This Paul Taylor masterwork – last seen here almost a decade ago – is performed to carefree World War II hits by the Andrews Sisters (“Rum and Coca Cola,” “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “Oh, Johnny, Oh!”) contrasted with the melancholy realities of soldiers at war.

Paul Taylor's Company B is in a class by itself, a modern dance that consciously exposes its ballet roots. Taylor, a master of his craft, made the work for the Houston Ballet in 1991, created for the Kennedy Center Ballet Commissioning Project. It has since become one of the most acclaimed and widely performed works of the 1990s. His own modern dance company has performed it around the world.

The ballet is set to recordings by the popular 1940s singing group, the Andrews Sisters, and -- from its opening notes -- the piece recalls the World War II era. The dancers are spirits of the past, soldiers and bobby-soxers, invoked to dance once more – joyous and carefree despite the ever-present reminders of the hardships and tragedies of wartime.