Smuin Contemporary Ballet Celebrates The Holiday Season with“The Christmas Ballet”
Smuin’s Contemporary Ballet kicked off the holiday dance season with “The Christmas Ballet” at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, CA. As always, Smuin’s joyful holiday ballet offers something for everyone as it showcases its signature classical and contemporary dances set to the tone of festival music.
There are true gems in the ‘Classical Christmas’ first act, set to beloved traditional carols. This year, “The Christmas Ballet’s” first act unveils a new trio by Seiwert titled ‘Catalan Carol,’ in addition to traditional favorites such as Michael Smuin’s ‘Bach Magnificat,’ ‘Gloucestershire Wassail,’ and ‘Licht bensh’n’.
This is followed by the red-hot second act, ‘Cool Christmas’, featuring even more contemporary numbers, only this time set to pop favorites. With the surprise unwrapping of new treats each year, this celebratory medley incorporates a variety of dance styles including ballet, tap, jazz, swing, etc. The ‘Cool Christmas’ second act features the world premiere of ‘Ring Ting Tingling’ by Haskins, as well as a spirited medley of contemporary festive numbers including Michael Smuin’s sultry ‘Christmas in New Orleans,’ a tropical oasis in ‘Christmas Island,’ and dancing conifers in ‘Droopy Little Christmas Tree.’ And, yes, fans can rest easy as Smuin’s iconic ‘Santa Baby’ featuring the “world’s longest feather boa” is back!
The props, lighting and effects give this wonderful performance a dazzling effect, as each of the dance numbers is spectacular and memorable. As is expected, the dancing throughout is graceful, athletic, and powerful. This year’s “The Christmas Ballet” is not to be missed, as it is a true highlight of the holiday season!
The LGBTQ+ Night performance of Smuin’s irrepressible holiday classic on December 19 will be hosted by San Francisco drag queen Lady Camden, who rose to international acclaim following her appearance on season 14 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” The drag persona of former Smuin artist Rex Wheeler, Lady Camden returns to Smuin for a fabulous evening of fun twists and surprises, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting local non-profit organizations.
Smuin’s “The Christmas Ballet” will tour the Bay Area, with shows at the Sunset Center in Carmel (December 1-2) and Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts in Mountain View (December 7-10), and wrapping up at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco (December 14-24). Tickets ($25-$119) are available by calling the individual venues (Carmel: 831-620-2048; Mountain View: 650-903-6000; S.F.: 415-912-1899) or visiting smuinballet.org.
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Photo caption: Smuin artist Marc LaPierre in Smuin's "The Christmas Ballet," touring the Bay Area now through December 24, 2023. (Credit: Chris Hardy)