Welcome to Swan Lake, one of Kent Stowell’s most stunning contributions to PNB’s repertoire. This production of Swan Lake and I arrived at PNB at the same time, in the summer of 2003. I was struck by the magnitude of the physical production, and still find new details in Ming Cho Lee’s magnificent sets and Paul Tazewell’s opulent costumes. For a new-to-PNB arts administrator, I could not have encountered a more beautiful ballet beginning.
Just over twenty years ago, in September 2003, a theater called Marion Oliver McCaw Hall opened in Seattle. Built on the site of the Seattle Opera House, which dated back to the 1962 World’s Fair, the new hall was the realization of years of dreaming, planning, fundraising, and building. With Seattle Symphony’s recent relocation to Benaroya Hall, McCaw Hall was tailored to the needs of its two primary tenants, Seattle Opera and Pacific Northwest Ballet. After a joint gala celebrating the new digs and the dawn of a new era for each arts organization, PNB offered another unveiling – a completely redesigned version of Kent Stowell’s Swan Lake.
When Swan Lake premiered at Pacific Northwest Ballet in 1981, PNB was a small, relatively unknown company. Over 40 years later, Kent Stowell's Swan Lake has been enjoyed by thousands of audience members and is still a PNB favorite. Take a look at PNB's 14 Swan Lake programs through the years, and let us know which one is your number one pick!
The 2000s began a new era of Pacific Northwest Ballet history with the retirement of Kent Stowell and Francia Russell and the hiring of Peter Boal as artistic director. In many ways, the PNB that audiences know and love today took shape during the 2000s. Read on to learn about this influential decade!
PNB took tremendous leaps toward establishing itself as an acclaimed ballet company in the 1980s. PNB’s original productions of Swan Lake and the Nutcracker, which both premiered in the ‘80s, were pivotal steps in this dance toward success. As PNB celebrates our 50th Anniversary, step back in time with us to our twentieth year and the very beginnings of some of our favorite productions!
Guess who’s turning fifty? Not me, that happened already. It’s PNB. In 1972, a small but committed group of extraordinary individuals envisioned a great classical ballet company based here […]
Swan Lake defines a classical ballet company. It offers the epitome of cohesion for a corps de ballet, the apex of artistry for principal dancers, a challenge and a triumph for an orchestra, and an opportunity to lay claim to greatness. It certainly helped to […]
Following a year that nobody wants to revisit anytime soon, Artistic Director Peter Boal has optimistically announced the line-up for Pacific Northwest Ballet’s 49th season, running from September 2021 to June 2022. A love letter to PNB’s loyal fans, highlights of PNB’s return to the McCaw Hall stage include full-evening programs devoted to […]
This October, the scenic design world, Harvard students, and ballet, theater, and opera audiences everywhere lost an exceptional artist; Ming Cho Lee. While Mr. Lee’s work was renowned around the world, Seattle audiences had the opportunity to delight in his masterpieces through his longtime […]
Dance Happens Everywhere. That’s the title of our 20-21 digital season, and it’s true; dance does happen everywhere. I’m not just referring to different cultures […]