…throes of increasing wonder

In his fourth work for PNB, Kiyon Ross has created a high-octane and colorful homage to PNB’s 50th Anniversary. …throes of increasing wonder, is a world premiere work for two complete casts of 24 dancers to a commissioned score for the PNB Orchestra by Kiyon’s frequent collaborator Cristina Spinei, with costumes and lighting by PNB artists Pauline Smith and Reed Nakayama.

Cristina Spinei
Composer, Kiyon Ross’ …throes of increasing wonder 

Composer and performer Cristina Spinei has written for numerous orchestras and chamber ensembles. Her works have been commissioned by Nashville Ballet, the New York  Choreographic Institute, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Parsons Dance Company, and many more. Self-described as “minimalish,” Cristina anchors her musical ideas in melody, movement, and loops. Her music combines her love for operas, beautifully crafted melodies, and Latin music’s movement-heavy rhythms—elements that work in tandem to inform Cristina’s vision.  

Reed Nakayama
Lighting & Scenic Designer, PNB Resident Lighting Designer/Coordinator 

Reed Nakayama is a Seattle-based lighting and projection designer. He joined PNB in 2013 as a stagehand, and in 2019, was promoted to caretaker of the company’s copious designs. Here, he has illuminated stages in collaboration with artists such as Alexei Ratmansky (Wartime Elegy), Jessica Lang (Ghost Variations), Dani Rowe (The Window), and Christopher Wheeldon (Curious Kingdom). He received a BFA in Performance Production from Cornish College of the Arts. 

Pauline Smith
Costume Designer

Pauline Smith has worked as a costumer for Pacific Northwest Ballet since 1991. In addition to those duties, she also acts as supervisor for specialty shoes and wigs for such productions as The Sleeping Beauty, The Merry Widow, Swan Lake, Cinderella, and Don Quixote. She has served as assistant to costume designers Martin Pakledinaz (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Ballet Imperial), David Murin (Silver Lining) and Roberta Guidi di Bagno (Coppelia). She also served as assistant to the production stage manager for PNB’s tours to Istanbul and Hong Kong in 2000. 

Ms. Smith received her BFA in costume design from Cornish College of the Arts and has studied theater criticism abroad in London through the University of Oregon. Ms. Smith’s design experience includes theater (Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well, Feydeau’s Not By Bed Alone, Vladimir Gubaryev’s Sarcophagus ), opera (Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas), and film (The Claim, Immaculate Perceptions). Sum Stravinsky is her first design for Pacific Northwest Ballet. 

Pauline Smith is also a fine art photographer. She has shown her work in group and solo exhibitions in the greater Seattle area since 2002. 

Norbert Herriges
Scenic Designer

Norbert Herriges began working in Seattle theater after receiving a degree in Theatre Arts at Southern Oregon State College in Ashland. In the course of his nearly 40-year career in local theater, he has worked backstage for ACT, Seattle Repertory Theatre, and PNB. He became PNB’s Technical Director in 2011 and retired in 2024. In his tenure at PNB, he oversaw and coordinated all technical aspects of PNB’s productions, assisted by the exceptional staff of stage technicians and managers.