We sometimes arrive at points in life that, upon reflection, are inevitable. Choreographer Beth Corning is a prime example of that. Throughout a long, probing career, the dance artist has gradually pared away the excesses of her craft.

So when she assembled her latest Glue Factory Project, it centered on “BECKETT & beyond,” a program inspired by absurdist playwright Samuel Becket. Although he is most famous for “Waiting for Godot,” in which two men wait for a title character who never arrives, Ms. Corning chose two of his lesser-known and shorter works: “Act Without Words II,” a mime play with two characters (Francoise Fournier and Ivan Auzely), who “live” in large white bags but apparently are unaware of each other; and “Rockaby,” a mesmerizing solo work about an old woman (Ms. Corning) who ponders her life in a rocking chair that mysteriously starts and stops without any effort on her part.

They were connected by a choreographed interlude involving all three performers, one that appeared to collect life episodes without any apparent linear development.

It was all wrapped in Stephanie Mayer-Staley’s bright white set, which covered the floor before curving upward and separating from the massive back wall. Iain Court’s lighting assaulted the eyes at first and gradually, stealthily was toned down throughout the hourlong show.

This minimalist environment, which included the spare verbal rhythms (or lack of them) in Mr. Beckett’s text and Ms. Corning’s signature color palette of white, black, gray and carefully placed red, set the stage for rich, bold performances by Ms. Corning, reveling in one of her finest works, and her co-stars. Ms. Fournier, “pregnant” with hidden clothing, removed pieces one by one to hang on a line. She was both elegant and wonderfully puzzling in a solo pockmarked with what sounded like French muttering. Mr. Auzely was charismatic and darkly humorous, punctuating everything with haunting eyes.

It was daring in so many ways that Ms. Corning brought Beckett to the dance arena, blurring the lines further between movement and theater and confidently tinkering with a masterful playwright. Yet it was a good fit as it followed the abstract nature of dance, which has always offered a wide interpretative play for each individual member of the audience.

So be prepared for some personal struggle during “silent” periods of reflection and for a striking performance that remains in the memory for a very long time ... and continues to unfold.

Former Post-Gazette critic Jane Vranish: jvranish1@comcast.net. She blogs at pittsburghcrosscurrents.com.

First Published: September 11, 2015, 2:11 a.m.