Smuin Contemporary Ballet - "Extremely Close"

Smuin Contemporary Ballet
“Extremely Close”
Blue Shield of California Theater at YBCA, San Francisco
September 27th, 2025 (matinee)

Smuin Ballet’s 32nd season opener, currently in the last leg of its Bay Area tour at San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, might be one of the most contemporary programs I’ve seen from the company in a long time. And it was terrific. The Smuin institution has long been committed to investigating the range that is contemporary ballet. After all, the word ‘contemporary’ is in their company name. But past mixed repertory offerings have also tended to include something a little more traditional, familiar, or even classical in the mix. Saturday’s matinee of “Extremely Close” was all contemporary, all the time. Also, it was a celebration of newness – a West Coast premiere of a sneaker ballet, a second West Coast premiere from Artistic Director Amy Seiwert and a Bay Area premiere of a contemporary tonal masterpiece. A dazzling start to what is sure to be a standout season!

Ahead of curtain, Seiwert noted that Justin Peck’s Partita (2022) was going to have some elements of instruction. As the octet began, eight a cappella voices did indeed instruct the dancers which way to move. Costumed by Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung in athletic gear, tube socks and sneakers, the dancers stepped out to the side and back responding and engaging with the vocal score. As with many sneaker ballets, there was an overwhelming sense of the present-day, of youth, vitality and community. The stage was so alive with ebullience and yearning.

João Sampaio and Cameron Confrancesco in 
Peck's Partita
Photo Chris Hardy

Phrases were skillfully woven together – footwork patterns blended with speedy arm sequences, picturesque imagery with clean, elegant diagonals. Palms pierced the air as legs subtly moved from extension to flexion, knees bending ever so slightly. Yoga vocabulary was everywhere: deep lunges, half splits, warrior two, extended side angle, mountain pose. And like in yoga practice, there were distinct moments where movements connected with breath, particularly in a duet for Cameron Cofrancesco and João Sampaio. Each step linked directly to an inhalation/exhalation in the score – very similar to how movement is tied to musical rhythm and structure in neo-classical ballet. A late group section felt like a children’s game; super playful and fun-loving. Peck also isn’t afraid to stop the choreography and let the audience sit with absence. There were even a number of seconds where the stage glowed blue but remained completely empty. Partita is deliciously unpredictable and I cannot wait to see it again. 

Only recently did I read the entirety of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. What a wild comedic ride: intertwined narratives, relationship status changes, spells, potions, animals, fairies, mistaken identity and so many different characters. Distilling or abridging that broader source material into more manageable pieces seems a helpful and valuable exercise!

Enter Seiwert’s 2023 A Long Night, a one-act ballet that centers around Puck, Hermia, Lysander, Helena and Demetrius and as the program states is “inspired by a Midsummer love affair.” A Long Night takes a humorous, current look at these five characters from the play. We see Puck as the mischievous orchestrator of events and circumstances. We see the use of magic. We see the complicated, entangled existence of the story’s two main couples. Infatuation. Unrequited emotion. Youthful desire. While pointe shoes were part of this picture, the viewer also sees Seiwert’s forward-thinking, contemporary approach to the possibilities within ballet vocabulary. Flexion in the limbs and joints. Use of the demi-pointe elevation while in those pointe shoes. Uneven groupings, like the fascinating pas de cinq. Benjamin Burton’s costumes were spot on and Seiwert cleverly set the piece to popular songs featuring the word ‘dream.’ Though I did long for some kind of forest-y scenic design or backdrop.

Yuri Rogers and Maggie Carey in 
Cerrudo's Extremely Close
Photo Chris Hardy

Closing the bill was Alejandro Cerrudo’s Extremely Close, a 2007 octet which also titled the entire afternoon’s program. The stage was strewn with feathers, while still more descended from the rafters (a great warm-up for the Smuin audience members who are eagerly anticipating the snow scene in The Christmas Ballet). Three flats rolled and traversed the stage space. The mood was somber and serious and there was a keen sense of urgency, especially in the magnetic, emotionally potent pas de deux between Maggie Carey and Yuri Rogers. The ending of which can only be described as unexpectedly foreboding.

