Now the contradictions and cutesy gestures are gone. With judicious snipping, plus the choreographer's own extraordinary talent spurt, Wonder Why is now a fully realized dance. Neenan himself performed with his BALLETX troupe, composed of Pennsylvania Ballet buddies, reminding everyone he's still a superb dancer and knows his stuff inside out. The whole small troupe looked great, none better than Meredith Rainey glorious with boneless beauty Amy Aldridge, or the two whirling wonders Christine Cox and Tara Keating. When the piece finished, the audience went ahhhhh, and spontaneously rose to applaud.

The program began with one of the most truly odd, honestly weird and wonderful-to-watch works this viewer's ever seen. Local choreographer Kate Watson-Wallace's Living Room(s) is a pas de quatre for two women, one man and a red sofa. Using three of Philly's best dancers, Bethany Formica, David Konyk and Megan Mazarick, she creates a surreal movement poem. Konyk and Formica leave Mazarick sprawled on the stage while they twine and turn on the sofa. Then Mazarick has a solo sprawl on the sofa. Eventually, the sofa's hoisted lengthwise over the stage with Mazarick lying down to take a nap, which means she's essentially standing on her head. At the end, Mazarick dangles in the air from under the floating sofa. Watson-Wallace is working on a traveling movement installation called House—personally I can't wait to see what she does with kitchen(s) and bathroom(s). Stay tuned.

Hijack, two Minneapolis ladies named Kristin Van Loon and Arwen Wilder, came to the festival with a big reputation as ferociously interesting experimenters. Unfortunately, at the opening-night performance, the rep was more impressive than the work. The two ladies performed in Fetish wearing high black boots in a stop-start, talk-move, sometimes-play-with-dangling props, constantly herky-jerky work that never jelled.

Anne-Marie Mulgrew and dancers in long white gowns, carrying white umbrellas, strolled down Broad Street pre-performance, peering in the Kimmel, carefully crossing Broad, finally coming down the Wilma aisles. Creating very pretty, wonderful street art, the slow-moving ladies enhanced the evening.

DanceBOOM! Program 2, with BALLETX, Hijack, Kate Watson-Wallace, Anne-Marie Mulgrew and Dancers Co. June 22, Wilma Theater