On Feb. 4, the New York Times reported that the last of George Balanchine's protégées, a ballerina named Darci Kistler, had announced her retirement. The news marks the end of an era, to be certain; however, Balanchine's death in 1983 has done little to muffle his reputation as one of the preeminent figures in the 20th century ballet world.The Boston Ballet's performance of Jewels, a Balanchine work from 1967, proves to be an exciting and diverse production. The ballet, which consists of three parts, each in a different style, is sure to please both the dance connoisseur as well as those cultural dilettantes who are simply interested in seeing a beautiful manifestation of the abilities of the human body. Jewels' plotlessness was, at the time of its debut, something quite innovative. While plotless theatrical or film works are sometimes targeted at the advanced cultural connoisseur only, the beauty of dance is that the mesmerizing display of movement remains visually engaging even without a narrative arc.

The first and longest act of Jewels, the "Emeralds" portion, is based on ballet's French origins. While an inexperienced ballet-goer may not recognize the correspondences between Balanchine's "Emeralds" and the history of French ballet style, one can certainly understand the contrasts between it and the following two acts, "Rubies" and "Diamonds," choreographed in Balanchine's own athletic and modern style, and in the style of Russia's classicism, respectively. I personally found "Emeralds" to be the weakest of the three portions. While the performances were certainly beautiful, the stately choreography and dull costumes and set design paled in comparison to the flashy, modern style of "Rubies" and the vivacious, agile choreography of "Diamonds." This is, perhaps, just a matter of taste; however, I feel that with most types of art, whether visual, musical or theatrical, pairing a subtle and quiet work with a more modern and unusual or more energetic work has the effect of downplaying the greatness of the former.

Thus it was "Rubies" which truly stole the show. The non-balletic movements and the athletic, almost gymnastic style of the act gave the performance some amount of attitude. This style of dance is more self-aware, I thought as I watched the piece. The bright red costumes and backdrop of the act further energized the performance. At only twenty-two minutes, the second movement left me wanting more. Some may disagree, but I feel that this more modern style better exploits the possibilities of expression through the stylized gestures of dance.

"Diamonds," finally, was an appropriate final act to the show. As the curtain rose, revealing brilliant white costumes and a shimmering white backdrop, the audience released murmurs and gasps of amazement. The truly stunning costumes and design fit perfectly with the sprightly choreography of the movement. My fellow viewers could barely contain their excitement as dancers both female and male executed pirouette after pirouette (the woman beside me counted aloud breathlessly as one dancer twirled and twirled as the audience gazed on).

I left the ballet with the sense that the three disparate styles embodied in the three acts were expertly arranged: the first, unfortunately somewhat dull but nonetheless beautiful French act; the second, invigorating modern act, and the third, triumphant, light and moving Russian act. The Boston Ballet's shimmering sets and lovely execution of this innovative Balanchine masterpiece provided a perfect setting for ballet-goers to take in the splendor of Balanchine's talent.

Jewels runs through March 8 at the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre.