Ben Needham-Wood News

As Shelter-in-Place continues, Smuin Contemporary Ballet offers aspiring, retired, and professional dancers the chance of a lifetime to dance along with the company's world-class artists and instructors in the comfort of their own home.

Smuin Contemporary Ballet continues to develop novel ways of sharing inspiring art and staying connected with its community during the Shelter-in-Place order, beginning with its new Hump Day Ballets series. Every Wednesday through the month of April, a different ballet from Smuin's repertoire, curated by a current Company dancer, will be released to the public.

Due to theaters closing to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Hammer Theatre Center has postponed New Ballet's Fast Forward, an exhilarating evening of contemporary ballet highlighting the innovative works of rising local and national choreographers originally scheduled for March 28.

Subjects from aliens to opera will be explored through dance when Hammer Theatre Center presents New Ballet's Fast Forward, an exhilarating evening of contemporary ballet highlighting the innovative works of rising local and national choreographers. In this dynamic performance, New Ballet's gifted dance artists bring each choreographer's creative vision to life in a lively and fast-paced evening.

 Smuin Contemporary Ballet christens its new home, the Smuin Center for Dance, with public performances of its Choreography Showcase. Eight Smuin dancers will step into the spotlight as choreographers, utilizing fellow company members to bring their original ideas to life on stage. Audiences will enjoy a first look at ten fresh new works created by Smuin dancers testing their choreographic wings, performed in Smuin's new studio.

Opera San José supporters gathered at the historic California Theatre tonight to welcome its new General Director Khori Dastoor and hear her unveil the company's new strategic vision and ground-breaking line-up for the 2020-21 season, including new productions, company premieres, artist debuts, and cultural collaborations in four mainstage productions a?" including one with Broadway roots, a company first. Last spring, the Opera San José Board of Directors announced the appointment of Dastoor as the company's third general director, to succeed retiring general director Larry Hancock. She assumed the position October 1, 2019, becoming one of only six women, and the only woman of color, leading a major opera company in the US (budget over $3 million). Since then she has been overseeing all aspects of artistic planning and business operations, and now announces her first season to be staged September 2020 through May 2021 at the beautifully restored California Theatre in downtown San Jose. Noting that Opera San José has been an integral part of the cultural fabric of the greater San Jose area for over thirty-five years, said Dastoor, a?oeOur current charge is to elevate the company as a vibrant artistic incubator in the heart of Silicon Valley,a?? announcing what she described as a season of renewal, growth, and, above all, impassioned music making and storytelling.

Smuin kicks off the holidays with the welcome return of The Christmas Ballet, a program featuring two acts packed to the brim with both breathtaking classical ballet and festive contemporary numbers. The beloved Bay Area tradition will bring back time-honored favorites and unveil brand new surprises set to holiday tunes and incorporating ballet, tap, jazz, and swing.

ODC Theater, part of the most active center for contemporary dance on the West Coast, has announced the program for its 2020 Season, including the kick-off to ODC's 50th anniversary celebrations. Among the season's highlights are premieres by Larry Arrington, Deborah Slater Dance Theater, Funsch Dance, Garrett + Moulton Productions, Geoff and Dan Hoyle, inkBoat with Ann Carlson, Kinetech Arts, The Living Earth Show, Robert Moses' Kin, RAWdance, Amy Seiwert's Imagery, SFDanceworks and Bobbi Jene Smith.

Smuin concludes its quarter-century celebration with a tribute to founder Michael Smuin and his vibrant works set to the music of George and Ira Gershwin, Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, and others. The Best of Smuin will feature the return of timeless favorites such as the red-hot chair solo "Fever," along with highlights from Dancin' With Gershwin and more. Sharing the bill is the smashing world premiere of "Renaissance" by master dancemaker Amy Seiwert, honoring Michael's legacy as an innovator in ballet, dance, and beyond.

Smuin continues its 25th anniversary season with Dance Series 01, a dazzling program that pushes the boundaries of contemporary ballet. Acclaimed dancemaker Trey McIntyre returns to Smuin with Blue Until June, a thrilling tribute to Etta James. Continuing Smuin's long-time dedication to fostering new talent within the company is a trio of groundbreaking works first developed in Smuin's Choreography Showcase: Merely Players by Smuin dancer Nicole Haskins, Reflection by Smuin dancer Ben Needham-Wood, and Sinfonietta by former Smuin dancer Rex Wheeler. Dance Series 01 will also include Michael Smuin's timeless Schubert Scherzo, an effervescent dance set to Schubert's sprightly C-Major Symphony and The Eternal Idol, Michael Smuin's romantic pas de deux inspired by Auguste Rodin's iconic sculptures. Dance Series 01 will be presented February 1-2 at the Sunset Center in Carmel and February 21-24 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets ($58-$76) are available by calling the individual venues (see below for details) or visiting www.smuinballet.org.

ODC Theater, part of the most active center for contemporary dance on the West Coast, has announced its 2019 Season, a program demonstrating the organization's commitment to fostering new performance and to introducing the work of esteemed artists from across the globe to new audiences.

Smuin kicks off the holidays with the return of The Christmas Ballet, the beloved Bay Area tradition featuring two acts packed to the brim with both flawless classical ballet and red-hot contemporary numbers.

