Smuin Ballet Knocks It Out of the Park

Ballet to the People sacrificed an opportunity to cheer on her beloved San Francisco Giants Wednesday night as they rallied to tie the Miami Marlins in the ninth inning. Instead she had the pleasure of watching the superb athletes of Smuin Ballet go 3-for-3 in an outstanding mixed bill at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Kicking off with Val Caniparoli’s Swipe — set to a pulsating techno score by Gabriel Prokofiev (yes, the grandson of the great Russian composer) whose ingenuity kept this from being just another cause for migraine — Smuin dancers nailed the fresh and compelling choreography that, while nodding to hip-hop, jazz and African movement, stayed firmly within the neoclassical mold, with crisp pointework, conventional pirouette preparations and a variety of takes on the pas de basque. Read more…

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carla-escoda/smuin-ballet-knocks-it-ou_b_1476345.html

Val Caniparoli’s ‘Swipe’ Steals the Show in Smuin Ballet’s Spring Program

Even before the curtain rose on Smuin Ballet’s run at the Novellus Theater in the company’s spring season in San Francisco last weekend, all three choreographers on the bill had told us something fundamental about their work. Val Caniparoli’s “Swipe” gave us a sassy name loaded with meaning — everything from stealing to swabbing to passing over. Beijing-trained Ma Cong, calling his dance “Through,” delivered a word that functions like a bridge connecting one thing to another with movement. Both artists chose titles that follow a trend toward terse, muscular names, names like Taste, Fresh and Apple. Read more…

http://www.insidebayarea.com/timesstar/ci_20514539/review-val-caniparolis-swipe-steals-show-smuin-ballets

Smuin Ballet Gets Serious

Smuin Ballet is known for spice and sass, but this spring, it’s very serious and very Balanchine. Onstage at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the spring program includes “Swipe,” a recent work by Val Caniparoli, which opens with brisk, pulsating movements. Five dancers stand in a circle, swinging their arms, flicking their wrists and flexing their backs quickly — a gut-busting move for those with back problems. The choreography is filled with nods to George Balanchine: hips jut and bodies link like synchronized swimmers. A string-plucking score by Gabriel Prokofiev, grandson of Sergei Prokofiev, tick-tocks swiftly. But the atmosphere changes drastically with a moody solo by Jonathan Mangosing, and once more when the strings are churned up in an electro remix. Read more…

http://www.sfexaminer.com/entertainment/2012/04/smuin-ballet-gets-serious

Ideal Pairings in Satisfying Spring Opener

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/04/30/DDKL1OARHN.DTL

Friday, April 20, 7-10 pm

145 Jefferson, Third Floor – Fisherman’s Wharf

Join us for a fun filled evening that includes ping pong, cocktails, appetizers, live DJ and dancing! Tickets are available at two levels:

REGULAR ADMISSION TICKET–$35:  Includes 2 drink tickets, appetizers, and social Ping Pong

VIP TICKET–$55:  Includes unlimited drinks and appetizers, access to the VIP rooms, and option to enter a competitive Ping Pong tournament against Smuin Ballet Dancers (Beware, they are more than dancers, they’re athletes!) A portion of your VIP ticket purchase is tax-deductible.

TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS: Click below, then select the number of tickets you would like to purchase. Click on the “Select Tickets” button. Then choose VIP or Regular from the drop down menu. Click “Add Tickets to Shopping Cart” to complete your order. Please feel free to add an additional donation to your shopping cart when making your ticket purchase. There will be lots of fun ways you can support Smuin Ballet while at the Smash & Spin event as well, so come ready to play!

]]> http://smuinballet.org/2012/03/27/smash-and-spin-fundraiser-april-20/feed/ 0 http://smuinballet.org/2012/02/07/choreography-showcase/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=choreography-showcase http://smuinballet.org/2012/02/07/choreography-showcase/#comments Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:05:39 +0000 michael http://smuinballet.org/?p=857 JOIN SMUIN BALLET DANCERS FOR OUR THIRD CHOREOGRAPHY SHOWCASE!

Nine of our eighteen dancers will create choreography to be danced by other Smuin dancers.
This is Smuin Ballets third production of this kind, and it is eagerly anticipated by Smuin dancers,
staff and company members. The past choreography showcase have included live music,
dancer designed costumes, dancer designed lighting and original music written for choreography.

March 9, 8:00 pm
March 10, 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm

The show runs approximately 75 minutes with one intermission.
There will be a Question & Answer session followed by a reception after each performance.

]]> http://smuinballet.org/2012/02/07/choreography-showcase/feed/ 0 http://smuinballet.org/2012/02/06/2012-gala-photos/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=2012-gala-photos http://smuinballet.org/2012/02/06/2012-gala-photos/#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:59:21 +0000 michael http://smuinballet.org/?p=940

Women 5’6″ and under, Men 5′ 8″ and taller.

Audition to include ballet class (women en pointe for center), partnering and choreography.

Applicants may send audition materials, resumes and DVDs to:

Ballet Master, Amy London
44 Gough Street, Suite 103
San Francisco, CA 94103

Recent repertoire includes works by: Michael Smuin (Founder), Amy Seiwert, JirÍ Kylián, Trey McIntyre, Ma Cong, CHoo San Goh, Val Caniparoli and Robert Sund.

Smuin Ballet is a professional ballet company based in San Francisco offering 36-40 week competitive dancer contracts.

The company presents approximately 75 performances per season.