Three Stars Flaunting Their Styles: Flirty, Serene and Mysterious.

New York City Ballet has its flaws, but a lack of vibrant female dancers isn't one of them. In George Balanchine's era dancers weren't carbon copies in body type or personality; mercifully, the same holds true today. On Thursday evening at the David H. Koch Theater, three principal dancers evoked their assertive harmony or individuality in a program of ballets by Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. Along with the finely seasoned Wendy Whelan -- the pliability of her body is a shock each time she steps onstage, no matter the part -- there was a younger generation on view too. Megan Fairchild and Ashley Bouder, who joined City Ballet within a couple of years of each other in the early 2000s, returned to works they first performed as girls. The performances are different now; they're women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]