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Fittingly for the heady season of spring, romance is the centerpiece of Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley's spring repertory program, "Love and Power." The ballet bounds into the season on March 31 with a piece by Bay Area choreographer Michael Smuin and two works by company artistic director Dennis Nahat.
Smuin's Shinju makes its company premiere in the Spring Repertory Program. Based on a tale of tragic romance by an 18th-century Japanese playwright, Shinju features a score composed by Paul Seiko Chihara, who blends ancient Japanese instruments with contemporary Western styles. The story tells of lovers who, finding their romance frustrated at every turn by the intervention of mystical forces, choose a fate not unlike that of Romeo and Juliet. (Note: Shinju contains partial nudity.)
Also on the program are Nahat's Cannonade and Quicksilver. Set to the lively music of Bach's Piano Concerto No. 1, Cannonade features some lighting-fast footwork, and by design, the speed of the steps belies their difficulty. Another high-energy piece, Quicksilver uses a very modern setting and the music of Mendelssohn's Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Opus 25 to convey the vivacity of youth.
Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley presents "Love and Power" March 31April 3 at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, 255 Almaden Blvd., San Jose. Tickets are $22$68. For more information, call 408.288.2800 or www.balletsanjose.org.
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