The refined human form in the motion of ballet is inspiring to aspiring dancers, captivating to anatomy students, and vexing to small mammals that prefer twitchy, disjointed movement. Send nearby pygmy marmosets into a jealous tizzy with today's Groupon for tickets to the Smuin Ballet. Choose from the following options:

• For $60, you get two elite seating tickets (a $130 value).
• For $30, you get one elite seating ticket (a $65 value).

Tickets are valid for any show during the remainder of the 2010-2011 season. Currently, the Ballet is performing its holiday program, which runs from:

• November 26 to November 27 at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek
• December 3 to December 4 at the Sunset Center in Carmel
• December 8 to December 12 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts in Mountain View
• December 15 to December 24 at the Yerba Beuna Center for the Arts in San Francisco

See the performance calendar for more details.

Smuin has been pushing the conventions of ballet and choreography toward the future's robot-ruled dystopia for the last 16 years, touring nationally and internationally. For this year's holiday program, Amy Seiwert (Smuin's lauded choreographer in residence) and Ballet Master Amy London blend refined ballet choreography with more unconventional move-busting to the sounds of classic carols, funky klezmer jams, and Elvis Presley. The cavalcade of yuletide twirling gives families a wholesome holiday alternative to digitally defacing a neighbor's Christmas card.

Reviews

The San Francisco Chronicle, Time Out San Francisco, and SF Appeal all have great things to say about the Smuin Ballet. Yelpers give it an average of 4.5 stars:

• Along with infectious enthusiasm, the company gave Friday's premiere a dangerous-looking full-tilt speed and energy, which was a risk, given that everyone still had work ahead on the rest of the program. – Mary Ellen Hunt, The San Francisco Chronicle
• While the company lacks some of the bells and whistles of larger arts institutions, it more than makes up for this with its staff's professionalism and approachability. – Becca Hirschman, SF Appeal