Saturday afternoon at New York City Ballet was a good day to be a fan of dancer Tom Gold. He may be one of the smaller men on the roster, but Mr. Gold has one of the brightest stage personalities in the company. In both “Fanfare” and “Stars and Stripes,” his performances made the ballets especially pleasing.

In Jerome Robbins’s “Fanfare” – a charming exercise in teaching children the combined arts of orchestral music and dance – Mr. Gold was part of the Percussion section. And what a lively little drum he was. Grimacing and pulling up his shoulders, he got laughs not only for his comic facial expressions but for his sharp use of the body to visualize the many percussion instruments.

He was joined by Amar Ramasar and Sean Suozzi, who are also extremely personable, engaging dancers. This lively trio made for the most fun section within the “orchestra”; in this ballet, each of the musical sections in the pit are represented on stage by dancers.

The Woodwinds start with the twinkling toes of Glenn Keenan as the Piccolo and finish up with the stately humor of the Bassoons: Jason Fowler and Craig Hall. The Strings feature the long arabesques of the dancers representing the Celli: Saskia Beskow, Rebecca Krohn, and Sarah Ricard. Teresa Reichlen made herself the picture of aloof individuality as the Harp. Daniel Ulbricht, as the Tuba, was very much large and in charge.

“Fanfare” is light fare, but wholly enjoyable as performed here. Presiding over it all was the courtly David Lowenstein as the Major Domo. In an exceptionally clear voice – the kind that can project throughout an enormous theater without a microphone – he explained the ballet to the audience. It’s a friendly touch – and, come to think of it, a few more ballets could use it.

The afternoon program included a rather flat “Concerto for Two Solo Pianos,” led by Carla Korbes, Ask la Cour, and Mr. Ramasar. Ms. Korbes danced with a healthy dose of charm and flirtation with the audience. But Mr. La Cour seemed nervous, blank, or a combination of the two. Mr. Ramasar wasn’t quite at home in the choreography, though he did bring a certain spark to the stage.

Among the three, the treatment of the choreography was more athletic than musical or creative. There was little chemistry between Ms. Korbes and Mr. La Cour; her relationship with Mr. Ramasar warmed toward the end – as if a sense of relief allowed them to dance with greater vigor.

The program finished with a rousing performance of “Stars and Stripes,” Balanchine’s splashy, red-white-and-blue montage of dances to music adapted from John Philip Sousa’s marches. Jennifer Tinsley led the First Campaign with more sweetness than real leadership. She seems to have more than she gives; there are moments where she uses smart phrasing or dances with joie de vivre, but then things settle back to solid, clean, and nice. As the leader of the Second Campaign, Ellen Bar was bold and exaggerated, which is right for the role.

The Third Campaign, led by the sharp-saluting Mr. Gold, was a fine lineup of soldiers. From his careful heel first placement, to his near-constant jumping in his variation, Mr. Gold lent real excitement to the “regiment.”

Sofiane Sylve and Charles Askegard danced the principal pas de deux, as Liberty Bell and El Capitan. Ms. Sylve, though technically brilliant, seemed to lack a sense of the humor in the ballet. This is serious choreography, yes, but it was time to have a little fun. Mr. Askegard, on the other hand, was slightly goofy yet macho – in the spirit that the role needs.

It’s worth noting that he has danced his role many times, but this was her New York City debut as Liberty Bell. After a few more Stateside Fourth of Julys, she’ll catch on.