FRENCH KISS to Open Smuin Contemporary Ballet's 2026-27 Season
My'Kal Stromile makes his West Coast debut alongside Michael Smuin's Stabat Mater at Bay Area venues.
Smuin Contemporary Ballet (Smuin) will open its 2026/27 season with French Kiss, a dynamic program curated by Artistic Director Amy Seiwert featuring choreography by Seiwert, Boston-based choreographer My'Kal Stromile and company founder Michael Smuin. Together, the three works reflect Smuin's commitment to honoring its artistic legacy while continuing to champion new voices and new choreographic perspectives.
Performance Schedule
September 11–13: Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts (500 Castro St., Mountain View)
September 18–19: Lesher Center for the Arts (1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek)
October 9–18: Cowell Theater at Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture (2 Marina Blvd., San Francisco)
Boston-based choreographer My'Kal Stromile makes his West Coast debut with I-SCRIT-AH-SCREE-TAH-SKRATT, a world premiere that explores the mind as a shifting system of thoughts that fracture, multiply and reorganize into structure. Set to a score inspired by J.S. Bach, the work is what Stromile describes as "a cognitive map of his thinking in motion." Since graduating from Juilliard in 2018, Stromile has earned a reputation for creating elegantly layered movement and has received commissions from Ailey II, the Paris Opera Ballet and Vail Dance Festival, among others.
Set to Pink Martini's playful interpretations of 1960s-era cocktail songs, Amy Seiwert's French Kiss, commissioned by Smuin and premiered in 2023, showcases the choreographer's inventive partnering and distinctive movement vocabulary, complemented by vibrant, candy-colored costumes designed by former Smuin company member Susan Roemer.
As Smuin marks the 20th anniversary of founder Michael Smuin's passing, Stabat Mater returns to the stage for the first time since 2016. Created in response to the events of September 11 and premiered in 2002, the acclaimed work remains a powerful meditation on grief, resilience and hope, reflecting Michael Smuin's enduring artistic vision and lasting influence.
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Bye Bye Birdie Warren Theater (9/18-10/04) |
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Gutenberg! The Musical! Hillbarn Theatre (10/08-11/01) |
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The Fall Show Shotgun Players Ashby Stage (9/26-10/25) |
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Company City Lights Theater Company (7/15-8/22) |
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“HOME” San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Bowes Center (4/09-4/09) |
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The Legend of Robin Hood Hillbarn Theatre (1/21-2/14) |
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Disney's Frozen Berkeley Playhouse (11/13-12/23) |
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Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors Lesher Center for the Arts (10/25-11/15) |
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Hadestown (Non-Equity) Orpheum Theatre San Francisco (1/07-1/10) |
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POTUS Live Oak Theater (9/11-9/26) |
