Taking wing on dreams of a homeland

Henoch Spinola (left) and Desiree Reese perform "Return" in the "Back to Cuba" program. (David Kamerman/Globe Staff)

CAMBRIDGE - Though choreographer Jose Mateo left his native Cuba to come to America at the tender age of 5, the heart and soul of his country's culture is deeply ingrained. For the second time in only four years, Mateo has devoted an entire program that goes back to his roots, and what a kick it gives his classically based choreography.

However, the current "Back to Cuba" program at the Sanctuary Theatre - one premiere and three works from the sold-out run of 2004's "The Cuban Condition" - doesn't feed off the music you might expect. Instead of the dancey grooves of Cuban popular music, Mateo has chosen music by some of his country's most esteemed composers of "concert" music, ranging from the Baroque composer Esteban Salas to contemporary composer Leo Brouwer, known for film scores such as "Like Water for Chocolate" and "A Walk in the Clouds."

In fact, the Latin influences in Brouwer's guitar concerto are pretty subtle, and Mateo's premiere for 18 dancers is similarly nuanced. "Return" loosely portrays a young woman trying to re-enter a community, which reacts to her presence with suspicion and contempt. It's easy to overlay the plight of the Cuban exile, but one suspects Mateo has a more universal theme in mind.

Desiree Reese beautifully captures the exile's strength yet vulnerability with softly curving arms atop crystalline footwork. She begins the piece with her hands shielding her eyes, opening them as if awakening, moving tentatively as if discovering the place for the first time. Shunned by the larger group, she connects with Henoch Spinola, who seems drawn to her light, airy grace. As they move through elegant arabesques and lifts, they barely allow their eyes to meet. Yet they dance with abandon, Reese releasing backward in a deep, fluid arch into Spinola's arms or diving into a swoon that ends with a passionate kiss.

Elisabeth Scherer portrays the exile's mother with a compelling sense of conflict, dancing with tensile flexibility and fleet footwork that leads her into sharp turns and slicing kicks. Eventually, she softens, embracing Reese with love before fleeing. A gorgeous section for four couples sends the women repeatedly arching backward into poses of submission. The full group dances with authority, despite discrepancies of timing.

"Danzones Baleticos" is a blast, marrying Mateo's long-lined classicism with the sashay and swagger of social dancing - hip rolls, pelvic thrusts, saucy shifts of the head. The burly Cosmin Marculetiu, who hasn't performed in two years, stepped in for an injured dancer at the last minute, and his charismatic mugging infused the piece with a rakish charm.

Ruth Bronwen led a solid performance of "Ayer Pasado" ("The Day Before Yesterday"), a romantic work of shifting entanglements. Her leaps were vivid and full-bodied, and her turns and balances had lyrical sweep as she portrayed a woman who loves and loses. Matt White swept her into breathtaking lifts, swinging her upside down over his shoulders or holding her curved body straight overhead. Spinola and Angie DeWolf contributed a bravura duet of soaring leaps and lifts.

Individually, the four short pieces of "Arroz con Mango" have terrific flair, especially the dramatically stark, sculpted "Canticum." But all would have fared better as separate works than squashed into one frame. Appropriately, "rice with mango" is slang for "what a mixed-up mess."