Smuin Ballets/SF – Dancin’ With Gershwin

Written by:
Larry Campbell
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Some of the Gershwin music:

Orchestral Works & Piano Solos

Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Gershwin Songbook

Someone to Watch over Me: Songs of George Gershwin Susannah McCorkle

The Ultimate Collection G. Gershwin

Gershwin Standard Time: The George Gershwin Centennial Tribute

Julie Wilson Sings the George Gershwin Songbook

Smuin Ballets/SF is presenting a new, evening-length program, Dancin’ with Gershwin, that demonstrates the accomplished showmanship of choreographer Michael Smuin. Using songs composed by George Gershwin, as well as some of his orchestral music, Smuin has devised an entertainment that moves along briskly. The songs, that span Gershwin’s all-too-brief career (he died at age 38), keep changing mood. Smuin has used recordings old and new of the songs, with many familiar singers represented in his selections. Willa Kim’s costumes are colorful and witty. The design elements and lighting, by Rick Goodwin and Sara Linnie Slocum, also contribute to this engaging evening.

Who could resist the charms of Allison Jay? She appears magically through a sea of ostrich feather fans (shades of Sally Rand, for those who remember the famous fan dancer) held by a corps of six men. Jay wears a tight red velvet dress revealing an impressive cleavage adorned with “diamonds.” To the voice of Marilyn Monroe singing “Do It Again,” she prances, slinks and vamps through a clever dance in which the fans play an active part. This was the highlight of the evening.

The dozen members of the company obviously relish what they are doing, and the audience has a good time with them. The program beings with a piano (painted bright red) in the spotlight as the overture plays. Hern�n Piquin springs into action, “playing” the keyboard with his feet, timed to the music, and is joined by Celia Fushille-Burke in a lively routine that sets the tone for the evening ahead. As the overture ends, the piano “flies” away and the program moves quickly into an homage to Al Jolson and his signature song, “Swanee.” The dexterous Shannon Hurlburt, dressed like Jolson, is backed by six smaller Jolsons, and the routine they perform draws upon the well-known Jolson moves.

The first part of the program emphasizes upbeat selections, with an occasional romantic pas de deux, and an acrobatic solo by the lithe Hern�n Piquin danced to “It Ain’t Necessarily So” from the Gershwin opera Porgy and Bess. This number employs shadow projections that give visual representation to the lyrics–another witty, theatrical touch. There is also a dance for two couples with the women seated on rolling chairs, an homage to Busby Berkley routines, and a Andrews Sisters-inspired rendering of “Of Thee I Sing.”

The second part of the program begins with a moody dance (set to the Adagio section from the “Concerto in F”) for two couples. The story implied in the dance is that the couples are mismatched—the man of one couple yearns for the woman of the other couple. Antony Tudor’s masterpiece Lilac Garden uses the same premise and is a ballet that Smuin knows well. In fact, throughout the evening, Smuin borrows from other choreographers, putting their movements together in his own way. Smuin is more a synthesizer than an original creator of movement;he makes astute choices in what he borrows.

Two young performers (the accomplished Roberto Cisneros and Anthony Huxley, both age 12) are featured in a tap routine (one of several tap dances) that ends with a stab at hip hop. Smuin is always up to date in his use of vernacular movement. Cisneros is also featured in an homage to Fred Astaire in which he mimics the moves of Shannon Hurlburt dancing to a recording of “Fascinating Rhythm” made by Fred Astaire. The program ends with the entire company dancing to “Slap That Bass,” bringing the evening to a spirited close.

-Larry Campbell

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