew out of grief after the sudden death of the local dancer Ricardo Peralta in 2002. Set to the gritty blues of Mississippi John Hurt, it was originally a dance for two men. For this show, Isaacs had switched it to two women, but that changed. The duet became hetero with Blythe Barton's rolling sex kitten persona - in a very poofy skirt - and John Diaz, a true gentleman who tried to escape her advances. Whimsical and witty, it was an interesting experiment that sparked vivid memories of Peralta and his solo, My Blue Angel.

In the premiere of Rhapsody in Blue and Other Dances Isaacs created a show within a show. Pianist Steve Baker and guitarist Fred Benedetti played a new version of Gershwin's masterpiece with classical elements and jazzy effects. Vintage apparel, blue dresses for the women and tuxedo trousers for the men, sent us back to 1924. And it all matched Isaacs' quirky movement that often felt like a spoof of the era with dramatic lifts and rehearsal huddles. Lighting by Kelli Groskopf included a fringed lamp over the piano to frame a nightclub context. Tight spotlights illuminated a cascade of soloists, duets and trios, as well as billowing dust that looked like a smoky haze. Even the musicians wondered if someone was smoking.

Minaqua McPherson interpreted the rhythms with exceptional musicality, stretching and holding on to each note, and her extensions and clean line were impressive. (The excellent cast also included Blythe Barton, Annie Boyer, Matt Carney, Anthony Diaz, Liv Isaacs-Nollet, Summer Jones, and Trystan Loucado).

Liv Isaacs-Nollet, Trystan Loucado, and Matt Carney in

Rhapsody in Blue. Photo Credit: Yvonne Portra

A restaging of Easter Oratorio from 2002 opened the program, which confused a few in the crowd, as Isaacs didn't announce that it would precede When Strangers Meet. "That didn't sound Asian," muttered one man. No kidding. Set to parts of Bach's soaring Easter Oratorio, the dance was a powerful narrative that contrasted deep sorrow and the glory of the risen Christ. During Liv Isaac-Nollet's emotional solo, an operatic voice sang of a glorious reawakening and wanting to find the love of Jesus, suggesting Nollet was portraying Mary Magdalene.

But even if you didn't understand German - "Saget, saget mir geschwinde, Saget, wo ich Jesum finde" (Tell me, tell me quickly, say where I can find Jesus…) or thought Easter meant jellybeans and egg salad, the dance was compelling. There was beauty in the sweeping movement and imagery, and under the narrative framework, abstracted human flaws and challenges.

Dancers in white linen slowly turned to stare at a man writhing and trembling, but snapped their heads back into position. They struggled to find grace and get along. Their clasped hands coiled out of control and punched the air. They lined up and crouched over in a continuous chain, but couldn't maintain the position and toppled over like dominoes. In the end, they did embrace goodness, and in spite of a terrible recording and over-modulating sound system that was corrected, the dance was one of the strongest on the program.

Isaacs expressed appreciation for the partnership with the San Diego State Department of Theater and its graduate design program. She also repeated her commitment to using live music. Indeed, lighting, a full stage, live music, and a vibrant cast made this program of revivals and new work very rewarding.

Jean Isaacs San Diego Dance Theater continues with its Spring Dance Showcase, June 12, and Trolley Dances, Sept. 25-26 & Oct. 2-3.

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