Smuin Ballet Takes To The California Stage This Holiday Season With THE CHRISTMAS BALLET 2009 EDITION

Smuin Ballet brings sheer joy to winter stages in San Francisco, Walnut Creek, Mountain View, and Carmel with its enormously popular seasonal performance, THE CHRISTMAS BALLET, 2009 EDITION. This sassy holiday celebration returns with a dazzling selection of ballet, tap, swing, and a wealth of other dances drawn from holiday traditions around the world. From tap-dancing Christmas trees and swinging sock-hoppers to Santa Baby with a feather boa, THE CHRISTMAS BALLET includes old favorites as well as new dance numbers from acclaimed Choreographer in Residence Amy Seiwert and Emmy Award-winning choreographer Robert Sund. Single tickets ($18, $41, and $56) are available through the respective theaters. For subscriptions ($45, $111, and $141) to Smuin Ballet's three-program series, the public may call (415) 556-5000 or visit www.smuinballet.org.

A snappy alternative to the more traditional "Nutcrackers," THE CHRISTMAS BALLET is an eclectic mix of holiday cheer that satisfies all tastes, with a blend of dances ranging from time-honored fetes to feisty modern numbers. The opening act, dubbed "The Classical Christmas," features traditional ballet in the holiday spirit set to an assortment of chamber works by Bach, Corelli, Mozart and Handel, as well as favorite carols, a wassail dance, and Russian Hanukkah klezmer. In Act II, "The Cool Christmas" emerges as dancers get down to business with the music of Louis Armstrong, Harry Connick Jr., Diana Krall, The Chieftains, and others. In one of the company's signature pieces, Eartha Kitt's playful "Santa Baby," a vixen impishly drags behind her an impossibly long feather boa, as a chorus of suitors offers her diamonds, yachts, and platinum mines. In the Ray Charles/Betty Carter duet "Baby, It's Cold Outside," another coquette heads for home while her beau twirls her back into his arms. And in "Christmas in New Orleans" the whole company drawls through a steamy Southern style holiday. Acclaimed Choreographer in Residence Amy Seiwert and Emmy Award-winning choreographer Robert Sund will gift this year's performance with two new dances: Aaron Neville's "Please Come Home for Christmas" accompanies Seiwert's choreography, while Sund's piece is set to "Winter Wonderland," sung by Diana Krall. Truly a unique and inspiring way to elevate holiday spirits, THE CHRISTMAS BALLET was proclaimed a "dance phenomenon" by Dance Magazine, while The San Francisco Chronicle said, "There's not only a light-hearted, winking sense of fun, but also just a lot of great dancing," and the Bay Guardian declared it, "A joy to watch!"

Debuting in San Francisco in 1994, Smuin Ballet immediately established itself as one of the Bay Area's most eagerly watched performing arts companies, as "one of this country's most entertaining, original ballet troupes" (Dance Magazine), and as a company of international acclaim, performing to sold-out houses on European tours. Michael Smuin's singular philosophy to create pieces which merge the diverse vocabularies of classical ballet and contemporary dance has served as the company's touchstone since its beginning. Michael Smuin unexpectedly passed away in 2007, but he had already begun a legacy of developing and encouraging a new generation of choreographic visionaries, whose work he was proud to showcase. The company continues under the direction of his long-time leading dancer and former associate director, Celia Fushille, who is dedicated to maintaining Michael Smuin's vision and the company's international reputation for presenting accessible and innovative repertoire. The company has continued to highlight works created by Smuin, both for his own company and for other ballet companies, as well as bringing to the Bay Area works by exciting choreographers from around the world.

TICKETS: Single tickets ($18, $41, and $56) are available through the respective theaters. Discounts are available for seniors, students, and groups of 10 or more.

Information about subscriptions for Smuin Ballet's three-program series is available by calling (415) 556-5000 x5 or online at www.smuinballet.org. Discounts are available for seniors and students.

 

To post a comment, you must register and login.