Core Value Portfolio

Fund Summary

Investment Objective

The fund seeks long-term growth of capital,

with current income as a secondary objective.

Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund. These figures do not reflect any fees or charges imposed by participating insurance companies under their Variable Annuity contracts (VA contracts) or Variable Life Insurance policies (VLI policies), and if such fees and/or charges were included, the fees and expenses would be higher.

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses - Core Value Portfolio	Core Value Portfolio - Initial Shares	Core Value Portfolio - Service Shares
Management fees	0.75%	0.75%
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees	none	0.25%
Other expenses	0.32%	0.32%
Total annual fund operating expenses	1.07%	1.32%

Example

The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then hold or redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund's operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not reflect fees and expenses incurred under VA contracts and VLI policies; if they were reflected, the figures in the Example would be higher. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example - Core Value Portfolio - USD ($)	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Core Value Portfolio - Initial Shares	109	340	590	1,306
Core Value Portfolio - Service Shares	134	418	723	1,590

Portfolio Turnover

The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund's portfolio turnover rate was 87.64% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategy

To pursue its goals, the fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in stocks (or other instruments with similar economic characteristics). The fund focuses on stocks of large-cap value companies (market capitalizations of $1 billion and above). The fund typically invests mainly in the stocks of U.S. issuers, and will limit its holdings of foreign stocks (i.e., issued by companies organized under the laws of countries other than the U.S.) to 20% of the value of its total assets.

In choosing stocks, the portfolio manager focuses on individual stock selection (a "bottom-up" approach) rather than forecasting stock market trends (a "top-down" approach), and looks for value companies. A three-step value screening process is used to select stocks, which includes screenings for value, sound business fundamentals and positive business momentum.

Principal Risks

An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit. It is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency. It is not a complete investment program. The fund's share price fluctuates, sometimes dramatically, which means you could lose money.

·Risks of stock investing. Stocks generally fluctuate more in value than bonds and may decline significantly over short time periods. There is the chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising prices and falling prices. The market value of a stock may decline due to general market conditions or because of factors that affect the particular company or the company's industry.

·Value stock risk. Value stocks involve the risk that they may never reach their expected full market value, either because the market fails to recognize the stock's intrinsic worth or the expected value was misgauged. They also may decline in price even though in theory they are already undervalued.

·Foreign investment risk. To the extent the fund invests in foreign securities, the fund's performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting investments in foreign issuers. Special risks associated with investments in foreign issuers include exposure to currency fluctuations, less liquidity, less developed or less efficient trading markets, lack of comprehensive company information, political and economic instability and differing auditing and legal standards. Investments denominated in foreign currencies are subject to the risk that such currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the value of these investments held by the fund.

·Large-cap stock risk. To the extent the fund invests in large capitalization stocks, the fund may underperform funds that invest primarily in the stocks of lower quality, smaller capitalization companies during periods when the stocks of such companies are in favor.

Performance

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The bar chart shows changes in the performance of the fund's Initial shares from year to year. The table compares the average annual total returns of the fund's shares to those of a broad measure of market performance. The fund's past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future. More recent performance information may be available at www.dreyfus.com.

Performance information reflects the fund's expenses only and does not reflect the fees and charges imposed by participating insurance companies under their VA contracts or VLI policies. Because these fees and charges will reduce total return, policyowners should consider them when evaluating and comparing the fund's performance. Policyowners should consult the prospectus for their contract or policy for more information.

Year-by-Year Total Returns as of 12/31 each year (%) Initial Shares

Best Quarter
Q2, 2009: 16.83%

Worst Quarter
Q3, 2011: -22.14%

Average Annual Total Returns (as of 12/31/16)

Average Annual Returns - Core Value Portfolio	Average Annual Returns, 1 Year	Average Annual Returns, 5 Years	Average Annual Returns, 10 Years
Core Value Portfolio - Initial Shares	18.32%	15.80%	5.65%
Core Value Portfolio - Service Shares	18.00%	15.50%	5.42%
Russell 1000® Value Index reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes	17.34%	14.80%	5.72%