The Raven Q&A with Kyle Davis
When and how did you first have the idea for this ballet? Kyle Davis: Creating The Raven as a ballet was an idea that came to me almost 15 years ago. I’ve been attached to Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven since I first read the poem as a student. Around 2012, I heard a composition […]
The Missing Music: How Kyle Davis Tracked Down a Forgotten Score for The Raven
What started as a decade-long hunt for a missing piece of music is now making its way to McCaw Hall next week for Kyle Davis’s world premiere of The Raven. In 2012, a young PNB corps de ballet dancer by the name of Kyle Davis set out on an unusual mission: find a piece of […]
Artistic Director’s Notebook: La Sonnambula, Silent Ghost, PACOPEPELUTO, The Raven
Read Peter Boal’s audience letter for the second rep of Pacific Northwest Ballet’s 2026/27 Season, Ghost Stories.
The Story of La Sonnambula
The Poet falls in love with the Baron’s wife, a mysterious Sleepwalker, provoking the jealous Baron to murder him. The Sleepwalker carries the Poet’s lifeless body away into her tower.
“The Raven” in Pop Culture
Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” has been capturing the imagination of readers since it was first published in January 1845. In the 180 years since, the poem has been parodied, referenced, and used as inspiration more times than we could possibly share here. Principal dancer Kyle Davis has been hard at work creating his own […]
Artistic Director’s Notebook: Serenade, Pictures at an Exhibition, Pages
Dear Friends, Serenade, the first work created by George Balanchine after his arrival in America, is arguably the most iconic of all Balanchine works. Performed by dozens of ballet companies and schools worldwide, Serenade lives in dancers’ limbs, lines, and hearts. As the synchronized sweep of musicians’ bows travel across violins, violas, and celli, and the curtain ascends revealing a sea of billowing blue tulle, an audible gasp can be heard. The costumes you are about to see are all new, expertly […]
A Conversation with Jessica Lang and Peter Boal
Hello everyone, In place of my director’s notes, I’m offering this interview with PNB’s Resident Choreographer, Jessica Lang. We are thrilled to present ALL LANG, PNB’s final program of the season this May. Included in the program are Her Door to the Sky (2016), Ghost Variations (2020), and ZigZag created for American Ballet Theatre (ABT) […]
Her Door to the Sky Inspirations: Georgia O’Keeffe’s Patio Door Series
Jessica Lang’s Her Door to the Sky first premiered in 2017, the centennial celebration of painter Georgia O’Keeffe’s first solo exhibition in New York. After nearly 10 years, the piece returns to the PNB stage as part of our ALL LANG program. Her Door to the Sky is inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe’s Patio Door Series, […]
The Language of Flowers in Giselle
Giselle is one of the oldest (and most beloved) ballets. Giselle premiered in Paris during the Victorian era, a time when audiences were fascinated by nature and the symbolic meanings of flowers. That fascination is woven throughout the ballet, adding a secret layer of meaning through floral symbolism. Pacific Northwest Ballet’s production of Giselle […]
Meet the Giselle Characters
Giselle features some of the most beloved characters in ballet. Today on the PNB Blog, we’re breaking down who’s who. Familiarize yourself with each one, so when the show starts, you can sit back, relax, and enjoy this timeless story!