Smuin launches its 25th anniversary season with Dance Series 01, a fall program that expands the boundaries of contemporary ballet, pays tribute to Smuin's founder, and celebrates the company's quarter century mark. Acclaimed dancemaker Trey McIntyre returns to Smuin with Blue Until June, a thrilling tribute to Etta James. Continuing Smuin's long-time dedication to fostering new talent within the company is a trio of groundbreaking works first developed in Smuin's Choreography Showcase: Merely Players by Smuin dancer Nicole Haskins, Echo (formerly titled Reflection) by Smuin dancer Ben Needham-Wood, and Sinfonietta by former Smuin dancer Rex Wheeler. Dance Series 01 will also include two works by founder Michael Smuin: Schubert Scherzo, an effervescent dance set to Schubert's sprightly C-Major Symphony, and Eternal Idol, a romantic pas de deux inspired by Auguste Rodin sculptures. Dance Series 01 will be presented September 21-22 at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek and September 28-October 6 at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. For subscriptions and further information the public may call (415) 912-1899. Single tickets ($25-$81) are available by calling the individual venues or by visiting www.smuinballet.org. (This program will also be presented in February 2019 in Mountain View and Carmel.)

Smuin launches its 25th anniversary season with Dance Series 01, a fall program that expands the boundaries of contemporary ballet, pays tribute to Smuin's founder, and celebrates the company's quarter century mark. Acclaimed dancemaker Trey McIntyre returns to Smuin with Blue Until June, a thrilling tribute to Etta James. Continuing Smuin's long-time dedication to fostering new talent within the company is a trio of groundbreaking works first developed in Smuin's Choreography Showcase: Merely Players by Smuin dancer Nicole Haskins, Echo (formerly titled Reflection) by Smuin dancer Ben Needham-Wood, and Sinfonietta by former Smuin dancer Rex Wheeler. Dance Series 01 will also include two works by founder Michael Smuin: Schubert Scherzo, an effervescent dance set to Schubert's sprightly C-Major Symphony, and Eternal Idol, a romantic pas de deux inspired by Auguste Rodin sculptures. Dance Series 01 will be presented September 21-22 at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek and September 28-October 6 at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. For subscriptions and further information the public may call (415) 912-1899. Single tickets ($25-$81) are available by calling the individual venues or by visiting www.smuinballet.org. (This program will also be presented in February 2019 in Mountain View and Carmel.)

Smuin launches its 25th anniversary season with Dance Series 01, a fall program that pushes the boundaries of contemporary ballet. Acclaimed dancemaker Trey McIntyre returns with his fourth collaboration with Smuin in Blue Until June, a sultry dance set to the heart-wrenching vocals of legend Etta James.

Marking its quarter-century, Smuin announces a sensational lineup for its 25th Anniversary season featuring the highly-anticipated return of Trey McIntyre, a world premiere by Amy Seiwert and brand new main stage adaptations from Smuin dancers, plus timeless classics by Michael Smuin celebrating an array of music from Gershwin to Nat King Cole.

Smuin dancers will step into the spotlight as choreographers during Smuin's 2018 Choreography Showcase, utilizing fellow company members to bring their original ideas to life on stage in fresh new dances. This fascinating showcase of never-before-seen pieces equal parts bold, lively, and curious will be followed by a Q&A session, during which audience members can discuss the artistic process with the dancers and choreographers. The eighth edition of Smuin's Choreography Showcase will be presented 7:30pm February 16, and 2pm February 17 at the Cowell Theater in Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, 2 Marina Blvd, San Francisco. Tickets ($33-$48) and information are available at www.smuinballet.org or by calling (415) 912-1899.

Smuin makes the holidays sizzle with its annual yuletide celebration of dance, The Christmas Ballet. With a stunning and original array of ballet, tap, and jazz, this joyous showcase of styles offers both sugar and spice, with the surprise unwrapping of new treats every year. The 2017 edition of The Christmas Ballet features three saucy world premieres one by acclaimed Choreographer-in-Residence Amy Seiwert, another created by Smuin dancer Rex Wheeler, and a debut number choreographed by dancer Erica Felsch. An exuberant holiday treat that was declared the finest toast to the season by the San Francisco Chronicle last year, The Christmas Ballet will tour the Bay Area, beginning with shows in Walnut Creek (November 17-18), continuing in Carmel (December 1-2) and Mountain View (December 6-10), and wrapping up with its annual holiday run at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco (December 14-24). Tickets ($25-$89) are available by calling the individual venues (see below for details) or visiting www.smuinballet.org.

Franz Schubert's Winterreise is one of music's supreme compositions of all time. A desolate song cycle depicting a traveler on a savage winter journey through a fierce snowy environment and an anguished mental state, it has long been a favored recital offering by both men, and sometimes women, singers.

Casting updates have been announced for The Joyce Theater Foundation's upcoming Ballet Festival, a two-week festival of ballet showcasing some of America's most exciting contemporary companies and choreographers with Joyce commissions on each program. Co-curated by Curatorial Associate John Selya, the Festival -- July 19-29 -- is designed to recognize dancers and choreographers who are creating work outside the traditional large company setting and, in many.