San Francisco's Smuin Contemporary Ballet, which in pre-pandemic times performed regularly at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, is sharing some treasures from its repertoire in a free virtual performance series, Hump Day Ballets. With the series, the company aims to lift viewers out of the mid-week doldrums by releasing videos from the Smuin Ballet archives to the public on selected Wednesdays — though each performance is actually available online for 48 hours, from Wednesday through Friday.

This month's edition of Hump Day Ballets will feature Michael Smuin's "Carmina Burana," set to Carl Orff’s dramatic score of the same name. The piece debuted in 1997 and was revived during the company's 2019-2020 season.

Each Hump Day Ballet performance is released with a video introduction by a company member or guest artist. Smuin dancer Tessa Barbour, who has performed in "Carmina Burana," will introduce the piece.

And for any viewers who might be inspired by the series to try a few dance steps of their own, the company also currently offers online ballet classes on a pay-what-you-can basis.

For more information about where to view Hump Day Ballets, visit smuinballet.org or facebook.com/SmuinBallet.