Lost Language of the Flight Attendant

Music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (excerpts from Piano Concerto No. 21, KV 467 and Piano Concerto No. 27, KV 595)
Choreography: Brian Reeder
Costume Design: Pacific Northwest Ballet Costume Shop
Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli
Duration: 27 minutes
Premiere: April 17, 2002; American Ballet Theatre Studio Company (New York)
Pacific Northwest Ballet Premiere: April 17, 2008 (Laugh Out Loud! Festival)

The 2008 Seattle premiere of Brian Reeder’s Lost Language of the Flight Attendant was generously underwritten in part by Elizabeth Borchelt.

Laura Gilbreath and PNB Company dancers in Lost
Language of the Flight Attendant. Photo © Angela Sterling

Brian Reeder’s Lost Language of the Flight Attendant is a humorous look at the typical day of a flight attendant, set to excerpts from Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 and Piano Concerto No. 27. Writing about Reeder in The Wall Street Journal, critic Robert Greskovic noted, “[American Ballet Theatre] Studio Company provided my first look at Mr. Reeder’s choreography in 2002. This turned out to be an enchanting, witty and original ballet called Lost Language of the Flight Attendant. Similarly impressive ballets followed … Each proved, in one way or another, that Mr. Reeder has an imaginative gift for creating original dance theater and for making today’s dancers, be they polished or green, look their best, while also making ballet look fresh to today’s audiences without compromising its inherent, longstanding traditions.”

Brian Reeder danced with New York City Ballet, William Forsythe’s Ballet Frankfurt and American Ballet Theatre, where he created five original works for ABT’s Studio Company. He has also choreographed works for Washington Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet's Choreographers’ Showcase (2007) and the Guggenheim Museum's Works & Process series. Mr. Reeder is currently on staff at ABT's Summer Intensives in New York. His ballets have been viewed by audiences worldwide, including London, Costa Rica, Bermuda and throughout the United States.

Austrian-born Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) was one of the supreme musical geniuses of all time. He excelled in all forms of music, including opera, symphonies, concerti for various instruments and chamber, vocal, piano and choral music, leaving a legacy that is one of the greatest achievements in music.

Recommended Listening:
Mozart: Piano Concertos 21 & 27, Murray Perahia/Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Sony 46485

Notes by Doug Fullington.