The Place is where the Richard Alston Dance Company is based, but it’s also the smallest theatre that the troupe performs in. So this “home” showcase was by its very nature focused on the intimacy of Alston’s choreography, seen in three new pieces.

The first, Alert, is the raw material for a forthcoming online film, part of the Hear Here! project, which is designed to increase audience appreciation of classical music. Set to a kooky commissioned score by Claudia Molitor, it involves four dancers, recurrent sequences, choreographic swaps and a spot of teaching, courtesy of Alston himself. The latter strides on stage to issue instructions to Wayne Parsons, who proves to be an excellent dancer with a strong memory and a mind of his own. The pleasure of their dance dialogue is the way Parsons embellishes Alston’s steps while remaining a loyal puppet.

Serene Beneath, which has piano music by Alexei Stanchinsky (played convincingly by Jason Ridgway) is delightful and way too short — only five minutes. It’s a quartet (three women, one man, interestingly) that moves fluidly yet resonates with a statuesque beauty.

The biggest Alston work on show on Wednesday was Blow Over, which was seen in a shortened version last year. This newly expanded one has music by Philip Glass and a cast of ten. It may not be Alston at his most sophisticated but it hums along with buoyant energy and purposeful musical interplay.

The programme also included Brink, by Martin Lawrance, which, too, is an expansion of an earlier work. Written as a series of hyperactive, slicing duets, Brink (which has tango music by the Japanese composer Ayuo played live by the accordionist Ian Watson) is one of those pieces that mistakes busy for clever. Which isn’t clever.

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