Lostwax's Jamie Jewett

Boston’s contemporary-dance scene, a miniverse of small companies and independent choreographers, could best be described as subterranean. It exists in a shadowy world shared by friends and fellow travelers yet remains largely undiscovered by the ticket-buying general public. But in the past few years, World Music’s CRASHarts division — stepping into the role of the late lamented Dance Umbrella — has taken on the causes of companies too small for the FleetBoston Celebrity Series while also supporting local dance-makers. Chief among these efforts are CRASHart’s "Dance Straight Up," a shared program, and "Tens the Limit," a program (now in its third incarnation) dedicated to Boston dancers.

"Tens the Limit" seems to have struck a chord: this year’s edition, held next weekend at the Green Street Studios in Central Square, has expanded to four performances to meet ticket demand. The titular gimmick is that each of eight companies/choreographers is limited to a 10-minute presentation of a new work or work in progress — a format patterned after such similar new-work showcases as the Boston Theater Marathon (which happens to take place this year at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre on April 18, right on the heels of "Tens The Limit").

While the dedicated dance maven can quibble with the showcase’s grab-bag sensibility, the benefits of the format — which provide participants with much-needed financial backing and publicity — has made a difference to many of the choreographers chosen for the event. Malinda Allen, a founding member of the Movement Laboratory who returns to "Tens the Limit" this year, says that her 2003 stint led to "growth in terms of recognition. I’ve gotten bookings out of ‘Tens The Limit.’ It helped my image." Allen plans to start her own company next fall, with dreams of having a "fully professional, international-level company. I work really hard. I want a company that is the major commitment of the dancers, but I don’t know how many years it will take to get to that level," she says.

Jamie Jewett of Lostwax is a choreographer and media-maker who splits his time between Boston and New York, where he is a resident artist at HERE Center for the Arts in Soho. Another repeat from last year’s program, he believes that "Tens The Limit" was helpful in introducing his work to Boston audiences. "The press was great," he says. "In New York, it’s hard to get press coverage. We were very well reviewed in Boston."

Brenda Divelbliss, chosen again with Allen and Jewett out of a field of 30 contenders, says she’s grateful for the feedback generated by the process. After the CRASHarts staff whittled down the 2004 field to a dozen, an outside curator/performer — the choreographer and teacher Peter Schmitz — telephoned the finalists and gave them advice about the works they had submitted. "He also offered to call again in a month with more comments if we would work on the piece and send a second videotape," Divelbliss recalls. "He was very specific in his comments, very articulate."

Allen is presenting a solo, "About Time," set to two pop songs. Jewitt presents "Species" — one segment of a full-evening work entitled Salome — for a solo dancer and media collage; it’s based on a poem by Thalia Field and set to music by Alexander deVaron. Divelbliss will be showing a duet, "Small Sleep," with music by Peter Gilbert. And these will be joined by works from Meghan McLyman, Meredith Butulis’s Medusa Dance, Dawn Davis Loring’s Mosaic Dance Body, Alice Hunter’s On-e-On Dance, and Pei-Yi-Cheng.

"Tens The Limit" is presented next Friday and Saturday, April 17 and 18, at 7 and 9 p.m., at Green Street Studios, 185 Green Street, in Cambridge. Tickets are $12; call (617) 876-4275.