The Brooklyn programme that paired three Bill T. Jones repertory pieces with two new short theatre works this past weekend demonstrated what cross-medium performance programming can do when the curatorial logic is genuinely considered.

The dance pieces

The Bill T. Jones pieces — chosen from the company's deeper repertory rather than its most-programmed work — were performed by the current company at a level that the choreographer's longtime audience would recognise. The repertory work continues to produce real artistic outcomes when given the kind of careful re-staging it deserves.

The theatre pieces

The two new short theatre works were chosen specifically to converse with the dance pieces rather than to stand alongside them. The conversation produced moments of mutual illumination that more programmatic pairings would not have achieved.

The programming logic

The programming logic is the kind of thoughtful cross-medium curation that the broader performing-arts landscape has been moving away from. The conversations between forms have always produced interesting work when programmed carefully; the carefulness is the rare element.

The verdict

The programme is the kind of cross-medium work that justifies the small-venue performing-arts ecosystem when too much of the broader landscape drifts toward more familiar pairings. The presenting venue's commitment to this kind of programming deserves more recognition than the contemporary culture-coverage tends to provide.