Jessica Lang and Kanji Segawa on Momotaro
PNB Resident Choreographer Jessica Lang and her partner Kanji Segawa are busy in the PNB studios this week creating a brand new ballet: Momotaro (The Peach Boy)! This latest addition to PNB’s family matinee series is an adaptation of Japan’s oldest folk tale. The very special production is narrated, an hour-long performance, and features PNB School students. We sat down with Lang and Segawa between rehearsals to learn more about the production.
Kanji Segawa, Jessica Lang and Peter Boal in the PNB Studios, photo © Lindsay Thomas.
Why Momotaro (The Peach Boy)?
Segawa: There are a couple of reasons. Peter Boal asked us to create something new, keeping in mind that Seattle that has a large Asian/Japanese community. At the same time, Momotaro has been always one of my top choices to adapt as a ballet. Growing up in Japan, the story of Momotaro was very popular. It has a lot of great themes, a heroic leading character, but also lots of love, family, teamwork, and justice. This story is definitely the first one that came to mind when Peter approached us. When I think of Momotaro transferring to the ballet, there are a lot of elements in it that will be visually striking. There are also elements that we can tweak to make them work even better on stage, such as one peach can turn into a children’s chorus of dancing peaches. The strong characters (birds, the monkey, the dog), also lend themselves to staging the story as a ballet.
PNB School student as little Momotaro, photo © Lindsay Thomas.
Is there anything that you two are particularly excited to see come to life?
Lang: All of it! I mean, I love it. I love the collaboration working with PNB internal artists like Meleta Buckstaff (costumes) and Reed Nakayama (lighting). Having this development of our relationship beyond just the work I do for the main company, and building this narrative story together, it has been a beautiful thing to watch. Jeffrey Stebbins (PNB’s Head Carpenter) and Leah Harris
(PNB’s Head of Properties) have been instrumental in the creation of this piece, too.
When Reed and I were talking about how to make the piece cohesive, we were asking questions like “how do we want to draw the world?” He recommended Yuki Takahashi, a PNB Soloist dancer, who I didn’t know was an artist as well. She agreed to create scenic design illustrations and is working with our scenic coordinator Yuki Izumihara to bring them to life. It’s part of my culture to look at dancers and say, what else do you want to do? How else do you want to express yourself? What other talents do you have? And then highlight them some in some way. So we were thrilled to have her on the project as well
PNB School student as little Momotaro, photo © Lindsay Thomas.
What should audiences expect from this new production?
Lang: We’ve added a few new things to the story! There is a chorus of tiny peaches that will help highlight PNB School and show the age range of what we teach here, and how young you can start ballet. Having this adorable dance from young dancers before we see the big peach will make a huge impact. It’s not just one peach on a tree, it’s a whole production!
Working with the live music elements is going to be really interesting as well. We have a taiko drumming youth company (Japan Creative Arts and The School of TAIKO) that’s going to perform with us as well as the school accompanist who will be playing the piano pieces live. There’s a huge diversity in the music selection, all of it by Japanese composers. There’s this famous, charming folk song about Momotaro that they sing in Japan, so of course that’s in the piece too.
Japan has a culture that is so incredible, and so unique in that it has this sophisticated beauty, but then there’s also the really fun anime side. How could we choose between the two? We decided just to embrace it all!
Segawa: Dramaturgically, we’ve changed a bit of the story too. Originally, Boss Ogre gets defeated, and that’s the end of the story for that character. In this version, I added a scene where Boss Ogre surrenders and Momotaro forgives and welcomes him to the community. That’s a really positive change I think, to add that forgiveness, but it’s different from the original. The whole production will include English narration, but I wanted to really incorporate some Japanese words as part of the final product. Our narrator, Brad Lo Walker, is really taking that seriously. He’s got great voices for those animals and characters, and the Japanese pronunciation is great too. That should all work together to help you feel the story, not just see it.
Lang: It’s a fun added element! The kids and audience will learn some Japanese language as they go along. We’ve also tied that in with the Taiko composer. He’s having the musicians chant certain words that are Japanese energy words. So audiences will walk away with this all-encompassing, Japanese immersion experience.
PNB School student as little Momotaro, photo © Lindsay Thomas.
What has it been like working with PNB School students?
Lang: It’s so fun! I’m really excited to work with PNB School at all levels, from the tiny peaches to our Professional Division dancers (PDs). I hope to give them a good canvas of artistic nourishment, so that they go out into their professional career with something substantial that they’ve created. The students are excited, and their energy is great. We dove straight in with the PDs, there’s no time to waste, and they’re good!
When Peter Boal was telling us about the family matinee series, he shared some of the previous ballets PNB’s done. I think PNB Soloist Luther DeMyer was in Hansel and Gretel. You can see the PDs now have so much talent. The future is bright!
If you were a character in Momotaro, who would you be and why?
Lang: Oh, that is so cute. I want to be the peach driver. (There will be someone in the giant peach driving it around!)
Segawa: Oh boy. Well, if I were still dancing, I’d be the monkey. The choreography has a lot of physicality, speed, turns, and jumps. But today, if I have to, maybe I’ll come out as a grandfather, to bring some mature acting to it.
