NOW Dance Company from Korea brought an infusion of color to the formal Gothic interior of Synod Hall on Sunday afternoon, from a rainbow of ribbons festooning the stage to the bold color blocks on the costumes, most with the traditional short jacket and high-waisted skirt.

A large audience greeted the rare appearance of a Korean troupe, not only to celebrate Pittsburgh's 250th birthday, but to benefit the Korean Heritage Room at the University of Pittsburgh.

The first half of the program had a spiritual quality, an organic breathability that resulted in an ebb and flow of dance. The delicate footwork in their curled white boots was barely visible under the voluminous skirts.

Nowhere was this more apparent than in the solo work of founder and artistic director In-Young Sohn. Dressed all in white, she was a model of focus and control in a pair of works that drew upon traditional themes like calligraphy and death in a singularly contemporary Korean way.

The second half moved up-tempo in "Harvest Moon Festival Dance," where the company provided a feast of radiant peasant dances and exuberant drum work, opening the door for more of the Korean experience here in Pittsburgh.