Smuin Ballet Plays The Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek

The Bay Area's own internationally acclaimed dance company Smuin Ballet is chasing away the winter darkness with a stirring line-up that includes a rollicking tribute-in-dance to the Chairman of the Board with Fly Me to the Moon, paying homage to the songs made famous by Frank Sinatra. The program also includes, Choreographer in Residence Amy Seiwert's newest work, Soon These Two Worlds and Michael Smuin's thrilling Medea, a dramatic ballet fraught with passion. These three acts offer a lively evening filled with Smuin Ballet's irrepressible charm and unmistakable flair February 5-6 at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, February 25-28 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, and March 5-6 at the Sunset Center in Carmel. Single tickets ($18, $41, and $56) are available through the respective theaters or by visiting www.smuinballet.org.

The evening begins with the exciting new Soon These Two Worlds by Smuin Ballet Choreographer-in-Residence, Amy Seiwert. This vivid and effervescent ballet recently made its world premiere in San Francisco and was heralded by the San Francisco Chronicle as "a genuinely upbeat diversion that molds solidly structured energy with a fresh, sunny disposition." Seiwert's Soon These Two Worlds is set to music from the Grammy Award-winning Kronos Quartet's Pieces of Africa, which reached number one on Billboard's Top World Albums chart. A former dancer with Smuin Ballet, Seiwert has been choreographing since 1999 and has won numerous awards and critical accolades. "[Seiwert] has one of the Bay Area's most intriguing voices... fresh, mysterious, and mesmerizing." (San Francisco Bay Guardian)

Next on the bill is Michael Smuin's Medea, a ballet of spellbinding theatrical power, weaving a story of passion, jealousy, and bloodthirsty revenge. Focusing on the five main characters of the Medea myth, it is set to a suite from Samuel Barber's Medea, originally composed for Martha Graham's 1946 ballet. Michael Smuin's gift for dramatic narrative details the complex, treacherous relationships between the characters. Dance Magazine raves that Medea is "timeless, a brutally clear piece of pure dance storytelling that makes perfect use of Samuel Barber's chillingly economical score. . . the work is positively bloodcurdling."

The evening concludes with Fly Me to the Moon, Michael Smuin's tribute to Frank Sinatra. This blend of ballet and popular dance is the embodiment of the smooth and stylish melodies that have inspired generations, including his renditions of "I've Got You Under My Skin," "That's Life," and "The Lady is a Tramp." "When Sinatra sings, you naturally want to dance," said choreographer Michael Smuin. Performed against a twinkling backdrop of a glowing night sky, the ballet highlights warm and witty favorites such as "You and the Night and the Music"; the funny and charming "I Won't Dance"; and culminates in a full chorus, high- kicking "New York, New York." Infused with Michael Smuin's signature Broadway pizzazz, this "A-Number One, top of the heap" ballet inspires audiences to shake their little town blues, stand up, and cheer.

TICKETS: For tickets ($18, $41, and $56), the public can call the Sunset Center at (831) 620-2048 or visit www.smuinballet.org.

 

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