Artistic Director Peter Boal has announced the line-up for Pacific Northwest Ballet’s 47th season, running from September, 2019 to June, 2020. Highlights include George Balanchine’s masterful Agon on a double-bill with Kent Stowell’s powerhouse production of Carmina Burana; world premieres by local choreographers Donald Byrd, Eva Stone, and Miles Pertl; the return of classic and crowd-pleasing story ballets Cinderella and Giselle; and the PNB premiere of One Thousand Pieces, a large-scale work by Alejandro Cerrudo, accompanying David Dawson’s enthralling Empire Noir. The line-up concludes with the return of works by Crystal Pite and Twyla Tharp, with a world premiere from Edwaard Liang. For family audiences, PNB is also presenting a new production of Beauty and the Beast (performed by students of the Pacific Northwest Ballet School) and, of course, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®.
PNB is currently accepting season subscription renewals and new full-season subscription orders, and subscribers will have access to purchase additional tickets before they go on sale to the general public; single tickets to the season, and George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®, go on sale to the public on Monday, July 22. For further information, contact the PNB Box Office by phone at 206.441.2424, online at PNB.org, or in person at 301 Mercer Street. Discounted subscription rates are available for senior citizens and students with ID. All programming and dates are subject to change. For more information, visit PNB.org.
2019-2020 SEASON LINE-UP (programming subject to change):
Rep 1 – CARMINA BURANA/AGON
September 27 – October 6, 2019
To open the season, Carmina Burana’s 2,500-pound golden wheel rotates above more than 100 dancers, musicians, and singers in Kent Stowell’s powerhouse production, paired with Agon, the pinnacle of George Balanchine’s legendary collaboration with Igor Stravinsky.
Agon
Music: Igor Stravinsky
Choreography: George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust
Staging: Francia Russell
Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli
Premiere: December 1, 1957, New York City Ballet
PNB Premiere: March 30, 1993
Carmina Burana
Music: Carl Orff
Choreography: Kent Stowell
Scenic Design: Ming Cho Lee
Costume Design: Theoni V. Aldredge, additional costumes by Larae Theige Hascall
Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli
Premiere: October 5, 1993, Pacific Northwest Ballet
Rep 2 – LOCALLY SOURCED
November 8 – 17, 2019
PNB turns with pride to local talent for a triple bill of new works. Donald Byrd, artistic director of Spectrum Dance Theater and a Tony-nominated (The Color Purple) and Bessie Award-winning (The Minstrel Show) choreographer, shares the program with Eva Stone, founder/producer of CHOP SHOP: Bodies of Work; and PNB company dancer Miles Pertl, taking his first choreographic turn on the mainstage following creations for NEXT STEP and PNB School.
World Premiere
Music: Nadia Boulanger, Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre, Fanny Mendelssohn, Clara Schumann
Choreography: Eva Stone
Costume Design: Melanie Burgess
Lighting Design: Amiya Brown
World Premiere
Music: Emmanuel Witzthum
Choreography: Donald Byrd
Costume Design: Doris Black
Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli
World Premiere
Music: Cosmo Sheldrake
Choreography: Miles Pertl
Scenic Design: Eli Lara, Sydney M. Pertl, and Max Badger Woodring
Costume Design: Patrick Stovall
Lighting Design: Reed Nakayama
George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®
November 29 – December 28, 2019
(Not part of PNB’s subscription season. Tickets go on sale July 22.) The Northwest’s favorite holiday tradition! PNB’s production of the iconic Balanchine ballet features sets and costumes designed by children’s author and illustrator Ian Falconer (Olivia the Pig).
Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreography: George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust
Staging: Judith Fugate, with Peter Boal and Garielle Whittle
Scenic & Costume Design: Ian Falconer
Lighting Design: James F. Ingalls
Original Lev Ivanov Production Premiere: December 6, 1892, Imperial Ballet, St. Petersburg
Balanchine Production Premiere: February 2, 1954, New York City Ballet
PNB Premiere: November 27, 2015
Rep 3 – Cinderella
January 31 – February 9, 2020
PNB Founding Artistic Director Kent Stowell’s Cinderella combines storytelling, choreography, Prokofiev’s haunting score, and superb costume and scenic design, to transport the lonely heroine from her wistful fireside dreams to a dazzling palace ball. There, Cinderella and her prince shimmer like diamonds at the center of a scarlet-clad waltz in one of PNB’s most spectacular scenes.
Music: Sergei Prokofiev
Choreography: Kent Stowell
Staging: Kent Stowell and Francia Russell
Scenic Design: Tony Straiges
Costume Design: Martin Pakledinaz
Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli
Premiere: May 31, 1994, Pacific Northwest Ballet
Rep 4 – ONE THOUSAND PIECES
March 13 – 22, 2020
The rapidly-expanding Seattle fan base for Alejandro Cerrudo (Little mortal jump, Silent Ghost) eagerly anticipates PNB’s premiere of One Thousand Pieces, a large-scale ensemble work inspired by artist Marc Chagall. The double bill also includes David Dawson’s (A Million Kisses to my Skin) powerfully athletic Empire Noir, set against a massive, curving sculpture.
