Smuin Ballet's Dance Series 1 Is Somber and Delightful

February 25, 2002—While most dance companies keep to a home venue, Smuin Contemporary Ballet brings their performances to different cities and venues around the Bay Area. Opening Dance Series 1 on February 4th at Cowell Theater in San Francisco, the Company went on to perform it at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek, and then again, opening it last night at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts.

One might expect this Ballet Caravaning to wear somewhat on the dancers. On the contrary, they seem to shine even more from the experience of their multiple performances. An advantage for audiences is the smaller theaters that Smuin performs in make for a more intimate experience; you can see the dancers more close up and feel the enthusiasm in their faces as well as in their movements. And they do move. Last night at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts the Smuin dancers displayed not only skillful technical execution but an athleticism that made the audience sit up and take notice.

Dance Series 1 consists of three works: You Are Here by choreographer Gina Patterson, and Been Through Diamonds and Dear Miss Cline, both choreographed by Amy Seiwert. These are contemporary works performed with classical ballet movements; in all three works, the women danced in pointe shoes. Been Through Diamonds is a clever work of light humor, danced to Mozart's String Quartet in C Minor, in which four couples dance while some of them flirt with other dancers behind their partners' backs. The curtain rose on the ensemble shrouded in smoke, which might symbolize the dancers' inability to see the desire of their partners for someone else. Some of the humor here is reminiscent of Smuin's Christmas Ballet. The women, in short, sleeveless dresses, and the men, shirtless and in grey suit slacks and jackets, dance and flirt and chase each other. Ian Buchanan and Cassidy Isaacson danced solo, seeking and sought after by some of the eagerly reaching, waltzing dancers. Buchanan's sweeping movements and large steps aptly and comically expressed the solo man's frustration and desperation. Although this is a work of levity, Been Through Diamonds is an elegant ballet, featuring serious and polished movements. Company veterans Lauren Pschirrer and Tessa Barbour were impressive, as was the ensemble as a whole.

Gina Patterson's choreography is known for evoking empathy and compassion. Her serious and elegant You Are Here opened in a darkened stage to somber music by Italian pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi. A spotlight revealed two women, in blue and green one-piece, skin-tight costumes covering the torso, like swimsuits. All four women were in similar costumes, while the six men wore T-shirts and slacks of blue and green. The movements and expressions conveyed endurance and anguish in withstanding an unrevealed hardship or loss. Expressed not only in stooping expressions of anguish but in bold pirouettes and forceful tournees, this piece is a powerful and memorable affirmation of human endurance.

And last, but not least, Seiwert's charming Dear Miss Cline closed the evening with an upbeat lift. A lighthearted tribute to legendary country singer Patsy Cline, the work showcases some of Cline's iconic tunes of the 1950s and 1960s, including Walkin' After Midnight and There He Goes, that tell of the quirky ups and downs of love and relationships. Most of the seven women wore colorful print dresses, while two were in toreador pants and kerchief, all styles of that period. The women's bright colors stood out against the light brown, short-sleeved shirt and pants worn by the seven men.

Dear Miss Cline is a very fun piece. While some of the movements were reminiscent of square dancing and couples dancing, pirouettes, lifts, jetés, and other demanding movements were abundant. To Cline's song There He Goes, Tessa Barbour tried vainly to reunite with her lost love Max van der Sterre, who kept going away. Her petticoats flying high, Barbour stiffened in mid-step, like the animated doll in Nutcracker, as she was repeatedly picked up and held aloft by Brandon Alexander, Ian Buchanan, and Yuri Rogers. To Pick Me Up On Your Way Down, Lauren Pschirrer was delightful with her playful somersaults and riding piggyback on her partner Brandon Alexander. This is a happy work that left the audience with heartwarming memories to take home.

Dance Series 1 runs through February 27 in Mountain View and will be offered as a virtual on-demand streaming option during the month of March. Smuin Ballet gets their act together and takes it on the road again when Dance Series 2 opens on April 29th at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco, followed by performances in May in Mountain View and Carmel. For more information, see www.smuinballet.org.