Nederlands Dans Theater update.

Although he resigned from the artistic directorship in 1999, Jiri Kylian's 29-year relationship with Nederlands Dans Theater is still committed, going strong, and showing no signs of deteriorating. In a profession noted for its fickleness, temperament, and ego, Kylian's influence is equaled only by his modesty and versatility. But, as NDTI's cross-country American tour this month will reaffirm, the Czech choreographer's sensibility still prevails.

American audiences can partake of two separate bills during this visit. Program A features Walking Mad by Johan Inger, recently appointed artistic director of Sweden's Cullberg Ballet. This humorous piece with a serious undertone is a dramatic adventure about three women and their relationships to themselves and to the men in their lives. Completing the fare are two Kylian golden-oldie hits, Psalmensymfonie and Click Pause Silence. What intrigued Kylian about the latter was "the mystery of people entering our life, becoming a part of it, and 'disappearing' again. Sometimes it clicks. The pause tells us about time. The silence speaks."

Program B highlights Kylian's contemporary works Claude Pascal and Last Touch, which premiered in NDT's home city, The Hague, in November 2003. The final work is called 27' 52", a reference to the duration of the ballet.

At 56, Kylian remains a master and one, who, throughout his more than fifty dances, has shown himself capable of enormous stylistic evolution. Spurning a nineteenth-century ballet idiom, he developed his own modern dance language. Yet, in each program, amid the wildly contrasting tones, you'll see the unmistakable Kylian signature of abstract images, dramatic inflections, whimsical dancing, dazzling detail, and deeply moving partnering work.

The American tour comes during a period of transition for the company. On January, 1, Swedish-born Anders Hellstrom officially assumed artistic directorship of NDT, a position previously held by former dancer Marian Sarstadt. Hellstrom is regarded as a man with a vision, and is expected to provide a new impetus for further company development. Kylian will continue to function as resident choreographer and as artistic advisor to the company, an arrangement he has enjoyed for the past four years.

What changes can we expect with Hellstrom onboard? While still nurturing the golden-oldies heritage, Hellstrom will recruit and challenge young up-and-coming choreographers to work with the gifted and brilliant dancers in the junior company, NDT II. Italian-born choreographer Emio Greco is in the studio this winter with NDT II after he unveiled his debut work last November with NDT I, a stirring duet called Double Points: Two. Greco is an emerging name to remember for future reference.

A recent NDT communique stated that Hellstrom will be looking for dancemakers who are prepared to experiment further and stimulate creativity, perhaps taking a riskier repertoire route. Hellstrom is surely up to the task, since he has already proved himself as director of Sweden's Gothenburg Ballet, which he completely transformed from a classically oriented company to a vibrant contemporary one. Finally, Hellstrom plans to encourage and challenge his own company dancers to develop themselves and blossom into choreographers.

Nederlands Darts Theater begins its tour March 9 at the Gilman Opera House, Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York, and concludes April 4 at Segerstrom Hall, Orange County Performing Arts Center, Costa Mesa, California.