But I think the genius of Extremely Close is its study of textural contrast. The billowy flowers opposed with the stark square stage flats. The lightness of the design elements experienced with the darkness of Janice Pytel’s costumes. Unison phrases and canon. Presence versus absence. Some dancers were visible onstage while others were hidden behind the flats. Suspension then grounding in Cerrudo’s choreography. Slow tempos amidst frenetic paces. Silence and sound. Equal moments of passion and suspicion.

EIGHT/MOVES

EIGHT/MOVES
Season 2
ODC Theater, San Francisco
September 12th, 2025

Consider the sophomore experience – a second year typically associated with high school, college and university. Sophomores are not new to their particular game, but at the same time, they haven’t been around forever. They have some footing under their belt, and simultaneously, they are still learning to navigate complexities. Sophomore year is an epic journey filled with curiosity, risk-taking, triumphs and important lessons.

EIGHT/MOVES, a newer addition to the San Francisco contemporary dance scene under the Artistic Direction of Mia J. Chong, is having a great sophomore season. After debuting last August at Z Space, this past weekend the company moved to ODC Theater for their second offering. A triple bill of work from different choreographic perspectives, the evening joined two world premieres with an encore from last year’s inaugural performances. 

While not at all necessary, throughlines were definitely present in the program. First was that all three pieces shared urgent commentary on climate and the environment. Second, each dance featured clouds as a theatrical device – Chong’s Wasteland, clouds of plastic refuse; Tsai His Hung’s The End, clouds of ash and dust; and Steam, by Chong and KT Nelson, billowing clouds of smoke. Last, all three works were captivating, topical and well-danced by the entire company, though there was one that stood out from the group.

Douglas Gillespie and Lani Yamanaka in
Hung's The End
Photo Natalia Roberts

Hung’s world premiere duet The End was a full throttle ride from beginning to blackout. Danced by Douglas Gillespie and Lani Yamanaka, everything about the movement was primal and desperate. Ash fell from the rafters center stage while masses of sand and dirt emanated around the couple. Angular movement abounded. Legs flew into extension; arms pierced the air. The physical syntax was grounded and extreme. There was rage. There was anger. And while the program notes don’t make any specific reference to environmental concerns, the ash combined with the desperate, palpable urgency gave an undeniably apocalyptic tone. I immediately wanted to see it again.

The lights went up on the premiere of Chong’s Wasteland to reveal plastic material strewn about the stage serving as both scenic design and props. Dancers would swim and slide through the piles of waste, their costumes evolving as pieces of the plastic were added and layered. Kinetic, precise and gestural movement phrases unfolded amidst and within the created landscape. A solo for Crystaldawn Bell stood out for its engagement with the vista. As she brushed against the plastic, movement would initiate at the point of contact. A hip jutted forward, a leg floated to the ground.

I remember enjoying Nelson and Chong’s Steam when I first saw it last year, and I continued to enjoy it at this second viewing. The threatening smoke that seeped onto the stage from the wings. The breathing and short of breath motifs. The floaty suspensions. The robotic pulsing. Engaging and unique, the dancers performed the choreography flawlessly. But I do think that Steam was more powerful and effective in a huge, cavernous venue like Z Space. In ODC’s smaller theater, the largess and ominous nature of the smoke didn’t read quite as well.

While very different compositions, Wasteland and Steam shared commonalities. Far beyond the fact that both were sextets. Each had riveting movement. Each had a terrific cast. Each took an important topical dive into our current climate crisis. And in each, the physical vocabulary occurred within that particular container. Though for me, I didn’t feel many instances where the movement actually felt reflective of the container. Amazing choreography and penetrating concepts, no question. But the connective tissue was a bit tenuous.

