PNB Black History Month Profile: Jonathan Batista
PNB invited employees who celebrate Black History Month to share their stories with us – we hope you enjoy this profile of Jonathan Batista, PNB Company dancer.
PNB Black History Month Profile: Zsilas Michael Hughes
PNB invited employees who celebrate Black History Month to share their stories with us – we hope you enjoy this profile of Zsilas Michael Hughes, PNB Company dancer.
PNB Black History Month Profile: Betty Agent
PNB invited employees who celebrate Black History Month to share their stories with us – we hope you enjoy this profile of Betty Agent, PNB Orchestra's Assistant Principal Violist.
Meet PNB’s Newest Company Dancers!
PNB is excited to introduce you to our newest company dancers, Kali Kleiman, Emerson Boll, and Samuel Portillo. These three dancers joined PNB's Company just this season! Get to know each artist a little better in these brief interviews.
A Day in the Life of a Professional Division Student: Rehearsing Swan Lake
PNB School's Professional Division Program is designed to help students transition from student to professional dancer by perfecting technique and developing artistry. Performing is an important part of the program, and many PD’s look forward to dancing alongside PNB’s Company dancers on the McCaw Hall Stage. Sofia Bidne is one such student, and she’s been selected to perform in Swan Lake this season! We sat down with Sofia to chat about her daily routine while rehearsing Swan Lake.
Executive Director’s Notes: Kent Stowell’s Swan Lake
Welcome to Swan Lake, one of Kent Stowell’s most stunning contributions to PNB’s repertoire. This production of Swan Lake and I arrived at PNB at the same time, in the summer of 2003. I was struck by the magnitude of the physical production, and still find new details in Ming Cho Lee’s magnificent sets and Paul Tazewell’s opulent costumes. For a new-to-PNB arts administrator, I could not have encountered a more beautiful ballet beginning.
Artistic Director’s Notebook: Kent Stowell’s Swan Lake
Just over twenty years ago, in September 2003, a theater called Marion Oliver McCaw Hall opened in Seattle. Built on the site of the Seattle Opera House, which dated back to the 1962 World’s Fair, the new hall was the realization of years of dreaming, planning, fundraising, and building. With Seattle Symphony’s recent relocation to Benaroya Hall, McCaw Hall was tailored to the needs of its two primary tenants, Seattle Opera and Pacific Northwest Ballet. After a joint gala celebrating the new digs and the dawn of a new era for each arts organization, PNB offered another unveiling – a completely redesigned version of Kent Stowell’s Swan Lake.
Dan Williams, PNB’s Principal Oboist, on Swan Lake
The first notes of Swan Lake's enduring score are played by the oboe. The instrument features prominently throughout the ballet; in fact, those first five notes are inverted to begin the Swan Lake theme. Today on the blog, we sit down with PNB's Principal Oboist Dan Williams to learn more about his perspective on Swan Lake, PNB's Orchestra, and playing the oboe!
Pacific Northwest Ballet Principal Dancer James Yoichi Moore Announces Retirement
Pacific Northwest Ballet principal dancer James Yoichi Moore has announced that after a 20-year career with the company, he is retiring at the end of PNB’s 2023-24 season. Moore joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in 2004 and was promoted to soloist in 2008 and principal in 2013. His two decades with the company will be celebrated at the Season Encore Performance, Sunday, June 9 at McCaw Hall.
5 Reasons Why Swan Lake is a Ballet Classic
Swan Lake is one of the most popular ballets of all time. It premiered in Moscow in 1877 and was met with a lukewarm reception. Despite its humble beginnings, this ballet continued to be performed, and in the 21st century, it’s frankly iconic! Read on to learn five reasons why this ballet is a must-see.