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 Seattle. Several years of blood, sweat, tears, and […]
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 the reputation and expectations of a fledgling Pacific […]
Pacific Northwest Ballet Artistic Director Peter Boal has announced the line-up for PNB’s 50th Anniversary Season, running from September 2022 through June 2023. Highlights include six world premieres, a major PNB premiere from Crystal Pite, and story ballets Giselle and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as works by George Balanchine, Edwaard Liang, Penny Saunders, and PNB Founding Artistic Director Kent Stowell.
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 collaboration with Founding Artistic Director Kent Stowell. We asked […]
Dances at a Gathering
Opening Solo
Music: Frederic Chopin (Mazurka, Op. 63, no. 3. 1846)
Choreography: Jerome Robbins
Staging: Philip Neal & Jenifer Ringer
Costume Design: Joe Eula
Lighting Design: Jennifer Tipton, recreated by Randall G. Chiarelli
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 […]