Smuin Offers Free Stream Of Trey McIntyre Hit OH, INVERTED WORLD For Hump Day Ballet

Smuin Contemporary Ballet announces Trey McIntyre's hit Oh, Inverted World as the next installment of its Hump Day Ballets series. Applauded by The New York Times as "irresistible" and "amazingly fresh," McIntyre's intoxicating pop ballet is set to music by influential indie band The Shins. As part of the Hump Day Ballets series, which aims to brighten mid-week spirits with free video streaming of a ballet from Smuin's archives, Oh, Inverted World will be offered beginning Wednesday, April 29, 2020. The release will be accompanied by a video introduction by Smuin dancers Jonathan Powell and Erin Yarbrough-Powell, who performed in the world premiere of Oh, Inverted World.

The recorded performance will be available for 48 hours only, with streaming instructions announced through Smuin's email list (sign up at smuinballet.org), or via Smuin's Facebook (facebook.com/SmuinBallet) and Instagram (instagram.com/smuinballet). For more information the public may visit smuinballet.org.

Commissioned by Smuin Artistic Director Celia Fushille in fall 2010, Oh, Inverted World is an innovative fusion of McIntyre's fresh, impulsive choreography and acclaimed indie band The Shins' distinctive musical style, featuring songs from their breakthrough debut album for which the piece is named. This critically lauded album was prominently featured in the Grammy Award-winning soundtrack of the hit film Garden State, skyrocketing the band and its unique, 1960s-influenced power-pop sound into mainstream popularity. The San Francisco Chronicle called Oh, Inverted World "arresting," praising the "witty physicality" of Smuin's dancers during its world premiere in fall 2010. "Having seen it once, I wish I could see it again soon...to come to terms with the surprises it springs," marveled Alastair Macaulay, dance critic for The New York Times. Viewed again in 2012, when the Company toured to The Joyce Theater in Manhattan, he raved, "the ballet looks even better now."

Trey McIntyre has produced more than 100 pieces during his career and won numerous awards for his work, including a Choo San Goh Award for Choreography, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Society of Arts and Letters, two personal grants for choreography from the National Endowment for the Arts, and is a United States Artists Fellow. Hailed by The New York Times as "one of the most singular choreographic minds working today," McIntyre has created dances that have been performed by companies around the world including Stuttgart Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Queensland Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, New York City Ballet, BalletX, The Washington Ballet, and Oregon Ballet Theatre, among others. Oh, Inverted World is Smuin's second collaboration with McIntyre-the company first presented his work with the West Coast premiere of The Naughty Boy! After its smashing success, Fushille and McIntyre remained in touch, leading to the commissions of Oh, Inverted World followed by Be Here Now, which celebrated the 50th Anniversary of The Summer of Love in San Francisco. Most recently, Smuin performed McIntyre's Blue Until June, a stirring tribute to blues icon Etta James.

Smuin's Hump Day Ballets series was created to share inspiring art and enable the company to stay connected with its community during the Shelter-in-Place order. Every Wednesday a different ballet from Smuin's repertoire, introduced by a current Company dancer or guest artist, is released to the public. The sharing of these productions is made possible by the generous support of Smuin's partners-the choreographers, unions, designers, and composers providing permission outside of standard contracts to share these creations with the community.

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