Smuin Ballet's FLY ME TO THE MOON Gala Set for 1/26

A galaxy of San Francisco civic stars will join Smuin Ballet for lift off next month, when the sparkling company launches its 2013 fundraising gala Fly Me to the Moon. Organizing the event are honorary chair Willie L. Brown, Jr. and co-chairs Athena and John Konstin and Chris and Ed Schweitzer, with honorary committee members Wilkes Bashford, Ann Caen, Honorable George Gascon, Anette L. Harris & Marc Loupe, and Senator Mark Leno.

Guests are invited to dress in "Rat Pack Style" for this posh evening, and will don their best fedoras and shark fin suits for a cocktail reception and silent auction, followed by a delectable dinner and performance by Smuin Ballet's acclaimed dancers. Fly Me to the Moon takes place January 26, 2013, at the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco. For tickets or for more information, the public may contact Smuin Ballet at (415) 556-5000 x107 or visit www.smuinballet.org.

Among the fun one-of-a-kind silent auction items will be Giants tickets that include a visit to the public address booth with PA announcer Renel Brooks-Moon, several lots of rare and hard-to-find wines, an exclusive dinner at AQ restaurant with owner Matt Semmelhack and his wife (Smuin ballerina Robin Semmelhack), some fabulous Bulgari Jewelry, a lavish getaway to New York, and much more.

Each year Smuin Ballet invests some $160,000 in footwear and costumes for its 16 dancers. Funds raised at Fly Me to the Moon will ensure the company's productions maintain the signature Smuin shine audiences know and love, as it moves into its 20th anniversary season next year. Sponsors of Fly Me to the Moon include Bank of the West, Fossil, and Grgich Hills Estate.

Debuting in San Francisco in 1994, Smuin Ballet immediately established itself as one of the Bay Area's most eagerly watched performing arts companies, as "one of this country's most entertaining, original ballet troupes" (Dance Magazine), and as a dance company of international acclaim, performing to sold-out houses on European tours. Michael Smuin's singular philosophy to create pieces which merge the diverse vocabularies of classical ballet and contemporary dance has served as the company's touchstone since its beginning.

Now at the helm of Smuin Ballet is Artistic and Executive Director Celia Fushille, whose vision includes maintaining and increasing the company's reputation for presenting accessible and innovative repertoire, attracting new audiences of all ages to the medium. The company has continued to highlight works created by Smuin, both for his own and for other ballet companies, but Fushille also enriches its impressive repertoire with newer choreographic voices, bringing the Bay Area its first look at works by exciting choreographers from around the world, as well as developing world premieres by company members. During its recent New York City debut, Smuin Ballet was praised by critics as "irresistible, bright, and breezy" by the New York Times, which also noted, "Smuin dancers are at their finest."