As Smuin Ballet opens its 33rd season, the goal of Artistic Director Amy Seiwert seems to be that of acknowledging the past without letting it define her. Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of founder Michael Smuin’s death, and his shadow looms large over the season premiere, “French Kiss.” Even the entrance to the theatre designates an area where attendees can write personal reminiscences of the late choreographer. Yet, it’s to Seiwert’s credit that she’s trying her best not to get lost in that shadow.
The show’s first entry seems to serve as a requiem for Smuin. “Stabat Mater” (Latin for “the sorrowful mother”) premiered in 2002 as a reaction to 9/11. Designer Alexander V. Nichols’ set includes an upstage wall that evokes Ground Zero debris. It’s within this space that that titular mater (Claire Buehler) finds herself working through a mourning process. Coupled with Ricardo Dyer, Buehler finds herself amidst an ensemble that doesn’t so much surround her as haunt her. Dyer, in particular, appears to represent a lost love, whose relationship with the mater – though clearly tempestuous – is one she longs to relive. His disappearance at the conclusion is akin to a pleasant memory vanishing.
Though the piece is bolstered by Smuin’s still-vital choreography, Antonín Dvořák’s Tchaikovsky-esque score, and the electric work of Dyer, Buehler’s performance seems unnecessarily reserved. It’s clear she was portraying someone overcome by sadness, but she never matched the energy of her onstage colleagues. In hindsight, that may have been because she was saving her energy for the next piece.
Choreographer/Costumer/Scenic Designer My’Kal Stromile describes the title of his world premiere ballet as “an invented phonetic phrase [that] resembles a kind of cognitive buffering or internal recalibration—language attempting to organize itself before becoming coherent.” In other words, it’s not important whether or not you pronounce “I-SCRIT-AH-SCREE-TAH-SKRATT” correctly because the word is essentially baby-talk.
That lends a logic to the music-free prelude that finds Dominic Barrett’s movements clearly choreographed, but intentionally rudimentary. The combination of classical ballet with gestures reminiscent of Egyptian hieroglyphs suggests a dancer who is still trying to figure out how the body moves, or does know and is just freestyling to the music in their own head.
Equally simple, yet still eye-catching, are the Stromile-designed costumes, which resemble ‘80s gym wear with their tight, sleeveless tops and short-shorts. Primary reds and blues clash with turquoise for a wardrobe that shouldn’t work as well as it does. Similarly, the choreographer makes bold choices, seemingly as interested in the dancers’ fluidity as the geometry of their bodies. It’s here where Buehler, in particular, shows an energy that was missing earlier. Now paired with Logan Martin, Buehler is a firecracker under Stromile’s guidance. Like the entire ensemble, she brings a playful seriousness to the classic score of Bach’s “Sinfonia in F Major.” What’s old is new again.
The show concludes with a revival of Seiwert’s 2023 tribute to the band Pink Martini. If you’re not familiar with them, their work is a throwback to both ‘60s lounge jazz and mid-century big band music, accompanied by French lyrics. As such, Seiwert’s piece is the “French Kiss” that brings the show together. Like the Smuin piece that began the show, it revels in the fluidity of individual dancers without sacrificing the presence of the ensemble. As with the Stromile piece that immediately precedes it, it also revels in bold colors and childlike play onstage.
After the show proper ended, dancer Logan Martin took to the stage to read a Michael Smuin memory written by an audience member. It was the memory of a woman who literally and figuratively bumped into him with her pregnant belly before a show. She was apologetic, but he was full of jokes, which eased the tension. Following this reading, the ensemble performed a supplementary dance set to Pink Martini’s French cover of “Could We Start Again Please” from “Jesus Christ Superstar.” The choice of song would suggest one wants to return to some halcyon time when their world held more promise. Yet, this dance, as with the “French Kiss” sequence and show proper, are best when showing a reason to smile once the clouds have parted. It’s to the credit of Seiwert and her collaborators that they’ve shown the due reverence to the past without being trapped in it.
Smuin Ballet’s “French Kiss” runs through October 18 at the Cowell Theater at Fort Mason, 2 Marina Blvd, # 260. Tickets are $25 to $100.
