Pacific Northwest Ballet Artistic Director, Peter Boal examines the works on the current repertoire.

Artistic Director’s Notebook: Kent Stowell’s Swan Lake

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.

2024-01-29T09:07:04-08:00January 29th, 2024|Categories: Director's Notebook, Performances|Tags: , , , , , , , |Comments Off on Artistic Director’s Notebook: Kent Stowell’s Swan Lake

Executive Director’s Notes: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® 2023

On behalf of everyone at PNB, thank you for choosing to celebrate the season with us. Over the years we’ve heard from many in our audience about what this production means to you. It may mark the official start of your holidays, be the destination for a much anticipated annual outing with visiting family, or offer a nostalgic antidote to a too-busy time of year...

2023-11-20T15:22:37-08:00November 20th, 2023|Categories: Director's Notebook, Performances, The Nutcracker|Tags: , , , |Comments Off on Executive Director’s Notes: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® 2023

Artistic Director’s Notebook: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® 2023

Ask anyone what their introduction to ballet was – most will tell you it was a performance of The Nutcracker. They probably attended as small children. I was five. PNB expects to welcome about 85,000 people of all ages to our performances this year alone. Many will attend for the first time, starting a new tradition of enjoying this timeless holiday classic...

2023-11-20T15:05:03-08:00November 20th, 2023|Categories: Director's Notebook, Performances, The Nutcracker|Tags: , , , , , |Comments Off on Artistic Director’s Notebook: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® 2023

Executive Director’s Notes: The Window, Wartime Elegy, Love and Loss

Welcome to PNB’s November program and the place in our season we often mark by presenting new and contemporary work – a very PNB counterpoint to The Nutcracker immersion already taking place in our studios. This program is also an excellent expression of the interconnectedness of the dance world.

2023-10-30T14:06:49-07:00October 30th, 2023|Categories: Choreographers, Director's Notebook, Performances|Tags: , , , , , |Comments Off on Executive Director’s Notes: The Window, Wartime Elegy, Love and Loss

Artistic Director’s Notebook: The Window, Wartime Elegy, Love and Loss

When we think of storytelling, we think of words – spoken, signed, sung, or written. Recall a favorite novel or poem. Words illuminate plots and plays bringing them to vivid existence. How does dance tell a tale without words? Classical ballets have relied on two methods of communication – mime and program notes. But storytelling has changed in ballet.

2023-10-27T16:11:46-07:00October 30th, 2023|Categories: Choreographers, Director's Notebook, Performances|Tags: , , , , , , , |Comments Off on Artistic Director’s Notebook: The Window, Wartime Elegy, Love and Loss

Executive Director’s Notes – Petite Mort, Sechs Tänze, Cacti

Welcome to the first repertory program of PNB's 51st season, and the beginning of the fall arts season in Seattle. Like the start of a new school year, this phase of our season is full of promise, some uncertainty (we love snow, for example, but not so much during The Nutcracker...), and excitement around anticipated moments ahead. Like many of you, I can't wait to see the return of Crystal Pite's The Seasons' Canon, Donald Byrd's Love and Loss, and Kent Stowell's mesmerizing Swan Lake, among others.

2023-09-21T14:20:12-07:00September 19th, 2023|Categories: Director's Notebook, Performances|Tags: , , , |Comments Off on Executive Director’s Notes – Petite Mort, Sechs Tänze, Cacti

Artistic Director’s Notebook – Petite Mort, Sechs Tänze, Cacti

PNB is also a culture of creativity with dancers, musicians, designers, and choreographers working to offer fresh takes on dance. Watch for a season filled with new creations and new ideas. So much of this happens beyond the mainstage.

2023-09-26T12:38:50-07:00September 18th, 2023|Categories: Choreographers, Director's Notebook, Performances|Tags: , , , , , , |Comments Off on Artistic Director’s Notebook – Petite Mort, Sechs Tänze, Cacti

Artistic Director’s Notebook: The Veil Between Worlds, Khepri, …throes of increasing wonder

Turning 50 never felt so good. PNB’s celebratory season has brought us so many treasured moments, with a few more just around the corner. What is your 50th anniversary highlight?

2023-09-26T12:41:57-07:00May 25th, 2023|Categories: Director's Notebook, Performances|Tags: , , , , , , , , |Comments Off on Artistic Director’s Notebook: The Veil Between Worlds, Khepri, …throes of increasing wonder

Artistic Director’s Notebook: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

There’s something about George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. With fairies, fireflies, Bottom, and Puck, playwright William Shakespeare and choreographer George Balanchine offer us a winning combination of joy, laughter, and ebullience.

2023-09-26T12:43:25-07:00April 13th, 2023|Categories: Director's Notebook, Performances|Tags: , , |Comments Off on Artistic Director’s Notebook: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Artistic Director’s Notebook: Black on Black on Black, Wonderland, Let Me Mingle Tears With Thee

Artistic Director’s Notebook: Black on Black on Black, Wonderland, Let Me Mingle Tears With Thee

Ever wonder about the timeline for creating a new ballet? Famously Jerome Robbins took two years to choreograph Dances at a Gathering. George Balanchine believed in one minute of choreography for every hour in the studio, cranking brilliant works […]

2023-09-26T12:44:59-07:00March 20th, 2023|Categories: Director's Notebook, Performances|Tags: , , , , , , |Comments Off on Artistic Director’s Notebook: Black on Black on Black, Wonderland, Let Me Mingle Tears With Thee
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