Joan Weill is the luckiest girl in the world. This I determined on Wednesday night, before the premiere of “Shining Star,” David Parsons’s new work for the Alvin Ailey company. In boldface type, the Playbill text reads: “Shining Star was commissioned by Sandy Weill in honor of his wife Joan and her extraordinary commitment and dedication to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.”

Now that is a gift.

Not only does this stunning gesture surely please its honoree, it expands the repertory of a dance company. If more husbands thought this creatively about gift-giving, an entire art form would benefit enormously. (And I imagine the gents would, too.)

As for the work itself, Mr. Parsons set this high-energy romp to a series of groovy tunes by Earth, Wind, and Fire. So hold onto your bellbottoms: It’s disco heaven.

The first dance features an ensemble of dancers strutting their stuff to the song “Shining Star.” The choreography blends social dancing with a jazzy, smooth style. The hip-rolls and finger snapping aren’t ornate or difficult; they’re simple, sexy, and pulsating. As is the song.

It is a particular talent of Mr. Parsons to dig into notoriously repetitive pop songs and find creative movement that reflects their simplicity. But the fact is, these songs (which I always have and always will love with all my heart) are superficial and cheesy. And there are some moments when the dance is, too.

In the song “That’s the Way of the World,” Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell and Dion Wilson have a duet that has an overly dramatic edge. The lifts and holds are designed to last too long; they make attractive pictures, but they’re a bit like ice-skating show-off tricks. Likewise in “Can’t Hide Love,” four men take the stage, backs to the audience, and turn to face us lustily, like Austin Powers. Later, four women join the men for a writhing dance that’s more entertaining.

When the ensemble returns for “September,” the choreography has spirit, though occasionally I feared the dancers would start to spell “spirit.” There are balled fists and chest contractions that have all the grace of cheerleading. In “Fantasy” a female dancer is carried around the stage and made to look like an angel; she’s lowered over to a few people and gives them a little blessing.

It’s not clear at all why this is happening – but, then, you have to remember that Earth, Wind, and Fire was part of the creative soup that gave us Oliva Newton-John’s movie “Xanadu.” So I’m guessing that this is self-aware cheesiness on Mr. Parsons’s part.

The premiere of this dance was performed to live music, which was fantastic. There was no band name mentioned, but this was one good cover group. I’d like to mention Artie C. Reynolds III on bass, and the killer pipes of Paul Brown, Jenny Douglas, and John James. Does this band do weddings? I’m going to a few in June. Hope they’ll be there, too.

I suspect the live music created a slight tempo problem, however, because the dancers seemed to be pausing or hesitating. On the other hand, this might be part of the choreography. Mr. Parsons created this work on his own company, then set it on the Ailey dancers; those two crews have different skills and talents. I’ll have to see this work with the standardized, recorded tunes to have a better sense of what’s going on.

Overall, “Shining Star” is a delightful good time. The dancers’ joy is infectious, and it’s a kick to see them using their highly trained bodies to boogie. The Wednesday program also contained Alonzo King’s “Following the Subtle Current Upstream,” a gripping work that weaves modern dance, an African sensibility, and contemporary Euro-whiplash moves. It’s a serious work, performed with precision.

The program closed with “Revelations,” which confirmed once more that Renee Robinson is just too good to be true.

“Shining Star” will be performed again December 10, 12, 22, 24 & 31 and January 2, 2005 (131 W. 55th Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, 212-581-1212).