Smuin Contemporary Ballet Wraps Up 28th Season with DANCE SERIES 2: P.S. FOREVER SMUIN

Smuin Contemporary Ballet wraps up its 28th season with the vibrant program, Dance Series 2: P.S. Forever Smuin, featuring four diverse ballets from established dancemakers and rising choreographic voices, with performances in San Francisco, Mountain View, and Carmel.

Audiences will be delighted by the return of acclaimed dancemaker Val Caniparoli's playful Confessions, an inventive work that weaves a captivating narrative set to a compelling soundtrack by American contemporary classical composer Nico Muhly and Faroese singer/songwriter Teitur. Also on the bill is Amy Seiwert's Renaissance, a powerful dance loosely inspired by the 385-mile "Women's Wall" protest in India to create awareness of gender equality, set to an empowering a cappella soundtrack by Oakland's Kitka Women's Vocal Ensemble. Smuin artists Tessa Barbour and Brennan Wall will also expand their creations presented in the 2021 Choreography Showcase and in last spring's "Smuin al Fresco" program, premiering these new works on the company's mainstage.

This program will also be offered as a virtual on-demand streaming option beginning in late May and running for several weeks. Dance Series 2: P.S. Forever Smuin will tour the Bay Area beginning with shows in San Francisco (April 29-May 7), continuing in Mountain View (May 19-22), and wrapping up in Carmel (May 27-28). Tickets ($25-$84) are available by calling the individual venues (see below for details) or visiting www.smuinballet.org.

Acclaimed dancemaker Val Caniparoli's Confessions will be revived for Dance Series 2. Originally titled If I Were a Sushi Roll, the nine-part dance was the second work commissioned from Caniparoli by Smuin Artistic Director Celia Fushille, premiering in spring 2018. The compelling soundtrack by American contemporary classical composer Nico Muhly and Faroese singer/songwriter Teitur-featuring selections from their 2016 album "Confessions," in which they collaborated with Dutch ensemble Holland Baroque-provides an irresistible backdrop for Caniparoli's cutting-edge ballet. The playful work has been called "Witty. Truly, madly, funny and spirit-tingling" by the San Francisco Chronicle, and "fresh and vibrant, a welcome reality in these days when dance fans are pondering ballet's future," by the San Francisco Examiner. Caniparoli began his career at San Francisco Ballet under the co-artistic directorship of Lew Christensen and Michael Smuin. One of the most performed choreographers in the world, he has contributed to the repertoires of more than 45 dance companies, including San Francisco Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Boston Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Ballet West, Israel Ballet, Singapore Dance Theatre, and State Theatre Ballet of South Africa, among others.

Amy Seiwert's powerful Renaissance returns, showcasing the strength and versatility of Smuin's artists with her breathtaking choreography, which beautifully complements the empowering a cappella soundtrack of Kitka Women's Vocal Ensemble. The acclaimed Oakland-based a cappella group, which specializes in the techniques of traditional and contemporary Balkan, Slavic, and Caucasian vocal styling, has earned recognition from the National Endowment for the Arts, Chorus America, and the American Choral Directors' Association. In creating this work, Seiwert drew inspiration from the women's protest in India that took place on January 1, 2019. Millions of women joined hands to form a 385-mile "wall" in Kerala to create awareness of gender equality, and to protest a religious ban that prevented women of childbearing age from entering one of the country's sacred Hindu temples. The piece was warmly greeted by critics, including the San Francisco Chronicle, which described Renaissance as "a wonderfully liquid" new work that "showed off the dancers' athleticism, lyrical grace, expressiveness and ensemble cohesion," hailing the piece as "Dynamic. Inventive, sinuous. Renaissance has a certain grave and timeless feel to it." Seiwert was mentored by Michael Smuin for eight of her nine years as a dancer at the company. Artistic Director Celia Fushille named her Smuin's first Choreographer-in-Residence upon her retirement from dancing in 2008. As a choreographer, Seiwert has pushed the boundaries of dance, collaborating with artists of other disciplines and experimenting with all of its various forms and expressions from a classical base, making her an invaluable voice in the Bay Area dance community. Her signature choreography has been described by the San Francisco Chronicle as "keeping founder Michael Smuin's legacy of unabashed showmanship alive!"

In keeping with Fushille's desire to foster choreographic voices from within the company, two artists have been invited to expand works created last season. A classical duet by Tessa Barbour set to Tchaikovsky, first performed outdoors in last spring's "Smuin al Fresco" series, has now been expanded into a work for three couples. Also featured is Brennan Wall's Untwine, a contemporary pas de deux featuring Cassidy Isaacson partnered with Brandon Alexander, which was presented in Smuin's 2021 Choreography showcase. The expanded work will include four couples.

This program will be offered as a virtual on-demand streaming option, beginning in late May and running for several weeks.