Boal, formerly a principal dancer at NYCB, had a long personal relationship with Robbins, so PNB’s inclusion made sense. Marina de Brantes, president of Les Étés de la Danse, says the festival worked closely with the Robbins Rights Trust and Jerome Robbins Foundation to identify ballet companies with the choreographer’s work in their repertoires. New York City Ballet, Miami City Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet and Russia’s Perm Opera Ballet Theatre will join PNB for that one-week tribute. A PNB residency had been in the works for several years when Les Étés de la Danse decided to produce a larger celebration of choreographer Jerome Robbins this summer, inspired by his centennial. That will change after PNB’s two-week stay with the French festival Les Étés de la Danse, which hosts a different international company every summer. “I think we have a tremendous reputation, but people outside the greater Seattle area haven’t seen this company,” Boal says. Thinking of celebrations? Plan a birthday party that’s fun, safe, and memorable.Pacific Northwest Ballet travels to Paris for the first time this summer, and artistic director Peter Boal couldn’t be happier. If you hope to enjoy a treat during intermission, it is best to pre-order your goodies before the show. This will give you plenty of time to rent binoculars, grab a booster seat, and enjoy the festive pre-show atmosphere. If a hockey game is happening at Climate Pledge Arena, give yourself an extra 15 minutes and purchase parking in advance.
Arrive an hour or more early and be mindful of the Seattle Kraken schedule.Prior to the show, follow PNB on Facebook and Instagram for behind-the-scenes footage of the making of the ballet.The run includes 11 performances, April 15 – 24, 2022 at Seattle Center’s McCaw Hall.Performance duration: three hours, including two intermissions.George Balnachine noted, “‘Swan Lake’ is always changing.” Perhaps it is time for Boal to re-imagine the national dances before the next bevy of swans return to Seattle. The Act III national dances are reminiscent of the Nutcracker’s tour of the “Land of Sweets.” Young, aware attendees may wonder whether pieces such as the “Persian Dance” are culturally sensitive enough for modern audiences. Ivanov’s iconic “Pas de Quatre” remains, as well as much of Petipa’s staging. The PNB’s choreographer, Kent Stowell, gave the 1895 Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov version of ‘Swan Lake’ a refresh back in 1981. Prince Siegfried wants someone truly unique.
PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET SERIES
The television series “Bridgerton” comes to mind – Prince Siegfried is our ‘Anthony’, a frustrated bachelor unsatisfied with the parade of maidens at the ball. Teens can relate to his resistance to his pushy mom. Her prince, Lucien Postlewaite, was a phenomenal dancer and excellent actor. Murphy’s exquisite precision and fluidity convinces us that she is both woman and swan. She is up to this most coveted and challenging role in ballet: the white/black swan, Odette/Odile. You may recognize the principal dancer, Murphy, as last holiday season’s Sugar Plum Fairy. My children, young musicians themselves, watched the orchestra pit nearly as much as the dancers from our perch on the balcony. The music and dance are equal partners in this multi-dimensional classic. The strings soloists, Michael Jinsoo Lim on violin and Page Smith on cello, were phenomenal and perfectly in synch with principal dancer Elizabeth Murphy. Seattle is fortunate to have a 57-member orchestra when other companies survive with just 20 musicians or worse – a recording.
The PNB orchestra, under the direction of Emil de Cou, almost steals the show. Lee and Tazewell’s designs give the appearance of a Chinese watercolor come to life beneath Randall Chiarelli’s romantic lighting design. All 175 costumes were designed by Tony-award winning Paul Tazewell who outfitted ‘West Side Story’ and ‘Hamilton’, among several other Broadway shows.
This run is especially poignant, it is the PNB’s first since Lee’s passing in 2020. Ming Cho Lee’s set design achieves a haunting effect with moonlight and a sparse forest of crooked trees. ‘Swan Lake’ is a masterpiece to behold in several media.