With a pair of Goliaths like New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre, it's hard to find the equivalent of a balletic David in New York's massive dance scene.

	Stacie Williams, a member of the Ballet NY company. Click photo for larger image. Ballet NY Where: Byham Theater, Downtown. When: 8 p.m. tomorrow. Tickets: $20 (students), $35, $50, $125 (VIP ticket, includes reception); 412-456-6666, www.pgharts.org or Box Office at Theater Square.

Although Eliot Feld has been doing his thing downtown for more than 20 years and Christopher Wheeldon, choreographic darling of the jet set, is about to embark on his own, there is one dark horse on the horizon. It's called Ballet NY, which rode into The New York Times' Top 10 in dance in 2002.

The company has quietly but successfully been operating for nearly a decade. This small troupe -- only nine dancers -- has a lot of heart to have survived that long in the dance capital of the world. And now Ballet NY is putting that heart on display in Pittsburgh with a Byham Theater benefit performance tomorrow for the artificial heart program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Heart, Lung and Esophageal Institute.

"The word 'heart' actually contains the word 'art,' " quips Dr. Robert L. Kormos, director of the artificial heart program, who is serious about his passion for the arts and notes that surgeons, like dancers, have to perform "repeated acts with great precision, flair and accuracy ... to a different audience."

While providing "rejuvenation, regeneration and healing of hearts," Dr. Kormos and the UPMC staff support all types of heart patients. In addition to transplants, the institute is developing acute intervention, where patients suffering from a heart attack can be fitted with a pump that helps to reverse the damage and prevent heart failure.

Ballet NY might be just a blip on Pittsburgh's radar screen without the enthusiasm of longtime friends Bill Spence and Gerry Cramer, who, with their families, are sponsoring the performance. Cramer, a patron of the company, introduced Spence to artistic directors Judith Fugate and Medhi Bahiri about a year ago. After having seen the group perform, Spence thought the program would be "an ideal fit" for the benefit.

Fugate was a New York City Ballet principal dancer who was the first company member to rise from the youthful role of Marie in "The Nutcracker" to the Sugar Plum Fairy. Bahiri chose to dance on the international circuit as a guest artist.

Over the years, the couple dabbled in small pick-up companies but were encouraged to form something more permanent upon retirement. They started Ballet NY in 1996.

"Ten years later, we're still here," says Fugate. "These dancers all have the same basic training, so it was easier than you think. But what makes these dancers attractive is personality."

The current ensemble has former principal dancers and soloists from New York City Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet, but really reaped a windfall when Dance Theatre of Harlem and Twyla Tharp's "Movin' Out" closed.

Some talented dancers can get lost in the shuffle of a large company and like the opportunity of tackling starring roles more frequently. "We can offer them some really wonderful pieces," Fugate says.

The program is especially strong, with noted choreographers who are rarely seen in Pittsburgh. First up is "Once before, Twice after" by former Dance Theatre of Harlem and Complexions dancer Thaddeus Davis.

Davis' feat in being named to The New York Times Top 10 is all the more remarkable in that it was his first choreographic effort.

"He is multi-talented with his own unique style, a blend of classical with a real physicality and musicality to go along with it," explains Fugate.

Ballet NY also scored by enlisting the choreographic services of Stanton Welch, current artistic director of Houston Ballet and a hot commodity. "We caught him before he became a director and a big name," says Fugate, who saw a Welch piece overseas and fell in love with his style. His 2001 work is titled "Orange."

The benefit also brings West Coast choreographer Toni Pimble to the mix. "Two's Company" is the oldest Ballet NY piece on the program in a way, because it was choreographed for Fugate and two NYCB colleagues at the American Music Festival in 1982.

The lineup will be completed by John Butler's "Othello," a "fortunate" addition when the choreographer's foundation decided to make its fees more affordable. Ballet NY will perform the work as part of a Butler retrospective at New York's Joyce Theater in April.

Substantial choreography with a high entertainment factor has turned the institute into a presenting organization for Ballet NY, with not only heart patients benefiting but Pittsburgh audiences.

"We're attractive to venues that can't afford larger companies," says Fugate. "But we can provide the same caliber of performance with a much more affordable rate."