The holiday season brings a mix of memories that come and go as we decorate our homes and meet with friends and family. It's something that the Dance Alloy Theater has captured with an unerring charm and warmth in "A Circus of Time," currently on display at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty.

Certainly there are no ornaments on hand, except perhaps when 80-year-old Perry Jubelirer hangs assorted shoes on some of the women in Claire Porter's "Time & Again." But the richest of memories are the ones that we can call up in an instant, and there are scores of them on this program.

Porter's cast includes seven seniors who have a rich history of their own, one that they generously showcase, and the five Alloy dancers who are currently making their own memorable performances with the kind of muscular technique and genuine commitment that, in combination, sets a high standard in this city.

The multigenerational performers interact with a sweetness that is disarmingly honest, in a text-driven dance piece that would even give real pleasure to theater buffs. With Chung-Yung Liao's flattering lighting, almost sepia-toned, the dancers rhythmically intone phrases about time that resonate in many ways, depending on who is saying it.

At Friday's performance, Porter followed "Fund Raiser," a solo work of her own in the classic comedic monologue style at which she excels. Emerging unexpectedly from the audience, she repeatedly asked for our attention and got it. Dressed in (shall I say it?) a matronly suit, droopy bowed blouse and heels, she delivered her speech in a nonplussed manner that uproariously lacerated the real backbreaking fund raising that organizations do, and, in the case of the Alloy, deeply deserve.

As Porter became consumed with things like glasses, cards and money, Beth Corning followed with her own kind of theatrical detail in "Selective Memory," delivered at the meticulous, deliberate pace currently found in many European modern dance companies. But it is a stylistic choice that sets her apart in Pittsburgh.

Corning revisited a childhood place, something that she used to good effect in one of her first works, "At Once There Was a House." In this "Memory," Jeffrey Gordon, who likes to be known professionally as Clown Gordoon, took the spotlight as a cheery/sad central figure who entertained by blowing toilet paper in the air, seemed puzzled by the dancers and was entranced by the notion of bubbles.

The dancers playfully moved around and in between his segments, clad in comfortable gray outfits with splashes of red made by the talented Marina Harris. Tall, lithe Maribeth Maxa wore a short checkered dress and toyed with a baby buggy. Stephanie Dumaine nearly always floated above the earth, using, at one point, a set of miniature red chairs as steppingstones. They all shrank under big black umbrellas.

These were pungent images that can be fondly recalled by everyone in the audience. They also stood on their own from the start and didn't need the extended repetition that followed, where the whimsical elements of surprise were slowly replaced by a solid choreographic technique. Nonetheless, this was the kind of performance that you cannot and will not forget.

Dance Alloy Theater will repeat "The Circus of Time" tonight at 7 with pay-what-you-can admission. 412-363-4378.