Without the choreographer there are no steps, and without the steps there is no dance. So it is of the utmost importance that Pittsburgh develop its choreographic talent to feed the appetite of both local dancers and an audience that is growing larger and more sophisticated each year.

Point Park University has taken a leading role in the community by not only sponsoring a student choreographic showcase in the fall, but to spotlight professional talents in "Pittsburgh Connections," now in its second year.

This past weekend at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, the Playhouse Dance Company was challenged with a wide array of styles that stretched from ballet to boogie and encompassed past, present and a very bright future.

Paul Draper's "Classical Tap in 3 Movements" brought back the lighthearted, elegant style for which Draper was known. But that didn't mean it didn't have some heavy duty flurries of tap. As staged and occasionally tastefully rearranged by Draper protege Karen Prunzik, the cast handled Draper's mind for detail with considerable aplomb. Likewise there were kudos in store for accompanist Sandy Ball, who reconstructed the piano score.

Point Park faculty member Peter Merz delved into the music of Pittsburgh jazz drummer and bandleader Art Blakey, who did the soundtrack for Roger Vadim's 1960 flick, an updated version of "Les Liaisons Dangereuses." But Merz's idea "Tryst" proved hardly "dangereux" at all. With its lengthy primping and awkward sexual games, it didn't allow a promising concept to get off the ground.

Mark Taylor represented the present in "I See You," radically rooted to one of his tuneful favorites, the grounded sounds of Tex Mex music. Taylor was in a prolific mood with these dancers, giving them plenty of freewheeling movement with which to play. He also didn't hold back -- more rhythm than usual was mixed in with Taylor's trademark dry humor.

It was a lot to swallow and occasionally the performers looked out of sync.

But on the whole, this was a terrific piece, with a wonderfully preening cowboy solo for Mike Patterson, a hand-clapping, thig-slapping chair dance for nine men and a no-holds-barred finale to boot.

As for the future, recent Point Park graduate Kiki Lucas provided "Benevolence," a sharply executed piece tailor-made for the Point Park dancers. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's talented Alan Obuzor, on the other hand, tapped his own flowing style in "Wisp," giving the dancers effortless, lyrical phrases that were immensely attractive and beautifully executed by Kassandra Taylor, Major Nesby, Alessandra Casuccio and Dan Karasik.