Danced Himself Right Out the Room
APRIL 29, 2007 TAGS:
The prolific choreographer and dancer Michael Smuin died Monday in San Francisco, suffering a heart attack during a rehearsal. He was the founder and artistic director of Smuin Ballet, a small, San Francisco-based dance troupe that premiered over 40 new works choreographed by Smuin ranging from classical ballet to more experimental and popular styles since1994.
He began dancing professionally when he was 15, after the director of the San Francisco Ballet discovered him while he was studying dance at the University of Utah. He spent eight years at the San Francisco Ballet and became a principal dancer.
Smuin married fellow company member Paula Tracy and they moved to New York where Smuin worked on Broadway and later became a choreographer and dancer for the American Ballet Theatre.
He rejoined the San Francisco Ballet in 1973 and became its co-director 1976. During his 12 years in San Francisco he produced his most critically acclaimed work, including ballets for Romeo and Juliet and the Tempest. Romeo and Juliet was broadcast on PBS as part of their series "Dance in America." It earned Smuin an Emmy.
But Smuin was not without detractors. He was forced out of his position at the SFB because of disagreements with the board about fund-raising. Critics lambasted the "unembarrassed theatricality" of many of his dances, especially those set to popular music such as Frank Sinatra and Ira Gershwin. Smuin displayed that theatricality in full-force when he danced upon stage in 1988 to accept a Tony Award for choreography for a revival of Cole Porter's Anything Goes.
Recently, Smuin's choreography has taken cues from Brazilian and Japanese traditions. Versatility and eclecticism were perhaps his greatest strengths.
He began dancing professionally when he was 15, after the director of the San Francisco Ballet discovered him while he was studying dance at the University of Utah. He spent eight years at the San Francisco Ballet and became a principal dancer.
Smuin married fellow company member Paula Tracy and they moved to New York where Smuin worked on Broadway and later became a choreographer and dancer for the American Ballet Theatre.
He rejoined the San Francisco Ballet in 1973 and became its co-director 1976. During his 12 years in San Francisco he produced his most critically acclaimed work, including ballets for Romeo and Juliet and the Tempest. Romeo and Juliet was broadcast on PBS as part of their series "Dance in America." It earned Smuin an Emmy.
But Smuin was not without detractors. He was forced out of his position at the SFB because of disagreements with the board about fund-raising. Critics lambasted the "unembarrassed theatricality" of many of his dances, especially those set to popular music such as Frank Sinatra and Ira Gershwin. Smuin displayed that theatricality in full-force when he danced upon stage in 1988 to accept a Tony Award for choreography for a revival of Cole Porter's Anything Goes.
Recently, Smuin's choreography has taken cues from Brazilian and Japanese traditions. Versatility and eclecticism were perhaps his greatest strengths.
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