Artistic Director’s Notebook: Jewels, AfterTime, The Window, In The Upper Room

Dear Friends,

George Balanchine’s Jewels is sometimes referred to as the first plotless evening-length work. Not exactly the catchiest byline. Did Balanchine hope to tap into the box office strength of full-length ballets? Interestingly, Jewels was not a stand-alone work at its premiere. In fact, it wasn’t even called “Jewels.” Emeralds, Rubies, and Diamonds were there, but there was no overarching name. Critic Clive Barnes suggested the title presumably to discuss the triptych. At the premiere performance, The Prodigal Son closed the  program and later in the week Balanchine’s one act Swan Lake opened the program. I picture Balanchine backed in a corner with someone telling him more tickets needed to be sold.

Today, 56 years after its premiere, Jewels stands alone as a pinnacle of classical ballet traditions and innovations. It has been performed by companies around the world and is regarded as a standard setter for classical achievement. In a company like PNB, dancers perform in all three works moving from the melodic port de bras of Emeralds, to the jutting limbs and clever syncopations of Rubies, to the alluring grandeur of Diamonds. Plotless, yes, but evocative of so many narratives, we find ourselves writing scenarios as we are drawn into the wondrous worlds Balanchine and his composers suggest.

The costumes for Jewels are breathtaking. Re-designed by Jérôme Kaplan, inspired by Barbara Karinska’s original designs, and built with meticulous care and craftsmanship by the PNB costume shop, they are a show by themselves. As beautiful up close as they are from the second tier, they echo movement and music. How lucky we are to hear Fauré, Stravinsky, and Tchaikovsky in the hands of PNB’s incomparable orchestra. Balanchine considered himself a musician first and would have shared our pride in the mastery of these scores. A word of appreciation for stager Philip Neal and the complementary work of PNB’s artistic team Kiyon Ross, Anne Dabrowski, Jonathan Porretta, and Ezra Thomson in bringing these performances of Jewels to life

If you’ve been paying attention, you know PNB has been fostering some real choreographic talent. Programs like New Voices, NEXT STEP, and School Performance have offered numerous opportunities to fledgling choreographers. Amanda Morgan and Christopher D’Ariano have demonstrated choreographic chops both within PNB and throughout our community. They have created successful works individually and as a duo, but now offer their first mainstage creation, AfterTime. Each brings their own lens and intention to the work while allowing their cast to contribute as well. I’m excited for the new music composed by Thomas Nickell and Fiona Stocks-Lyons, costumes by Janelle Abbott, film and projection by Henry Wurtz, and lighting design by Reed Nakayama.

Dani Rowe made an intimate and exquisite work for us in 2023 called The Window. Inspired by a podcast, this piece dives into an emotional narrative of love, obsession, and loss. It is remarkable to see a narrative work that relies on such simple elements: acting, music, light, and costumes. Dani mixes these into a gripping tale. It stands in stark contrast with Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room—an aerobic romp to Philip Glass’ inspired score. This uplifting work promises to lift your spirits. Twyla’s ability to successfully combine jogging, stomping, and kicking with rigorous classical ballet is unmatched. This 1986 creation, clad in high-eighties Norma Kamali and enshrouded in haze and heavenly light, feels as fresh as it did at its premiere. Shout out to the incomparable Shelley Washington for staging the work and bringing inspiration to the studio and stage.

So pleased to have you with us again this fall. We have an exciting season ahead. If you love what you see, tell a friend and be sure to grab tickets for The Nutcracker, Cinderella, and more. Thank you for joining us.

Kind Regards,