st. louis • Music director David Robertson and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra were on a roll at Powell Symphony Hall this weekend, with three sold-out concerts in a row.

"The Movie Music of John Williams" ruled Thursday and Friday, but Saturday night was that festival of fun surprises, the New Year's Eve concert. The 2011 edition built on the SLSO's season-long emphasis on dance, with both familiar and surprising selections.

Robertson was wound up tighter than an eight-day clock and was at his best for both verbal and physical stand-up comedy. "Some of the music in this concert is recycled," he announced early in the program. "One hundred percent of the jokes are recycled."

Robertson treated the audience to an excellent Garrison Keillor impersonation, a Russian accent and attitude, and an exhibition of ballet positions that included rolling a cigarette. There was a riff on stoplights: most cities have a "green wave" of lights that change as cars approach in order to keep traffic moving; St. Louis, on the other hand, has a "red wave" of lights that change as cars approach.

There was audience participation, with a quick lesson in Hungarian idiom. In perhaps the evening's cleverest bit, Robertson hopped along an imaginary keyboard, getting the audience to sing "Dah" on the notes he designated. Once everyone was on board with that, he sang a little melody above it, still bouncing as his volunteer choir continued on their parts.

And he noted how the orchestra helped the Cardinals win the World Series: there was a strong correlation between SLSO participation (a trio of trumpeters playing the national anthem, for example) and the team's advancing. On that note, he introduced vocalist Brian Owens, who sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" for the Cards before one game. Owens' day job is coordinator for the orchestra's Community Partnerships department, and it was a great touch to have him sing two numbers for the Powell Hall audience.

The music began with the Polonaise from Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin." Like much of the programmed music, it was beautifully played, but some of the tempos were a little bit zippy for actual dancing.

That wasn't the case with Morton Gould's "Tap Dance Concerto," with Lane Alexander as the soloist. Clad in a black suit, set off with a red waistcoat and matching socks, he offered lots of humor and great dancing, particularly in his lengthy cadenza. The concerto itself felt about two movements too long, though.

Another highlight came with two selections from Dmitri Shostakovich's humorous-but-tricky "The Golden Age," the Polka and Danse. The concert ended with the by-now traditional "Missouri Waltz" and the singing of "Auld Lang Syne."