For the first decade of its existence, the Sarasota Cuban Ballet School was focused on turning out some of the most impressive ballet students in the area with training methods developed in Cuba and perpetuated by the school’s owners, Ariel Serrano and Wilmian Hernandez, both former dancers from Cuba. Only within the past year or so has the school formed a small studio company, which features a handful of professional dancers, amplified by apprentices and trainees from the school.

But don’t let the infancy and diminutive size of the company mislead; the school’s bench is deep, talented and well-trained, which means its “Romantic Night” program, which opened on Valentines Day eve, was impressive – diverse, polished and engaging.

The first half of the program was devoted to an interpretation of “Chopiniana,” the original title of the landmark ballet better known as “Les Sylphides,” which was choreographed by Mikhail Fokine for the Ballet Russes in 1907. A “ballet blanc” (white ballet), it pays homage to the Romantic era of the mid-19^th century and is considered the first “mood” ballet, with a dozen “sylphs” in long white tutus and fairy wings surrounding a moody “poet.” Abstract and plotless, danced to (now) extremely familiar melodies by Frederic Chopin, it focuses on lyricism and pure dance, with long passages of the tiny steps on pointe known as bourrées, lots of stylized arm movements and head positions and none of the acrobatic theatrics of today’s contemporary dance world.

Considered old-fashioned, dated, even boring for its lack of action, it is rarely performed nowadays, but it gives a nod to this company’s Cuban roots, since some of the oldest ballets in the world were preserved for decades by the island’s Cuban National Ballet, which came to the fore during the reign of Fidel Castro. Its relentlessly slow pace and affected style might prove a challenge for many of today’s aspiring dancers, but the Cuban Ballet students performed it with the subtlety it requires and a veracity to the original that was impressive.

Brian Guerrero, who is tall even for a male dancer, was a steady and attentive partner, even if his landings from leaps were sometimes a bit harsh. Soloists Evelyn Lyman, who danced the prelude, Astrid Westerfield, who performed the waltz segment and Katherine Lane, who danced the mazurka, all captured the demure, downcast eyes, flowery hands and stylized postures required by the choreography. But Lane was the standout – and not only because her role called for a bit more action than the others.

Lane executes with the technical skill and maturity of artistic interpretation of someone much older and more experienced; she’s one of those dancers who make it hard to watch anyone else on the stage. But perhaps the greatest kudos go to whomever rehearsed the dozen corps dancers, who really do little more than bourrée around forming different patterns and striking poses they hold for countless minutes. They commanded a style completely foreign to most young students today and performed with the precise uniformity and lack of individuality demanded of their roles.

After an intermission, all but one piece showcased the work of the talented Cuban choreographer, Tania Vergara Perez, a teacher with the school who recently formed her own company, Tania Vergara Dance Theater. Hers is an original and creative contemporary voice and vision that is never less than entertaining and often visually striking.

Her “Sofa Pas de Deux” was a charming, playful, extremely brief vehicle to Vivaldi music, featuring a lightweight purple couch which Westerfield and guest artist Jhostin Jimenez bounced on, bounded over and picked up while jousting with each other like two sibling rivals. Westerfield seemed clearly more at ease here than in her classical role, and Jimenez demonstrated not only an admirable strength, buoyancy and technique, but a winning and captivating personality. (It’s not often you see a male dancer hold the foot of his partner to his nose and hold his nose.)

His pairing with Lane for another short pas de deux, “Atardecer (Sunset),” to classical Spanish guitar music by Joaquin Rodrigo, was a winning combination. The abstract piece, which the two young dancers choreographed themselves, featured unusual and challenging partnering moves that showcased Lane’s flexibility and Jimenez’ strength, as the two repeatedly came together within inches of a kiss before breaking away, unrequited.

“Converging Point” featured two dancers from Vegarra Perez’s company, Roxana Alonso and Isabella Serrano, dressed in flesh-toned briefs and bra tops and purple bobbed wigs. They dance inside, outside and around the skeletal framework of three rectangular, open-sided “boxes” which they manipulate to change position and shape. Though there was no defined narrative, the interaction of the duo veered from collaborative to combative, with one consistently gaining the upper hand. The ending, with one sitting on a chair eating from a bag of popcorn as the other falls to the ground in despair had the desired punch-in-the-gut effect.

As quiet and understated as the program began, so was its finale loud, flashy and action-packed. “Fantasia Flamenca” is a bright burst of color and movement, danced to a flamenco version of Beethoven and Ravel’s “Bolero” by Gustavo Montesano with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Eight dancers in fuschia tights and shoes with black tops and a soloist (Westerfield) in a costume with the colors reversed make the most of their red fans, snapping them open and closed as they execute energetic flamenco-inspired steps. Midway through the first movement, Guerrero appears, his height and presence made even more striking by his costume of a floor-length, vivid royal blue shimmering skirt, which he swoops and waves like a matador enticing a bull with a cape.

In the second movement, he’s joined by Jimenez and four women similarly dressed in blue skirts – the three soloists from the first piece of the program and a new addition, Addison Josey, who is another long-limbed wonder. Guerrero takes a turn partnering Lyman and Jimenez partnering Lane, but it is the final pairing of Jimenez and Josey that turns heads, full of strength and power.

At the end, all the dancers return to the stage for a final burst of sweeping skirts, snapping fans and eye-popping color. One thing is certain for sure; Vergara Perez knows how to make an audience sit up in their seats. Her eye for line, movement and visual impact is unerring.

If there was anything to critique in this dazzling display, it could only be attributed to a lack of spondulicks. This school bats far above its weight and size, but it’s hard not to envision what they could do with a bigger budget. While the newly-constructed “Chopiniana” costumes were pitch-perfect in their authenticity, their “stage” is the Marley floor of the school’s main rehearsal studio; the audience sits on several rows of chairs on risers and the recorded music was played on a funky sound system of sub-optimal quality. That said, the informal setting does allow for every patron to get an up-close and intimate view of this commendable, up-and-coming bunch of gited dancers. Just think what a little more financial support might do.

Sarasota Cuban Ballet “Romantic Night,” Additional performances through February 15. Tickets $45. 4740 Cattleman Road. www.srqcubanballet.org; 941-365-8400.