The dancers of the Joe Goode Performance Group were powerful … and I never thought power could be that beautiful.

But the strength of the group’s performance of “The Rambler” — including singing, poetry, movement, music and spoken word — made it a stand-out show. The show was varied, but every portion of the performance boasted incredible resilience.

The dancers’ movement could not be called graceful: it was smooth, but the power and energy behind each muscle flex took away the grace I’m used to seeing in dance.

However, the calm and controlled precision of flexibility each dancer mastered lent prestige to the show as a whole; and the small performing company did not limit the show at all. Indeed, my appreciation of the versatility of the performance was only heightened by the small number of performers.

What’s more, the smoothness of the movement of the people on stage was mirrored in the constantly smoothly moving curtain formations around the stage; and the curtain served to highlight certain dancers, following them around stage and boxing them in for the audience.

And then there was the music, which was always different and sometimes absent.

Genres of accompaniment ranged from country to a capella while song subjects ranged from rocket ships to freedom and voices ranged from director Joe Goode himself to a choir of dancers.

The music added humor at times to the show, but most of all it expanded the audience’s preconceptions as the music of dance can come from any genre — time soul to modern rap style in “The Rambler.”

And then, at times, there was only one sound throughout the theater:  the dancers’ breath.

One of Goode’s goals for the piece is to reach out to audience members on their own level, not his level; and the many varied aspects of the show served to invite as many people as possible to enjoy at least one thing last night.

He proved it: there is almost nothing this group of not-just-dancers can do.