Artistic Director’s Notebook: Duo Concertant, Catching Feelings, The Seasons’ Canon

The three works presented in this program span the same lifetime as our Company. George Balanchine’s Duo Concertant, one of 34 offerings in a landmark […]

Artistic Director’s Notebook: Duo Concertant, Catching Feelings, The Seasons’ Canon

The three works presented in this program span the same lifetime as our Company. George Balanchine’s Duo Concertant, one of 34 offerings in a landmark […]

Maris Antolin2023-09-26T12:59:22-07:00October 25th, 2022|Categories: Director's Notebook, Performances|Tags: 2022/23 Season, 50th Anniversary, Catching Feelings, Crystal Pite, Duo Concertant, Dwight Rhoden, George Balanchine, Peter Boal, The Seasons' Canon|Comments Off

Kiyon Ross: From PNB School Student to Associate Artistic Director

By Theresa Ruth Howard
Author, Diversity Strategist, and Consultant
Learn more about Theresa’s work at MoBBallet.org.

Quite simply, Kiyon Ross is the embodiment of Pacific Northwest Ballet. Not only has […]

Maris Antolin2023-05-10T11:31:55-07:00September 20th, 2022|Categories: Director's Notebook, Performances|Tags: 2022/23 Season, 50th Anniversary, Kiyon Ross|Comments Off

Artistic Director’s Notebook: Carmina Burana, Allegro Brillante, and Wartime Elegy

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 […]

Maris Antolin2023-09-26T13:04:05-07:00September 20th, 2022|Categories: Director's Notebook, Performances|Tags: 2022/23 Season, 50th Anniversary, Alexei Ratmansky, Allegro Brillante, Carmina Burana, George Balanchine, Kent Stowell, Peter Boal, Wartime Elegy|2 Comments

Artistic Director’s Notebook – Season Encore 2022

Artistic Director’s Notebook: Season Encore 2022

Doctor, nurse, social worker, scientist, esthetician, aerialist–just a few of the professions our dancers have embraced after retiring from the company. Emotions at PNB’s Season Encore run high as we recognize departing dancers for their myriad contributions to the company, while mourning the fact they will […]

Maris Antolin2023-09-26T13:05:35-07:00June 7th, 2022|Categories: Director's Notebook, Performances|Tags: 2021/22 Season, Guillaume Basso, Joshua Grant, Peter Boal, Sarah Pasch, Season Encore|Comments Off

Executive Director’s Notes – Brief Fling, Sweet Fields, Waiting at the Station

Executive Director’s Notes: Brief Fling, Sweet Fields, Waiting at the Station

Welcome to the final program of this historic season. Whether you are newly back to in-person performances with us of you’ve been along for the thrilling ride all season, it’s wonderful to see you. So much has transpired since our cautious […]

Maris Antolin2023-09-21T14:25:24-07:00June 2nd, 2022|Categories: Director's Notebook, Performances|Tags: 2021/22 Season, All Tharp, Ellen Walker, Twyla Tharp|Comments Off

Artistic Director’s Notebook: Brief Fling, Sweet Fields, Waiting at the Station

Jahna Frantziskonis strutted casually across the studio floor on pointe while tapping her left palm with her right index finger.

“Twyla, is she texting?” I asked “…on pointe?” Twyla nodded. “I think you’re the first person to choreograph […]

Maris Antolin2023-09-26T13:08:33-07:00June 1st, 2022|Categories: Director's Notebook, Performances|Tags: 2021/22 Season, All Tharp, Allen Toussaint, Brief Fling, Peter Boal, Sweet Fields, Twyla Tharp, Waiting at the Station|1 Comment

Artistic Director’s Notebook: Swan Lake

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 […]

Maris Antolin2023-09-26T13:10:02-07:00April 11th, 2022|Categories: Director's Notebook, Performances|Tags: 2021/22 Season, Kent Stowell, Peter Boal, Swan Lake|Comments Off

Executive Director’s Notes – Before I Was, Caught, Plot Point, The Times Are Racing

Executive Director’s Notes: Before I Was, Caught, Plot Point, The Times Are Racing

Dear Friends,

It’s hard to believe that we haven’t been in McCaw Hall for a full, two-weekend, seven-performance mixed repertory program since November of 2019. We’re grateful for every milestone on the road to recovery, and […]

Maris Antolin2023-09-21T14:15:31-07:00March 15th, 2022|Categories: Director's Notebook, Performances|Tags: 2021/22 Season, Ellen Walker|Comments Off

Artistic Director’s Notebook: Before I Was, Caught, Plot Point, The Times Are Racing

Artistic Director’s Notes: Before I Was, Caught, Plot Point, The Times Are Racing

The words “ballet” and “gender-fluid” don’t often appear in the same sentence. In ballet’s early years at the court of Louis XIV, men danced in roles depicting women, but by the 20th century, gender entrenchment had set in. Princes […]

Maris Antolin2023-09-26T13:11:35-07:00March 14th, 2022|Categories: Director's Notebook, Performances|Tags: 2021/22 Season, Before I Was, Caught, Crystal Pite, David Parsons, Justin Peck, Peter Boal, Plot Point, Robyn Mineko Williams, The Times Are Racing|Comments Off

Executive Director’s Notes – Roméo et Juliette

Dear Friends,

As I write this, we are in the homestretch of 37 performances of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®. Without a doubt, this was our most complicated production in many years, with Covid protocols alone requiring multiple PNB teams to implement. And yet, what a joy […]

Maris Antolin2022-10-31T09:27:09-07:00February 4th, 2022|Categories: Director's Notebook, Performances|Tags: 2021/22 Season, Ellen Walker, Roméo et Juliette|Comments Off