During their three world premieres Tuesday and Wednesday, choreographers in the American Dance Festival's Emerging Generation program displayed diverse ways of looking at dance.

Pam Tanowitz's "Monument (For Viola)" proved especially interesting, beautiful and oddly touching.  Her combination of classical, balletic movements with a modern dance sensibility results in what feels like a whole look at human beings: spirit/soul, angel/animal.  This approach brings to mind Paul Taylor, who embraces these dualities.

Yet Tanowitz definitely has her own style.  Her use of different dance forms constantly shifts from one to the other, the transitions smooth or rough and fragmented in a way that evokes the sense of movement in Duchamp's "Nude Descending a Staircase." Her classical forms sometimes end with quick, surprising flourishes, as when dancers' hands change from holding a rounded pose to scrubbing the sky.

She includes references to Irish dancing with fast, stomping feet and kicks reminiscent of "Riverdance."

Some shapes look Eastern as dancers, knees bent, take giant, sideways, toe-heel steps.  They turn into animals, dropping on all fours and leaping from side to side.

Dancers do some things that make them look earthy and human such as scooting on their butts. Sometimes, they appear frail and struggling.  They drag one foot.  One dancer drops from the waist and stays leaned over as though dejected, but a dancer helps him rise by taking his hand.

Sometimes, they look just plain odd: A woman's back muscles riplle in a way that suggests she's possessed by an alien about to break out.