The Inspiration for Black Wave; Notes from Choreographer Jessica Lang
Choreographer Jessica Lang is busy in PNB’s studios putting the finishing touches on Black Wave, her first work as PNB’s resident choreographer. Jessica’s work for PNB is both thought-provoking and emotionally moving, and Black Wave is no different. Keep scrolling to learn about Jessica’s unique inspirations for this piece.
The Art of Kintsugi
An important part of Black Wave’s inspiration is the Japanese artform kintsugi. Jessica explains, “The work is inspired by the philosophy of kintsugi, the Japanese art of rebuilding something that is broken. Pottery breaks apart, and artists reconnect it with an urushi lacquer that highlights where the pottery was broken.” Jessica sees this intricate artform speaking to a deep truth about mental health. “Kintsugi illustrates the human experience; during our life we have our wounds, our scars, and our moments of breaking. And how do we continue? Through healing and trying to become perhaps more unique and beautiful by showing our scars and not hiding them.”
Jessica’s husband and creative associate, Kanji Segawa, introduced her to kintsugi. His insights are an important part of Black Wave’s development. “Kanji brings so much to my process, he’s so valuable. We’re constantly discussing my work, where it needs to go, grow, and develop, and what I need to investigate in myself. This kintsugi idea really came from him in terms of introducing me to the philosophy.” Kanji has been in the PNB studios, assisting Jessica and working with the Company, throughout the creation of this ballet.
The Music
Like many ballet choreographers, Jessica’s work is heavily influenced by its musical score. Black Wave’s score is composed by Salina Fisher, a New Zealand artist and the youngest-ever recipient of the SOUNZ Contemporary Award. Jessica says, “It’s interesting how I came upon Salina’s work. I was at the point in the creation process where I needed to select music. I was driving two minutes from one place to another, and I heard an ad for Salina’s piece Kintsugi. I found that to be a wink (when I talk about a wink, I mean an instance when I’m looking for inspiration, and something else tells me to go in a certain direction). Later, I reached out to her, and it was an instant connection. She’s super lovely and super talented. Come to find out, Seattle Symphony was about to perform Salina’s work Rainphase the following week!”
Jessica is using Salina’s musical score in a new way. “With my work, sometimes I’m so hyper-focused on my musicality, timing, and partnering the movement with the music. I’m not using the music as I normally would; instead, I’m creating physicality and musicality in the movement, to the point that I’m creating my own silence and rhythm with the dancers’ movement.”
The Pacific Northwest Ballet
Black Wave is the first piece Jessica is creating as PNB’s Resident Choreographer, and that has impacted the work as well. Jessica is quick to note that the dancers she works with are an invaluable part of the creative process. “Every dancer I work with helps build my vocabulary. Those are the people that sculpt and shape the work you’re making together. If you have an established relationship and trust, you can dive deeper. The time in the studio when you’re choreographing, you have so much quiet, and it’s so intense. But it’s also full of joy and love. It’s like any relationship. It takes time to develop that fundamental trust in building good art. And I think I have that with PNB.”
Typically, Jessica works with a set of dancers that she knows well to establish some dance vocabulary before she comes to a ballet company as a guest choreographer and sets a new work. She says, “It’s a way to get into the creation process without any pressure on day one for me to generate new ideas.” But with Black Wave and PNB, she did something different. “With this new creation, I didn’t come with anything prepared. Kanji and I worked on the day before we started to build a little material. Because I have this relationship with PNB, I wanted to let go of that pre-production work and dive right in. Because I can; I know the dancers really well.”
Jessica Lang’s work is rich with meaning. Her thoughtfulness translates onstage into unique, poignant ballets. See how Jessica embodies kintsugi in Black Wave, onstage September 20 – 29, 2024 as part of PNB’s THE TIMES ARE RACING program.