Empire Noir
Music: Greg Haines
Choreography: David Dawson
Staging: Rebecca Gladstone
Scenic Design: John Otto
Costume Design: Yumiko Takeshima
Lighting Design: Bert Dalhuysen
Premiere: June 17, 2015, Dutch National Ballet
PNB Premiere: March 17, 2017
One Thousand Pieces (PNB Premiere)
Music: Philip Glass
Choreography: Alejandro Cerrudo
Staging: Ana Lopez, Pablo Piantino
Scenic and Costume Design: Thomas Mika
Lighting Design: Michael Korsch
Premiere: October 18, 2012, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
Beauty and the Beast (PNB Premiere)
March 15 – 22, 2020
(Part of PNB’s “Family Matinees” series. Call the PNB Box Office for details.) Featuring students of Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Fall in love with the celebrated fairy tale all over again with this narrated matinee production designed for younger audience members. Danced by students of PNB School, Beauty and the Beast tells the enchanting tale of adventure, unlikely friendships, and the power of true love.
Music: Léo Delibes
Concept and Choreography: Bruce Wells
Scenic Design: Ryan Sbaratta
Costume Design: Atlanta Ballet Costume Shop
Lighting Design: Joseph R. Walls
Family Matinee Ballet Master: Michele Curtis
Rep 5 – Giselle
April 10 – 19, 2020
Giselle, the story of young woman who dies of a broken heart, is famous for the Wilis – a sisterhood of ghostly maidens who call Giselle’s spirit from the grave to take revenge on the nobleman who betrayed her. This is Giselle’s first return since PNB’s acclaimed production received magnificent new sets and costumes in 2014.
Libretto: Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Théophile Gautier
Music: Adolphe Adam
Choreography: Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot, and Marius Petipa, with additional choreography by Peter Boal
Staging: Peter Boal
Choreography Reconstruction: Doug Fullington
Historical Adviser: Marian Smith
Scenic and Costume Design: Jerome Kaplan
Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli
Original Production Premiere: June 28, 1841, Ballet du Theatre de l’Academie Royale de Musique (Paris)
Petipa Production Premiere: February 5, 1884, Imperial Ballet (St. Petersburg)
PNB Premiere: June 3, 2011; new production May 30, 2014
REP 6 – PITE-THARP-LIANG
May 29 – June 7, 2020
PNB’s season-closer features the return of Crystal Pite’s (Emergence) Plot Point, which held audiences spellbound in Hitchcock-inspired suspense during its 2017 PNB premiere; alongside Twyla Tharp’s Waiting at the Station, set to Allen Toussaint’s irresistible R&B-meets-jazz score. A new work by choreographer Edwaard Liang completes the triple bill.
World Premiere
Music: Oliver Davis (new commission)
Choreography: Edwaard Liang
Plot Point
Music: Bernard Herrmann, with additional sound design by Owen Belton
Choreography: Crystal Pite
Staging: Sandra Marin Garcia
Scenic Design: Jay Gower Taylor
Costume Design: Nancy Bryant
Lighting Design: Alan Brodie
Premiere: April 22, 2010, Nederlands Dans Theater
PNB Premiere: November 3, 2017
Waiting at the Station
Music: Allen Toussaint
Choreography: Twyla Tharp
Staging: Kiyon Gaines
Scenic and Costume Design: Santo Loquasto
Lighting Design: James F. Ingalls
Premiere: September 27, 2013, Pacific Northwest Ballet
SEASON ENCORE PERFORMANCE Sunday, June 7, 2020
(Not part of PNB’s subscription season. Tickets to this event go on sale in 2020.)
NEXT STEP: Outside/In Choreographers’ Showcase Friday, June 12, 2020
(Not part of PNB’s subscription season. Tickets to this event go on sale in 2020.)
39th Annual PNB School Performances Saturday, June 13, 2020
(Not part of PNB’s subscription season. Tickets to this event go on sale in 2020.)
TICKET INFORMATION: Money-saving full-season (six-show) subscriptions, starting at $178, are currently on sale. Subscriber benefits include free and easy ticket exchanges, discounts on additional single ticket purchases, pre-sale privileges for special performances, the opportunity to purchase pre-paid parking, 20% off PNB School Open dance classes for adults, discounts at local restaurants, and more. (Single tickets to the season line-up as well as George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® go on sale to the public on Monday, July 22.)
Subscriptions may be purchased through the PNB Box Office:
• Phone: 206.441.2424
• In Person: 301 Mercer Street at Seattle Center
• Online: PNB.org
For information on discount offers including The Pointe, TeenTix, and Group Sales, visit PNB.org. While there, sign up for PNB’s email newsletter, and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Be among the first to learn about PNB news, casting and performance updates, ticket offers, and more.
PNB offers a variety of free or affordably-priced special events for most of its productions, including previews, conversations, lectures, and Q&As. For more information, visit PNB.org.
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Pacific Northwest Ballet’s 2019-2020 season is proudly sponsored by ArtsFund and Microsoft. Season support also provided by 4Culture, National Endowment for the Arts, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, The Shubert Foundation, and The Wallace Foundation. PNB media sponsorship provided by The Seattle Times.
