The Lar Lubovitch Dance Company celebrated its 40th anniversary in Meany Hall last Thursday with a beautifully rendered performance highlighting some of the company’s most famous routines.

A mix of graceful movements and twirling synchronization, the show presented three modern dance pieces that Lubovitch choreographed over the last 22 years.

The performance was part of a three-night (Feb. 5-7) stint in Seattle, marking the end of the company’s anniversary tour.

Founded after the American choreographer of the same name, the company has performed over 100 new dances over the last four decades. While the troupe performs extensively in New York, where the group is based, the Lubovitch Company has performed in over 30 countries around the world and has been spotlighted on both PBS and BBC programs.

Besides his signature dance company, Lubovitch is known for having created ice-dancing routines for Olympic skaters as well as dances for film and television, earning him nominations for International Emmy, Grammy and Cable Ace Awards. Recently, the choreographer founded the nonprofit Chicago Dancing Festival, for which he was awarded the prestigious Chicagoan of the Year award for 2007 by the Chicago Tribune.

The 14-member troupe is comprised of a diverse lineup of dancers, ranging from Warsaw native and Juilliard graduate Kate Skarpetowska to Attila Csiki, a Toronto performer who has both trained with the National Ballet of Canada academy and had a lengthy dance career in Tokyo. Current dancers in the company have also held dancing roles in Broadway musicals, film and even alongside Madonna on MTV.

For the first act, Lubovitch selected the 1986 piece “Concerto Six Twenty-Two.” Set to a recording of Mozart’s “Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra,” the three-part dance featured company members decked out entirely in white. The ballet-like performance alternated between frantic solo pieces and comedic ensembles, ending with a highly entertaining routine in which dancers slid, spun and, in one case, mimed riding a bicycle.

“Concerto” also included what appeared to be the most popular movement of the night: the all-male “Adagio.” According to the Lubovitch Company Web site, the dance was given “special resonance in the face of the AIDS crisis” of the 1980s, and portrays the friendship and relationship — though not stated as romantic — between two men. In the piece, the two are seen entering the stage slowly together and forming two intertwining circles with their hands before beginning an intricate dance displaying surprising feats of strength.

The second act, “Jangle,” demonstrated four Hungarian folk dances. While bringing to mind images of ancient European clothing, the simplistic and drab grey costumes worn in the piece unfortunately seemed to dim the upbeat atmosphere created by the dances. The four movements were, however, excellently choreographed numbers that included one dance in which members shifted snakelike across the floor.

“Dvorak Serenade,” on the other hand, featured a sharply contrasting slower tune for the third act. In each movement of the final piece — from the first spotlighting to the final group performance — the night ended with a series of elegant and regal dances showcasing the many talents of the world-renowned dance troupe.

Reach reporter Julian Martin at arts@dailyuw.com.