Smuin Modern Ballet has introduced a sensational lineup for its thirty second season, its first curated by Inventive Director Amy Seiwert. Highlights embody the West Coast Premiere of Justin Peck’s Partita set to music by Pulitzer-winning composer Caroline Shaw, a duo of World Premieres subsequent spring, and the launch of a brand new incubator program impressed by the corporate’s standard Choreography Showcase.
Smuin will even current the corporate premieres of Alejandro Cerrudo’s Extraordinarily Shut and Seiwert’s A Lengthy Evening—impressed by A Midsummer Evening’s Dream—plus the revival of Kate Skarpetowska’s Sextette and Michael Smuin’s Hearts Suite.
Smuin’s beloved annual custom, The Christmas Ballet, returns in the course of the vacation season to unfold cheer with its signature combined repertoire of classical ballet and modern dance set to yuletide tunes.
Smuin’s applications will likely be introduced from September 12, 2025, by way of Could 10, 2026, in San Francisco, Walnut Creek, Mountain View, and Carmel. For subscriptions ($110-$255, inclusive of charges) or extra info, the general public might name (415) 912-1899 or go to www.smuinballet.org. Single tickets ($25-$125, inclusive of charges) will likely be accessible starting August 1.
Smuin’s season opener, Extraordinarily Shut (September 12 – October 5), contains a trio of firm premieres by award-winning choreographers set to an eclectic soundtrack. Justin Peck’s Partita is a vibrant fusion of motion, sound, and visible artwork that has captivated audiences since its world premiere with New York Metropolis Ballet in 2022. Now, Smuin turns into the primary firm outdoors of NYCB to carry out this groundbreaking work. Set to Caroline Shaw’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Partita for 8 Voices,” the ballet options eight dancers in sneakers. Peck’s choreography interprets the composition’s vocal intricacies—together with gasps, moans, and harmonies—into placing physicality, with our bodies weaving, interlocking, and unfolding to the sounds.
Persevering with with the theme of fusing artwork with choreography is Alejandro Cerrudo’s Extraordinarily Shut, a ballet that’s half artwork set up, half motion drama. Set to the evocative music of Philip Glass and Dustin O’Halloran, this exploration of impermanence takes place in a dreamlike panorama.
This system continues with Amy Seiwert’s A Lengthy Evening, a whimsical ballet that reimagines Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Evening’s Dream by way of a contemporary lens. Subverting classical ballet language with modern motion, the result’s an enthralling, lighthearted piece that blends humor with heartfelt storytelling. Critics applauded Seiwert’s contemporary tackle Puck and the lovers, marking a profitable departure from her typical non-narrative model. Departing from the Mendelssohn rating, the soundtrack contains a medley of classic and modern songs together with classics by Patsy Cline, Doris Day, Harry Nilsson, and Pink Martini.
Smuin’s joyful vacation custom returns November 22 – December 28, spreading yuletide cheer with its signature showcase of classical and modern dances set to delightfully festive tunes. The Christmas Ballet affords one thing for everybody together with a chic first act presenting lovely classical ballet set to beloved carols, adopted by the red-hot second act with joyful modern numbers set to pop favorites. With the shock unwrapping of latest treats every year, this celebratory medley incorporates quite a lot of dance types together with ballet, faucet, jazz, swing, and extra.
For its 2025/26 season, Smuin debuts Spring Level (February 13-15, 2026), a daring new showcase designed to foster inventive innovation and elevate rising voices in ballet. Evolving from the corporate’s beloved Choreography Showcase, which nurtured in-house expertise, Spring Level will develop Smuin’s attain to highlight unique works by each Smuin artists and early-career choreographers from the broader dance group. Introduced for the primary time at ODC Theater, this contemporary initiative invitations audiences to expertise a vibrant assortment of world premieres and reimagined items, providing an exciting glimpse into the way forward for dance.
Smuin concludes its season with Future Ahead (April 17 – Could 10, 2026), a dynamic combined repertory program that delves into the corporate’s previous to discover its future. Inventive Director Amy Seiwert unveils a brand new World Premiere, her 14th ballet for Smuin. The corporate additionally presents a World Premiere by Andrea Schermoly, the Resident Choreographer of Louisville Ballet.
This system continues with Kate Skarpetowska’s Sextette, set to a transferring concerto by Johann Sebastian Bach. Initially created on Smuin artists for the Nationwide Choreographers Initiative in 2021, its spring 2023 efficiency on the corporate’s mainstage was known as “an athletic but swish piece that permits the dancers’ method and partnership to shine” by the Los Altos City Crier. Lastly, Michael Smuin’s Hearts Suite, returns to the Smuin stage for the primary time in over a decade. Set to recordings by Edith Piaf, this poignant work affords audiences a take a look at the founder’s evocative choreography on this research of craving primarily based on the traditional French movie, “Les Enfants du Paradis.”
Smuin’s 2025/26 season boldly lives out its tagline—“Standing Out from the Crowd”—with a lineup of firm premieres and revivals that mirror the corporate’s unwavering dedication to innovation. Curated by Inventive Director Amy Seiwert, the season champions choreographers who defy conference and problem expectations. “Ardour and risk-taking are important to the evolution of ballet,” says Seiwert. “The ballets in our thirty second Season just do that, shattering preconceptions of what ballet is and may be. By presenting works that fuse numerous dance types with daring artistic voices, Smuin continues to forge a dynamic path ahead.”
