Smuin's 25/26 Season to Feature Ballets by Justin Peck and Alejandro Cerrudo and More

Smuin Contemporary Ballet has revealed its lineup for its 32nd season, its first curated by Artistic Director Amy Seiwert. Highlights include the West Coast Premiere of Justin Peck’s Partita set to music by Pulitzer-winning composer Caroline Shaw, a duo of World Premieres next spring, and the launch of a new incubator program inspired by the company’s popular Choreography Showcase. Smuin will also present the company premieres of Alejandro Cerrudo’s Extremely Close and Seiwert’s A Long Night—inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream—plus the revival of Kate Skarpetowska’s Sextette and Michael Smuin’s Hearts Suite.

Smuin’s beloved annual tradition, The Christmas Ballet, returns during the holiday season to spread cheer with its signature mixed repertoire of classical ballet and contemporary dance set to yuletide tunes. Smuin’s programs will be presented from September 12, 2025, through May 10, 2026, in San Francisco, Walnut Creek, Mountain View, and Carmel.

In chronological order, the 2025/26 season programming is as follows:
 

Extremely Close

September 12 – October 5, 2025
Mountain View, Walnut Creek, San Francisco
 
Extremely Close by Alejandro Cerrudo, set to music by Philip Glass and Dustin O’Halloran
Partita by Justin Peck, set to music by Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw
A Long Night by Amy Seiwert, set to recordings by Patsy Cline, Pink Martini, and others
 
Smuin’s season opener features a trio of company premieres by award-winning choreographers set to an eclectic soundtrack. Justin Peck’s Partita is a vibrant fusion of movement, sound, and visual art that has captivated audiences since its world premiere with New York City Ballet in 2022. Now, Smuin becomes the first company outside of NYCB to perform this groundbreaking work. Set to Caroline Shaw’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Partita for 8 Voices,” the ballet features eight dancers in sneakers. Peck’s choreography translates the composition’s vocal intricacies—including gasps, moans, and harmonies—into striking physicality, with bodies weaving, interlocking, and unfolding to the sounds. The result is a work that DanceTabs called “one of Justin Peck’s best pieces.”
 
Continuing with the theme of fusing art with choreography is Alejandro Cerrudo’s Extremely Close, a ballet that is part art installation, part movement drama. Set to the evocative music of Philip Glass and Dustin O’Halloran, this exploration of impermanence takes place in a dreamlike landscape. Born in Madrid, Cerrudo is the Artistic Director of Charlotte Ballet, and an internationally acclaimed choreographer who made history as Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s first-ever resident choreographer, a role he held from 2008 to 2018.
 
The program continues with Amy Seiwert’s A Long Night, a whimsical ballet that reimagines Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream through a modern lens. Subverting classical ballet language with contemporary movement, the result is a charming, lighthearted piece that blends humor with heartfelt storytelling. Critics applauded Seiwert’s fresh take on Puck and the lovers, marking a successful departure from her typical non-narrative style. The Philadelphia Inquirer described the work as “delightful,” while Broad Street Review highlighted its sense of humor, stating it “pulls off some real entertainment.” Departing from the Mendelssohn score, the soundtrack features a medley of vintage and contemporary songs including classics by Patsy Cline, Doris Day, Harry Nilsson, and Pink Martini.
 
Dates/Locations for Smuin’s Extremely Close
September 12-14, 2025: Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St, Mountain View
September 19-20, 2025: Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr, Walnut Creek
September 26 - October 5, 2025: Blue Shield of California Theater at YBCA, 700 Howard St, San Francisco

Smuin’s The Christmas Ballet

November 22 – December 28, 2025
Walnut Creek, Carmel, Mountain View, San Francisco
 
Choreography by Michael Smuin and guest choreographers
 
Smuin’s joyful holiday tradition returns, spreading yuletide cheer with its signature showcase of classical and contemporary dances set to delightfully festive tunes. The Christmas Ballet offers something for everyone including an elegant first act presenting beautiful classical ballet set to beloved carols, followed by the red-hot second act with joyful contemporary numbers set to pop favorites. With the surprise unwrapping of new treats each year, this celebratory medley incorporates a variety of dance styles including ballet, tap, jazz, swing, and more. Smuin’s holiday spectacular was declared “sheer joy…the finest toast to the season” by the San Francisco Chronicle. The LGBTQ+ Night performance of Smuin’s irrepressible holiday classic, featuring fun twists and special guest appearances in support of local non-profits, returns December 27th.
 
Dates/Locations for Smuin’s The Christmas Ballet
November 22-23, 2025: Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr, Walnut Creek
December 5-6, 2025: Sunset Center, San Carlos Street at 9th Ave, Carmel-by-the-Sea
December 11-14, 2025: Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St, Mountain View
December 18-28, 2025: Blue Shield of California Theater at YBCA, 700 Howard St, San Francisco
 

Spring Point

February 13 – 15, 2026
San Francisco
 
Four World Premieres by rising choreographers
 
For its 2025/26 season, Smuin debuts Spring Point, a bold new showcase designed to foster artistic innovation and elevate emerging voices in ballet. Evolving from the company’s beloved Choreography Showcase, which nurtured in-house talent, Spring Point will expand Smuin’s reach to spotlight original works by both Smuin artists and early-career choreographers from the wider dance community. Presented for the first time at ODC Theater, this fresh initiative invites audiences to experience a vibrant collection of world premieres and reimagined pieces, offering a thrilling glimpse into the future of dance.
 
Dates/Locations for Smuin’s Spring Point
February 13-15, 2026: ODC Theater, 3153 17th St, San Francisco
 

Future Forward

April 17 – May 10, 2026
San Francisco, Walnut Creek, Mountain View
 
World Premiere by Amy Seiwert
World Premiere by Andrea Schermoly
Sextette by Kate Skarpetowska, set to Johann Sebastian Bach
Hearts Suite by Michael Smuin, set to Edith Piaf
Smuin concludes its season with Future Forward, a dynamic mixed repertory program that delves into the company’s past to explore its future. Artistic Director Amy Seiwert unveils a new World Premiere, her 14th ballet for Smuin. The company also presents a World Premiere by Andrea Schermoly, the Resident Choreographer of Louisville Ballet. Originally from South Africa, Schermoly has garnered acclaim for emotionally resonant works that blend storytelling with inventive movement. Her works have been featured by companies such as Royal New Zealand Ballet and BalletMet.

The program continues with Kate Skarpetowska’s Sextette, set to a moving concerto by Johann Sebastian Bach. Originally created on Smuin artists for the National Choreographers Initiative in 2021, its spring 2023 performance on the company’s mainstage was called “an athletic yet graceful piece that allows the dancers’ technique and partnership to shine” by the Los Altos Town Crier. A native of Warsaw, Poland, Skarpetowska holds a B.F.A. from Juilliard, and her choreography has been performed by Richmond Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater II, and Houston METdance, among others. Finally, Michael Smuin’s Hearts Suite, returns to the Smuin stage for the first time in over a decade. Set to recordings by Edith Piaf, this poignant work offers audiences a look at the founder’s evocative choreography in this study of yearning based on the classic French film, “Les Enfants du Paradis.”