There is no mistaking the strength and spirit of the Dallas Black Dance Theater, founded in 1976 by Ann Williams. Tonight’s concert entitled, “Boundless Dance, Dancing Beyond The Borders,” boasted six transforming, moving and energizing pieces: Trial and Error, The Experience, Essence, The White Swan Pas de deux, Phoenix and Beams from Heaven.

The first piece on the program, Trial and Error, by Richard A. Freeman Jr, was a web of vertical and horizontal lines, a lyrical sketch with phrasing that showed the dancers to be exceptionally skilled athletes, capable of impressive acrobatic lifts in addition to the more conventional ballet and modern dance vocabularies. The eye was always being drawn to different places as groups of dancers briskly rushed pasted one another.

Dallas Black Dance Theater II performed The Experience. Choreographer Allyne D. Gartrell created a confusing hodgepodge of Latin ballroom, Afro-Caribbean and Bob Fosse style Jazz. It’s true, a fusion of styles has the potential to sizzle, but unfortunately this dance remained undercooked. That said, the young dancers of Dallas Black Dance Theater II certainly delivered a well rehearsed, technically clean performance.

The evening continued with Essence, choreographed by Christopher Huggins in 2005 and featuring dancer Nycole Ray. Essence was a compelling piece that threads a delicate balance between controlled physicality and spine-tingling kinetic abandon. The curtain opened to reveal a lean female figure seated on a simple brown folding chair, center stage in a pool of white light. The piano notes drift through the auditorium as the dancer imitates these notes with her fingers. She seems vulnerable, her legs and arms flailing about as if detached from her torso somehow; she is unaware she’s being watched. In the end, as if caught off guard, she looks out into the audience, waves, and smiles.

The last two performances of the evening, Phoenix, choreographed by Zac Law Ingram and Beams from Heaven choreographed by Christopher Huggins were both highly memorable pieces. Clad in fabulous brightly colored leotards the dancers moved with the ease technical strength and endurance required to perform Phoenix. Ingram’s choreography perfectly matched the syncopation and counterpoint within the music. In particular, dancer Janine Beckles, was exciting to watch with a sweet smile and boundless energy.

Beams from Heaven was a spiritual awakening made manifest by choreography best described as Martha Graham meets the Mississippi Gospel Choir. It was an assertion of a deep faith in the underlying glory of life and the humble capacity for human beings to praise their creator. The concert concluded with a well-deserved standing ovation.