FACT/SF - Summer Dance Festival 2025

Pictured: LizAnne Roman Roberts
Photo Robbie Sweeny

FACT/SF
Summer Dance Festival 2025
Weekend 1
ODC Theater, San Francisco
August 15th, 2025

I’ve long been a fan of FACT/SF, a San Francisco-based modern dance company led by Artistic Director Charles Slender-White. And for a number of reasons. They take creative risks. They mentor choreographic talent. They advocate for dance artists. In addition, FACT/SF has a structural/formal strength that is really special. No matter what they present on stage, it is deeply grounded and rooted in modern dance technique. Seems like an ‘obvious’ trait for a contemporary dance troupe, but it’s actually rarer than you might think.

The last time I saw the company in performance was the virtual, livestreamed debut of Slender-White’s Split (part of a 2021 CounterPulse festival). So, it’s been a minute. What a treat to be back at ODC theater to see the newest iteration of their Summer Dance Festival – two weekends; a myriad of physicality; an array of choreographic visions. Program one brought an eclectic mixed bill from The Davis Sisters, Jenna Riegel and of course, FACT/SF. The three pieces were distinctive, though I did recognize that signature throughline: technique was the undeniable center of each work.

Kicking things off was the hilariously clever Make (It) Work: ((A) Work In Process) (Working Title) from Joy and Alexander Davis, or The Davis Sisters. For their festival entry, the duo brought a smorgasbord of performance art. A tasting menu of work created between 2017 and 2024. A collection of wild scenes celebrating their oeuvre. From one moment to the next, it was impossible to predict what was about to transpire. A promenade with a golf club. The deconstruction of a sandwich. A podcast. A recitation framed by a giant sunhat. It was such a trip, not simply because of that delicious unpredictability but because of the performance acumen and comedic connection that is The Davis Sisters. The piece was maybe a little long for an opener, but unquestionably entertaining and engaging.

Like much dance theater, Make (It) Work: ((A) Work In Process) (Working Title) utilized many different theatrical devices: comedy, props, costuming, set pieces, music, text and my absolute favorite, stagecraft. It isn’t often that you see the different aspects of stage craft used as an integral part of performance – genius! Choreographically, the work traversed different genres and eras. An early duet had a real 1980s vibe, with movements reminiscent of Ballroom voguing from that time. Silver sequin garments and disco-inspired phrases took us to the 70s. Classic contact improv shapes would make the Judson crew proud. And some slo-mo body surfing felt like a humorous, cheeky Grand Union. Gesture featured heavily throughout, including a very evocative arm/hand sequence that peeked outside of the wings. Specific and precise, it got me thinking about how such unassuming movements have the ability to craft powerful dynamic tone, atmosphere and emotion. 

Up next was the world premiere of Jenna Riegel’s to the marrow, a new duet commissioned by FACT/SF and danced by LizAnne Roman Roberts and Slender-White. Costumed in gauzy, flowy ecru, the pair each rolled a small orb along a diagonal light field. A measured and precise atmosphere was framed by a somewhat haunting musical score. They were clearly taking the utmost care with something they had been tasked to protect. As the duet moved on, the circular items were carefully placed upstage left so that expansive movement could unfold in the center of the space. Suspension and release were everywhere. As was special attention to the palms of the hand. Palms facing up relating a posture of receiving, while all of the earlier motions embodied giving. There was an overwhelming sense of otherworldliness – the angelic costuming, haunting banjo, the subdued light. Themes of friendship and parenting came through well, though I think the brilliance of to the marrow is that it could apply to any relationship that has a simultaneous energy of giving and receiving.

Closing FACT/SF’s 2025 Summer Dance Festival was the premiere of Slender-White’s Maelstrom, a tour de force quartet performed by the company. As the lights came up on ODC’s stage, the group propelled into the space with the force of an arrow. Piercing. Pounding. High throttle movement. Each motion had a clear stopping point, making every phrase so crisp and exact. Stirring (like stirring a pot) imagery abounded: arms cartwheeling through space, torso undulating, legs carving out round circuits. But Maelstrom was also not afraid to sit in extended moments of stillness and quiet. Heads and necks were full of ease. There was purposeful off-balancedness. And legs hovered, not in a particular arabesque shape or extension, but just as if they were taking flight.