Smuin Delights Again With The Christmas Ballet
For thirty years Smuin Contemporary Ballet's The Christmas Ballet has stood out among the many local annual holiday dance performances for its clever formula of dividing the performance into traditional and comedic acts: The Classical Christmas of Act 1 and The Cool Christmas of Act 2. Last night's Yerba Buena Center opening continued this prized tradition with some old treasures and a few new presents under the tree.
Even before the performance began, the Christmas motif embraced the stage with red curtains dotted with white polka-dot puffs. This red and white theme carried on with white costumes in Act 1 and red costumes in Act 2.
Most of these 31 works were choreographed by the late company founder Michael Smuin. However, among this year's works are six pieces choreographed by Associate Artistic Director Amy Seiwert, who will assume Celia Fushille's position as Artistic Director next season. Former Smuin dancer Nicole Haskins has four works in this program. Included this year are two world premieres, Catalan Carol by Seiwert, and Ring Ting Tingling by Haskins. Catalan Carol, in Act 1, was set to Spanish guitar by Carlos Salzedo and danced beautifully by Gabrielle Collins, Tess Lane, and Maggie Carey.
Ring Ting Tingling, in Act 2, was set to music by Leroy Anderson with the Univers Jazz Big Band and danced by Ricardo Dyer, Maggie Carey, and Marc LaPierre.
The audience favorite, included every year, is the hilarious Santa Baby, sung to the tune of that name by Eartha Kitt's sultry purring. Tessa Barbour channeled her inner vamp, wearing an impossibly long 42-foot red feather boa and lording her demands over a group of admiring men desperate to please her with diamonds and such. The boa is so heavy that it requires a stagehand in the wings to pull it by a hidden wire.
Some other favorites include Winter Weather, set to Benny Goodman's big band music sung by Peggy Lee. This is a fun piece danced by the Company women in red and 1940s bobby socks and saddle shoes and the men in white letterman sweaters bearing a large red S. The Twelve Days of Christmas by Amy Seiwert is another comical work in which the lyrics of popular Christmas songs get all mixed up, and the dancers, too.
One of the more touching works was Veni, Veni, Emmanuel danced to a moving traditional French song by the women of the Company. Dressed in white, linking together, stepping in unison, and weaving in and out under arms, they gave a sophisticated and memorable performance.
Not to overlook Hanukkah this holiday season, The Christmas Ballet includes two works set to traditional Jewish music. Licht Benh'n "Candle Blessing" was a humorous piece danced with comic flair by Tessa Barbour alternating with three men. Dobra Notsch "Good Night" set a romantic mood with Tessa Barbour and Brandon Alexander.
There were too many memorable works to mention, but let's not forget tap dancing Christmas trees and a shark wearing a Santa cap in Christmas Island. Yes, these are gimmicks, but the Smuin dancers pull them off successfully with humor and style.
Every year I leave Smuin's The Christmas Ballet with an uplifting feeling of good holiday cheer. But not this year. A couple of rows behind me a man kept whooping and hollering during the performance and the intermission. I expected the Yerba Buena theatre management to do the responsible thing and ask him to leave, but they didn't.
The Christmas Ballet continues at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts through December 24th. For more information, see smuinballet.org.