The 2000s began a new era of Pacific Northwest Ballet history with the retirement of Kent Stowell and Francia Russell and the hiring of Peter Boal as artistic director. In many ways, the PNB that audiences know and love today took shape during the 2000s. Read on to learn about this influential decade!
PNB took tremendous leaps toward establishing itself as an acclaimed ballet company in the 1980s. PNB’s original productions of Swan Lake and the Nutcracker, which both premiered in the ‘80s, were pivotal steps in this dance toward success. As PNB celebrates our 50th Anniversary, step back in time with us to our twentieth year and the very beginnings of some of our favorite productions!
Guess who’s turning fifty? Not me, that happened already. It’s PNB. In 1972, a small but committed group of extraordinary individuals envisioned a great classical ballet company based here in […]
Swan Lake defines a classical ballet company. It offers the epitome of cohesion for a corps de ballet, the apex of artistry for principal dancers, a challenge and a triumph for an orchestra, and an opportunity to lay claim to greatness. It certainly helped to elevate […]
Following a year that nobody wants to revisit anytime soon, Artistic Director Peter Boal has optimistically announced the line-up for Pacific Northwest Ballet’s 49th season, running from September 2021 to June 2022. A love letter to PNB’s loyal fans, highlights of PNB’s return to the McCaw Hall stage include full-evening programs devoted to […]
This October, the scenic design world, Harvard students, and ballet, theater, and opera audiences everywhere lost an exceptional artist; Ming Cho Lee. While Mr. Lee’s work was renowned around the world, Seattle audiences had the opportunity to delight in his masterpieces through his longtime […]
The story of Cinderella is timeless. Known by many names around the world, this folk tale emphasizes the innately human desire to overcome unjust oppression and find happily ever after. The roots of the story, more ancient than we may ever know, can be traced back for many centuries. We’ve compiled just a […]
Lindsi Dec and PNB Company dancers in Carmina Burana © Angela Sterling.
You never forget the opening moment of Kent Stowell’s Carmina Burana. Even wildly enthusiastic applause can’t drown out the 70 voices of the Pacific Lutheran University Choral Union or the first crashing notes played with authority […]
PNB Company dancers in Carmina Burana © Angela Sterling.
“O Fortuna” is one of the most dramatic, and memorable, pieces of music in the modern classical canon. Based on a 13th century Medieval Latin Goliardic poem, and set to music in 1935 by composer Carl […]
Artistic Director Peter Boal has announced the line-up for Pacific Northwest Ballet’s 47th season, running from September, 2019 to June, 2020. Highlights include George Balanchine’s masterful Agon on a double-bill with Kent Stowell’s powerhouse production of Carmina Burana; world premieres by local choreographers Donald Byrd, Eva Stone, and Miles Pertl; the return of […]