Smuin Announces Free Streaming Of Helen Pickett's Stunning OASIS

 

Smuin Contemporary Ballet announces free streaming of Helen Pickett's highly-acclaimed ballet Oasis, an ode to the powerful transformative ability of water, as the next installment of its Hump Day Ballets series.

This Smuin World Premiere set to a soaring original score by Emmy Award-winning "House of Cards" composer Jeff Beal was called "Impeccable. Stirring and gorgeously dispatched" by the San Francisco Chronicle. As part of Smuin's Hump Day Ballets series, which aims to brighten mid-week spirits with free video streaming of a ballet from the Company's archives, Oasis will be offered beginning Wednesday, May 6, 2020. The release will be accompanied by a video introduction by former Smuin dancer Erica Felsch, who performed in the world premiere of Oasis in May 2016. The recorded performance will be available for 48 hours only, with streaming instructions announced through Smuin's email list (sign up at smuinballet.org), or via Smuin's Facebook (facebook.com/SmuinBallet) and Instagram (instagram.com/smuinballet). For more information the public may visit smuinballet.org.

 

Oasis is a visually stunning collaboration between Helen Pickett and "House of Cards" composer Jeff Beal, dazzling audiences with its vivid choreography, lush musical score, and exquisite lighting and set design. Inspired by the idea of water in its many forms, Oasis celebrates the various incarnations and implications of this precious resource and life-giving essence. Complemented by the swells and retreats of Beal's original score, the critically acclaimed ballet evoked sentiments such as "lush" and "beautifully performed" by The Mercury News. Smuin had previously presented Pickett's Petal, which earned rave reviews from The Mercury News ("Visually silken. Vivid!") and The Huffington Post ("Heart-stopping. Delightful. Radiant.") Impressed by the Company's dedication and skills, Pickett was eager to return and set a premiere on its dancers, of whom she said: "They're hungry dancers, wicked smart, and curious!"

 

Helen Pickett has created over 40 ballets in the U.S. and Europe. From 2012-2017, she was the Resident Choreographer at Atlanta Ballet. Pickett was awarded a Fellowship Initiative Grant by The New York Choreographic Institute in 2006, and Dance Magazine named her one of "25 to Watch" in 2007. She received a Choreographic Residency from Jacob's Pillow in 2008, and was one of the first choreographers to receive the Jerome Robbins Foundation's New Essential Works Grant. Pickett has created dances on companies around the world including Boston Ballet, Washington Ballet, Louisville Ballet, Ballet X, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Scottish Ballet, among many others.

 

Smuin's Hump Day Ballets series was created to share inspiring art and enable the Company to stay connected with its community during the Shelter-in-Place order. Every Wednesday a different ballet from Smuin's repertoire, introduced by a current Company dancer or guest artist, is released to the public. The sharing of these productions is made possible by the generous support of Smuin's partners-the choreographers, unions, designers, and composers providing permission outside of standard contracts to share these creations with the community.

 

For more than 25 years Smuin has pushed the boundaries of contemporary ballet by presenting works that engage and delight audiences with their uncommon physicality and expression. Founded in San Francisco in 1994 by Tony and Emmy award-winning choreographer Michael Smuin, the company is committed to creating work that merges the diverse vocabularies of classical ballet and contemporary dance. Since 2007, Artistic Director Celia Fushille has built on Michael Smuin's legacy by creating her own vision and expanding the company's repertoire. Fushille has invited numerous choreographers to create works that highlight the Smuin artists' extraordinary versatility, presenting pieces that are unique, joyful, athletic and inventive.