Smuin Ballet Presents Adam Hougland's COLD VIRTUES, Now thru 3/9

Smuin Ballet lights up the Bay Area this winter as it continues its presentation of Cold Virtues, a striking interplay of romance and power from rising choreographer Adam Hougland, set to Philip Glass' haunting Violin Concerto. The program also includes a revival of Oh, Inverted World, Trey McIntyre's spunky smash hit set to music from the popular indie-rock band The Shins, which received its world premiere with Smuin Ballet in 2010. Three works by Michael Smuin will also grace the stage - Starshadows, a sensual and evocative adagio for three couples set to Maurice Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major; Homeless, a joyous and exhilarating solo work; and No Viviré, an en pointe solo peppered with the delicious flavoring of Latin American rhythms.

Smuin Ballet's Winter Program tours the Bay Area, beginning with shows in Walnut Creek (tonight, Feb 1-2), followed by performances in Mountain View (Feb 20-24) and Carmel (Mar 8-9). Tickets are now available at www.smuinballet.org or at each venue's box office (see info at end of release).

Adam Hougland's Cold Virtues is a mysterious and intriguing dance of manipulation and deception, called "engrossing to the end" by the San Francisco Chronicle and "unforgettable" by SF Classical Voice. Set to Philip Glass's haunting Violin Concerto, the piece features 14 dancers, who whirl and leap against a hypnotic backdrop of spinning fans in the smoky depths of a depression-era speakeasy. As the Principal Choreographer for Louisville Ballet and Resident Choreographer for Cincinnati Ballet, Hougland has added to his list of accomplishments by choreographing original works for the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company, Introdans in the Netherlands, the Limón Dance Company, The Washington Ballet, and the New York Choreographic Institute at New York City Ballet. In 2006, he created a world premiere for Juilliard's Centennial Celebration that was broadcast on the PBS 'Live from Lincoln Center' series. He has won the Princess Grace Award for Choreography, the Choo-San Goh Award for Choreography, and a New York State Council for the Arts Commissioning Grant, and was included in Dance Magazine's 25 to Watch for 2011 and Pointe Magazine's 10 VIPs of 2006.

Oh, Inverted World by Trey McIntyre is set to music by the influential indie-rock band The Shins. An innovative fusion of McIntyre's fresh, impulsive choreography and The Shins' distinctive style, Oh, Inverted World is a mesmeric and lingering work marked by intricate patterns and athletic partnering. This dynamic ballet, commissioned by Smuin Ballet, received its world premiere in Fall 2010 in San Francisco, and recently enjoyed its New York premiere at The Joyce Theatre in Manhattan.