Smuin launches its 25th anniversary season with Dance Series 01, a fall program that expands the boundaries of contemporary ballet, pays tribute to Smuin’s founder, and celebrates the company’s quarter century mark. Acclaimed dancemaker Trey McIntyre returns to Smuin with Blue Until June, a thrilling tribute to Etta James.
Continuing Smuin’s long-time dedication to fostering new talent within the company is a trio of groundbreaking works first developed in Smuin’s Choreography Showcase: Merely Players by Smuin dancer Nicole Haskins, Echo (formerly titled Reflection) by Smuin dancer Ben Needham-Wood, and Sinfonietta by former Smuin dancer Rex Wheeler. Dance Series 01 will also include two works by founder Michael Smuin: Schubert Scherzo, an effervescent dance set to Schubert’s sprightly C-Major Symphony, and Eternal Idol, a romantic pas de deux inspired by Auguste Rodin sculptures.
Launching Smuin’s Dance Series 01 is Trey McIntyre’s Blue Until June. This sultry dance set to the heart-wrenching vocals of blues legend Etta James is McIntyre’s third collaboration with Smuin, which also commissioned his hit Oh, Inverted World and the Summer of Love celebration Be Here Now. Hailed by The New York Times as “one of the most important choreographers working today,” McIntyre has produced more than 100 pieces during his career, and his work has been lauded for its “true artistry” by the San Francisco Examiner and “witty physicality” by the San Francisco Chronicle. The Palm Beach Post called Blue Until June an “eye-opener” that “beautifully captures the innate desperation of the blues.”