Leah Terada on Season Encore 2025

By Leah Terada

Dear Friends,

Last night, the curtain came down on PNB’s 2024–25 season. But before it did, we gathered for Season Encore—our annual celebration of dance, community, and the stories we tell through movement.

We opened the night with the phenomenal PNB Orchestra, whose sound filled McCaw Hall and lifted us into the first half of Dawn Patrol, choreographed by our very own Price Suddarth. Last night marked Price’s retirement from the stage, but not before giving us a glimpse of what’s ahead in his artistic and choreographic future. This work is spiraling with energy, musicality, and daring footwork; Price’s specialty combination of athleticism and poetry in motion. Like many of his ballets, Dawn Patrol requires a strong understanding of classical ballet technique and the confidence to bend and break it; it was a perfect reminder of just how fluently Price speaks the language of dance.

After a brief pause, the mood shifted to something crystalline and eternal. Dripping with classical elegance and poise, Dylan Wald and Cecilia Iliesiu took the stage to perform the Diamonds pas de deux from George Balanchine’s Jewels — for the first and last time. CC, as we fondly know her, trained in the Balanchine style, having performed her SAB graduation with Price Suddarth in an iconic Stars and Stripes duet. That technique is home for her, and it showed. The score for Diamonds is beloved across the ballet world, and this pas de deux maintains a reverence that spans generations. CC’s performance last night was radiant; marked by the same grace, care, and precision she brings every time she’s on stage. Her dancing feels like a masterclass in generosity, and we’ll carry this final performance with us for a long time.

Then we jumped to 1995 and snuck into West Side Story Suite. Price met us there on the stoops of New York City. Something was bubbling, and it was about to be danced about. As singer Kevin Vortmann’s voice rang out over the audience, Price lifted his head with an expression that felt full of memory and meaning. Wedding ring on (an artistic choice, as Tony isn’t married), you could just feel that he was thinking about his wife and two boys. There was a light in his eyes, and I imagined those two little ones sitting at the front of the stage, watching their dad show them the joy of dancing. The breath of dynamism, the daring musicality, the character’s playfulness—it was all there. And it should be said: when the curtain came down, the first thing Price did was quickly rework a dance move he felt wasn’t quite right… and that’s Price. Always learning, always improving, and always curious.

And then came Miles. You knew it was him the moment the sound of powerful stomping filled the hall. Was it Flamenco? Irish dance? Ballet? Yes, yes, and yes. Miles did all of that and more in a new solo choreographed by his teacher, mentor, and close friend: Eva Stone. His retirement premiere was an homage rich with drama, talent, humor, and confidence. It felt like Miles distilled into ten minutes. cavalier was a full-circle reflection of his journey, from 11-year-old PNB student to the fullly-realized artist he is today. And of course, it included a shoutout to the Seattle Mariners, which brought cheers from the house.

Dani Rowe’s The Window followed, giving a hauntingly tender duet danced by CC and Luther DeMyer, and witnessed through Leta Biasucci’s compassionate eye. It was yet another display of CC’s emotional aptitude to tug on our hearts, which for me, brought to mind her unforgettable performance as Lady Capulet in Roméo et Juliette. In The Window, CC reminded us not only of her remarkable range as a dancer and performer, but of her ability to hold us in a gaze and never let go.

And finally, we closed the night with Emergence by Crystal Pite. And what a way to finish. Thirty-eight dancers on the stage in a swarm of movement. In Emergence, we are a hive of ecstatic, magnificent, and unified forces. Inspired by the social structures of bees, the brains of cities, and the architecture of ballet companies, this epic ballet dramatizes how complex systems grow from simple interactions; it’s dark, riveting, and unrelenting. The sound design by Owen Belton pulses with tension and atmosphere, from the buzzing of insects to the stomp of the body politic. We become part of something bigger in this ballet: a collective effort and a community in motion.

This season at PNB was full of debuts, promotions, retirements, and artistic breakthroughs. We celebrated not only the dancers onstage and staff who make it possible, but also our incredible 60-member orchestra. This year, we honored the careers of Laura Werner (flute, piccolo) and YeSol Im-Cisich (violin), and paid tribute to the lives of Meg Brennand (cellist) and Tad Margelli (oboe, English horn), the latter two both members of the original PNB orchestra. It’s not lost on us that the music is the breath that carries our movement.

To everyone who clapped, cheered, wept, and leapt to your feet with us, thank you! You are an integral part of our story.

As the name Encore suggests, this isn’t goodbye. We’ll be back next season with a lineup of works to stir your soul and spark your imagination. Until then, we wish you a summer full of sunshine, rest, and just maybe, a little dancing!

With gratitude,
Leah Terada
PNB Soloist