Remembering Designer Ming Cho Lee

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 collaboration with Founding Artistic Director Kent Stowell. We asked Kent […]

2025-07-10T09:35:57-07:00December 15th, 2020|Categories: Director's Notebook, Q&A with Dancers, Choreographers & Staff|Tags: Carmina Burana, Firebird, Kent Stowell, Ming Cho Lee, Silver Lining, Swan Lake|Comments Off

Executive Director’s Notes: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker 2020

Dear Friends,

For many years I spent a lot of afternoons and evenings standing just inside the north door of McCaw Hall as Nutcracker audiences arrived for their show. Knowing that Nutcracker revenue supports everything we do […]

2023-09-26T14:51:27-07:00December 10th, 2020|Categories: Director's Notebook, The Nutcracker|Tags: 2020/21 Season, Digital Season, Ellen Walker, George Balanchine, The Nutcracker|Comments Off

Artistic Director’s Notebook: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker 2020

When the days grow short and the nights cold and festive holiday lights appear all around us, we spot snow on faraway peaks and wonder whether we might see enough outside our windows to build a snowperson. We also realize […]

2023-09-26T14:52:36-07:00December 10th, 2020|Categories: Dance Happens Everywhere, Director's Notebook, The Nutcracker|Tags: 2020/21 Season, Digital Season, Final Bow for Yellowface, George Balanchine, Peter Boal, Phil Chan, The Nutcracker|4 Comments

Executive Director’s Notes: Wonderland, Waterbaby Bagatelles, Arms, Ghost Variations

Dear Friends,

Thank you for joining us for the second program of our Dance Happens Everywhere digital season. The works presented here all belong on a continuum of work conceived, created, and / or captured during the pandemic. Choreographers, stagers […]

2023-09-26T14:58:05-07:00November 11th, 2020|Categories: Dance Happens Everywhere, Director's Notebook, Performances|Tags: 2020/21 Season, Digital Season, Ellen Walker|3 Comments

Artistic Director’s Notebook: Wonderland, Waterbaby Bagatelles, Arms, Ghost Variations

We are all keenly aware we are living through an unprecedented and historic time. Yes, I’m referring to a national reckoning on social and racial injustice, a global pandemic, economic uncertainty, stark political division, surging unemployment, the calamitous effects […]

2023-09-26T14:55:56-07:00November 10th, 2020|Categories: Dance Happens Everywhere, Director's Notebook, Performances|Tags: 2020/21 Season, ALICE, Arms, Digital Season, Distance Dances, Ghost Variations, Jessica Lang, Penny Saunders, Peter Boal, PNB Premiere, Rep 2, Susan Marshall, Twyla Tharp, Waterbaby Bagatelles, Wonderland|6 Comments

Executive Director’s Notes: Dances at a Gathering, F O I L, One Body, Swan Lake, Emeralds, Rubies, Diamonds, The Calling, Mopey, The Trees The Trees, Red Angels

Dear Friends,

As late spring turned to summer in Seattle, all of us at PNB took a deep, steadying breath. It was […]

2023-09-26T15:25:20-07:00October 13th, 2020|Categories: Dance Happens Everywhere, Director's Notebook, Performances|Tags: 2020/21 Season, Dances at a Gathering, Diamonds, Digital Season, Ellen Walker, Emeralds, F O I L, Mopey, One Body, Red Angels, Rubies, Swan Lake, The Calling, The Trees The Trees|2 Comments

Rep 1 – Letter from Aya Hamilton, Board of Trustees Chairman

Dear Friends,

Welcome to PNB’s 20/21 Season! While we’ve known for some time that this would be largely a virtual season, it is still disappointing not to be welcoming all of you back into McCaw Hall. But there will absolutely come a day when we can do that, so keep […]

2020-10-13T11:27:14-07:00October 13th, 2020|Categories: Dance Happens Everywhere, Director's Notebook, Performances|Tags: 2020/21 Season, Chairman's Letter, Digital Season, PNB Future Fund, Rep 1|2 Comments

Artistic Director’s Notebook: Dances at a Gathering, F O I L, One Body, Swan Lake, Emeralds, Rubies, Diamonds, The Calling, Mopey, The Trees The Trees, Red Angels

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 […]

2023-09-26T15:28:07-07:00September 14th, 2020|Categories: Dance Happens Everywhere, Director's Notebook, Performances|Tags: 2020/21 Season, Albert Evans, Dances at a Gathering, Diamonds, Digital Season, Emeralds, Eva Stone, F O I L, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Jessica Lang, Jewels, Kent Stowell, Marco Goecke, Mopey, One Body, Peter Boal, Red Angels, Robyn Mineko Williams, Rubies, Swan Lake, The Calling, The Trees The Trees, Ulysses Dove|7 Comments

A Message from Peter Boal

Dear Friends,

I have always enjoyed writing these notes to all of you before each program. Ordinarily, I share surprising facts and humorous anecdotes. A week ago, I might have mentioned our orchestra’s mastery of Philip Glass’ score, or the colossal scale of John Otto’s set that takes 45 minutes […]

2023-09-14T12:24:40-07:00March 12th, 2020|Categories: Dance Happens Everywhere, Director's Notebook, Life at PNB, Performances|Tags: 2019/20 Season, Peter Boal|1 Comment

Artistic Director’s Notebook: One Thousand Pieces and Empire Noir

Recently, we made an exciting announcement: Alejandro Cerrudo will be PNB’s first Resident Choreographer. I’m a big fan of Alejandro’s work and hope you are, too. If you’re not, you may soon become one. One Thousand Pieces is the fourth […]

2023-09-26T15:32:53-07:00February 11th, 2020|Categories: Director's Notebook, Performances|Tags: 2019/20 Season, Alejandro Cerrudo, Ana Lopez Garcia, David Dawson, Dylan Wald, Elizabeth Murphy, Elle Macy, Empire Noir, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, New Works, One Thousand Pieces, Pablo Piantino, Peter Boal, Rebecca Gladstone, Yumiko Takeshima|1 Comment