Smuin Contemporary Ballet - Dance Series 1

Smuin Contemporary Ballet
Dance Series 1
Cowell Theater at Fort Mason, San Francisco
October 11th, 2024

A stage awash in glowing gold. Song lyrics that reference “October’s able skies.” Dance architecture that conjured falling, scattering leaves. If ever there was a program that screamed Autumn, it is Smuin Ballet’s 2024 edition of Dance Series 1. Under the Artistic Direction of Amy Seiwert, the company glided into Fort Mason’s Cowell Theater on Friday night to open the San Francisco leg of their recent Bay Area tour. Before a packed house, the troupe offered a dynamic triple bill of contemporary ballet: the world premiere of Jennifer Archibald’s ByCHANCE, the company debut of Matthew Neenan’s The Last Glass (2010) and a re-engagement with Seiwert’s 2019 Renaissance. While I had my favorite amongst the three works, there is no denying that the entire program was quite dazzling. And the company, some of whom danced in all three pieces, looked totally on top of their game. A terrific start to a new season!

Smuin Ballet in Archibald's ByCHANCE
Photo Chris Hardy

In her welcoming remarks, Seiwert shared that Archibald’s ByCHANCE (which was created on the Smuin artists) was inspired by the chance encounters that we experience throughout life. As the ensemble work for eight unfolded, that throughline was definitely at play. Dancers entered and exited the space, meeting center stage for a conversation, albeit one without words. Mirroring human existence, some of those conversations were long, others short. Some were casual, others passionate. Some interactions were joyful, others melancholic. Some very temporary, others much more permanent. 

Choreographically, intense speed contrasted with moments of unrestrained quiet. Lifts soared through the air. Arms undulated and gestural sequences brought a sharp, staccato articulation to the table. Phrases flowed effortlessly from one to another, with an almost sculptural-like, fluid motion. 

While it may not have been the choreographic intent, I also saw something deeply organic and basal running through ByCHANCE. Reminiscent of the natural world in tone. Dancers cascaded in and out of the wings like whirling leaves. At other times, it seemed like we were peeking under a microscope at cells adhering together to form something new, only for that new entity to dissolve. Those large group pictures manifested, then broke apart, over and over again. It was mesmerizing and provided an unexpected textural layer to the work.

My first impression of Neenan’s The Last Glass was a wild party with an even wilder guest list. The hopeful ingenue. A tortured Elizabethan heroine. Flirty Moulin Rouge dancers. A couple brimming with equal parts volatility and passion. And in each of the subsequent solos, duets, trios and group sequences, all set to a score by Beirut, each guest had ample opportunity to reveal their persona. Neenan’s choreographic syntax similarly ran the gamut from classical petit allegro to percussive variations to jazzy barrel rolls and axles. With a nod to yoga practices, an accumulation phrase flowed breath to movement. Social line dances were aplenty; there was even a tipsy pseudo-limbo. If there had been additional theatrical elements (like props or text, for example), I might have categorized The Last Glass as Dance Theatre. But the genre didn’t really matter. What mattered was that the entire cast of ten was all in from lights up to final blackout and it was a party that you wanted an invite to. 

Smuin Ballet in Seiwert's Renaissance
Photo Chris Hardy

As its title suggests, Seiwert’s Renaissance is of another time. It feels otherworldly, prayerful, and while it certainly has dynamic range, the ballet elicits an undeniably peaceful and serene tone. Scored by the Kitka Women’s Vocal Ensemble, the largest group piece of the evening had much to convey. But the strongest element was indeed the power of a collective working together. Unison chapters abounded. Hands were clasped together in tender support. Balances and partnering were imbued with a mutuality where all parties had to commit with the same force and attention. Renaissance has its fair share of serious, somber moments, but instead of abiding solely in that emotion, it counters with significant, palpable joy. Arms and legs reached to the heavens and to other souls on stage. Floaty leaps provided a sense of lightness and hope. Mid-way through the work, a soloist (Tess Lane at this performance) appears on the scene. As the only dancer costumed differently, there is a bit of a ‘chosen one’, Rite of Spring comparison that happens. But unlike Rite of Spring, which is always gruesome to me, here that character feels protected and cherished by the kinship of her tribe. I’ve loved Renaissance since I first saw it, and once again, it was my favorite dance of the night.

Dance Series 1 runs in San Francisco at the Cowell Theater until October 20th.

 

EIGHT/MOVES

EIGHT/MOVES
Z Space, San Francisco
August 16th, 2024

While a new dance company vaulted onto the San Francisco contemporary dance scene this past weekend, the artistic visionary behind this endeavor is no stranger to audiences. With a resume that includes stints with top regional dance institutions (like ODC/Dance, Post:Ballet and Robert Moses’ KIN), Mia J. Chong is beloved in her community and in Bay Area performance spaces. You could feel that admiration and affection percolating in Z Space on Friday night as EIGHT/MOVES offered their inaugural performance. Filled with poise, confidence and joy, Chong greeted the crowd and shared her mission for EIGHT/MOVES, noting that this new troupe would be committed to an unlimited creative environment where BIPOC, AAPI and marginalized voices could shout and sing. If the debut performance was any indication, this company is certainly going to be one to watch in the coming years. The program featured three premiere works, each one co-choreographed - for Common Gradient, Chong teamed up with Keerati Jinakunwiphat, Themes of Remembering with Rena Butler and finally Steam with KT Nelson.

