Sarasota Ballet has specialized in recent years on works by Sir Frederick Ashton, the founding choreographer of London's Royal Ballet. More than half the company's performances this season feature an Ashton ballet.

So it's no surprise that this weekend's concert brings us Ashton's "Les Rendezvous." It's one of his earliest ballets, from 1935, an abstract and light-hearted piece about a group of young people who interact outside the gates of a park.

It's not a commonly staged work, but it's apparently a favorite of company director Iain Webb, a former Royal Ballet dancer. Sarasota Ballet performed "Les Rendezvous" just two years ago. That 2011 performance drew enthusiastic from local and national critics.

Also on the program, are Antony Tudor's "Lilac Garden" and Dominic Walsh's "I Napoletani."

Details: March 1-3 at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Tickets: $30-$50. Information: 941-359-0099, www.sarasotaballet.org.

-- Marty Clear