Jewels Through the Years at PNB: Photo Essay
PNB first performed George Balanchine's iconic Jewels in full in 2006. Bask in the history of Jewels at PNB with this beautiful photo essay.
5 Reasons Why The Nutcracker is a Holiday Favorite
George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker© at Pacific Northwest Ballet is the Northwest’s favorite festive tradition! But what makes this ballet so beloved? Read on to learn five reasons why The Nutcracker is a holiday favorite!
Which Balanchine Ballet Are You? Quiz
PNB's current program, ALL BALANCHINE, highlights the range and creativity George Balanchine brought to all of his work. The three featured ballets (Prodigal Son, Square Dance, and Stravinsky Violin Concerto) are selected from different periods of Balanchine's career to showcase his full breadth and depth as a choreographer. But if you were a Balanchine ballet, which would you be? Answer the questions in this quick quiz to reveal your result!
Prodigal Son Through the Years at PNB
PNB first performed George Balanchine's Prodigal Son in 1984. Today on the PNB Blog, we celebrate Prodigal Son's 95th anniversary, as well as the beloved ballet's 40th anniversary here at PNB! Travel back in time with these archival photos of PNB's Prodigal Son performances through the years.
Artistic Director’s Notebook: Square Dance, Prodigal Son, Stravinsky Violin Concerto
To capture Balanchine’s contribution to ballet in America in a few paragraphs is impossible, but I’ll attempt to scratch the surface. Balanchine, often in partnership with benefactor and arts impresario Lincoln Kirstein, founded the School of American Ballet and New York City Ballet. These institutions served as his dance laboratories. In these humble studios, with the help of dancers, musicians, and fellow artists, revelatory discoveries in ballet technique and dance-making came to life. Dancers hold Balanchine’s ballets in a place of reverence. That is especially true of PNB dancers, who enjoy a wealth of Balanchine repertoire and possess an innate technique and musicality acquired at schools like ours...
Meet Them Through the Music: PNB Concertmaster and Solo Violinist Michael Jinsoo Lim’s Playlist
PNB is the home of so many artists: dancers, costumers, musicians, and more. In this series, we highlight PNB Orchestra members through their musical taste. Today, meet PNB Concertmaster and Solo Violinist Michael Jinsoo Lim, who will be featured in Stravinsky Violin Concerto, part of PNB's upcoming ALL BALANCHINE program! Click here to read more about Michael and the music (and musicians) who influence him.
Prodigal Son Story
George Balanchine's Prodigal Son is a dramatic masterwork. The story was the idea of Boris Kochno, Serge Diaghilev’s assistant and frequent artistic collaborator. His libretto is based less on the biblical account and more on a passage from Alexander Pushkin’s short story, The Stationmaster (1830), in which the author describes engravings depicting scenes from the parable that hang in a postal station somewhere in Russia. Read on to learn Kochno's story of Prodigal Son.
Spotlight on Square Dance – Balanchine’s Fusion of Ballet and American Folk Dance
George Balanchine’s Square Dance is a fascinating combination of two surprising elements: American square dancing and classical ballet. Balanchine (1904-1983) explained, “I have always liked watching American folk dances, especially in my trips to the West, and it occurred to me that it would be possible to combine these two different types of dance, the folk and the classic, in one work.” Today on the PNB Blog, we’ll explore how Balanchine combined these two styles of dance to make one beloved ballet, including fascinating details about the original version with a square dance caller onstage!
Artistic Director’s Notebook: Coppélia
Almost fifty years ago, I attended a New York City Ballet performance of George Balanchine’s Coppélia. Somewhere in the middle of the first act, I decided I wanted to dance. You know the rest of this story. Coppélia is all about the dancing, and the music, and the laughter, colors, costumes, and scenery. It may have the same effect on you as it did on me all those years ago.
Coppélia Story and Character Guide
When silent beauty Coppélia appears on the balcony of toymaker Doctor Coppelius’ workshop, hilarious antics quickly ensue. Franz is smitten, and his sweetheart Swanilda is determined to settle this love triangle once and for all. Learn the full story of the Coppélia ballet and familiarize yourself with its comical characters in this blog!