EIGHT/MOVES in Common Gradient
Photo Maximillian Tortoriello

Common Gradient was my favorite work of the evening; a physical novella whose chapters communicated different tones, qualities and dynamics. Six dancers, costumed in dark pants and flowy silk tops, entered the space for Gradient’s joyful beginning. It was like we were witnessing atomic structures breaking apart and coming back together to form collective tableaux. Some of these living pictures would recur throughout the dance as new tonal layers and textures were simultaneously unveiled. Sometimes there was an atmosphere of caring. Sometimes of frustration. Of indifference. One duet felt quite charged, maybe even tortured. It was a fabulous start to EIGHT/MOVES debut performance.

As the lights went up on Themes of Remembering, I (and I’m sure many viewers) found myself pondering what the act of remembering entails. What is required in order to remember? As the trio unfolded, one answer was evident in the staging and the choreography – that remembering often involves searching. Searching for details; searching the mind; searching for a person. Themes began with each dancer taking a solo turn sitting in a spotlight, while they smiled upon an empty pool of light diagonally downstage. The moment was both sweet and poignant. And then came the movement phrases, which certainly evoked that sense of searching. Shifting gazes and altered directions; arms reaching outward and staccato reflexive motions. Backtracking through space, being propelled forward and throwing oneself off-balance. 

EIGHT/MOVES in Steam
Photo Maximillian Tortoriello

Steam was the longest piece on Season 1’s program, danced by the full company of seven alongside a very unique guest artist. Chong had mentioned in her earlier remarks that Steam was going to mine the frightening truth of climate change, and to that end, Chong and Nelson invited an eighth participant into the mix: the explosive smoke and billowing haze that blanketed the stage from beginning to end. Composition-wise, Steam saw post-modern modalities meet with this urgent narrative frame. Sometimes with such topical works and theatrical elements, the movement itself can get a bit lost. But not here. The choreography was quite technical and aptly handled by the cast. One throughline that was readily apparent was that of purposeful struggle. Struggles to breathe or to fully extend. The struggle to stop shaking, stay upright or even remain prone on the ground. The struggle for balance. Steam was primal, a true fight against reality and circumstance. Beautifully danced in all chapters, a unison quartet mid-way through was a particular stand-out. Having said that, I did lose the thread during the lengthy middle sequence – its slower pace was interesting, though overall, it felt out of sync with the rest of the piece. And from time to time, the sound (though this was true in all three works) was too piercing.

Ballet22

Ballet22
ODC Theater, San Francisco
August 11th, 2024

Ballet22 is a dance company on the move. Since debuting in 2020, they have been staking their claim in the ballet world, upending conventions, disrupting presumptions and impressing audiences with every performance engagement. The company’s website says it best, noting that they are dedicated to “presenting men, mxn, and non-binary artists “en pointe.” And this past weekend they, once again, lived into that vision with 2024’s summer season - a mixed repertory bill of classic and contemporary dance works. The pointework was sparkling, phenomenal and textbook precise. Every pointe dancer can gain valuable insight into their practice from witnessing these talented artists.

The program’s first half transported viewers to the 1800s with excerpts and variations from Acts I and II of the beloved Giselle. While Giselle is not a Bournonville ballet per se, one couldn’t help but notice that each divertissement had that specificity of execution. Delicate, yet fast footwork, bright briseés and shining diagonal turning combinations. Control and balance abounded as did lofty airiness and an exactitude of foot placement. It was quite dazzling. Arms floated in 3rd arabesque. Renversé sang through the space. Fluttery boureés skated along the stage’s surface. And the jumps! Cabrioles hung in the air before returning to earth. Sissone assemblé darted forward with intention and purpose. And Giselle’s final batterie series, danced Sunday afternoon by Ashton Edwards, was both artistically and technically flawless.

Daniel R. Durrett and Ashton Edwards in
Forsythe's Approximate Sonata
Photo Gabriel Lorena

Contemporary sensibilities were in store with Ballet22’s second act, a collection of four diverse, intricate pieces. First up was William Forsythe’s Approximate Sonata, a duet created in 1996, whose choreographic material was revisited in 2016. Like many Forsythe ballets, Approximate Sonata celebrated extremes. Exaggerated splits, extensions and attitude postures coupling with supple arms, avian wrists and a sinuous spine. Houston Thomas’ Solo02: KANA, danced by Kobe Courtney, had a delicious off-balance feel with intense, swift directional shifts. I also couldn’t shake influences of Wayne McGregor and Alwin Nikolais throughout the dance. 

A world premiere commission for Ballet22, Christian Denice’s Love Me Tender was the only work on the program without a pointe element to it. It was emotionally charged. It was evocative. It was nuanced. For a trio of performers, Love Me Tender had a number of modalities and forces at play. One was the sense of pulling and pushing – being pulled one way and pushed another. Cantilevering also imbued the pas de trois: positions and partnering that require equal support and strength of others to build and sustain. Love Me Tender also had an incredibly interesting finale. The physicality and the score (by Perfume Genius) came together in a modern-Baroque dialog where movement phrases and musical voices were simultaneously independent and interdependent.

Ballet22 closed their summer event with a second Thomas creation - a pointe quartet titled Bass Am Wasser – and in reading the program notes, it becomes immediately clear how important nature and water are to this ballet. Costumed in plain black unitards and jewel-tone, opera-length gloves, the choreography spoke of the waves that fueled Johannes Goldbach’s score. Sweeping arcs and balancés were everywhere. Arms started in a high 5th position and then dynamically broke apart like waves crashing, while boureés coasted on the ODC stage like water skimming the sand.