Choreographer’s Notebook: Crystal Pite on Creating Emergence
Notes by Crystal Pite “Even the most optimistic champions of self-organization feel a little wary about the lack of control in such a process. But understanding emergence has always been about giving up control, letting the system govern itself as much as possible, letting it learn from the footprints.” —Steven Johnson “The ants go marching […]
Behind-the-Scenes of The Nutcracker with PNB Production Stage Manager Sandy Barrack
Go backstage at PNB’s Nutcracker with stage manager Sandy Barrack. Learn how snow falls, the tree grows, and other iconic stage effects come to life.
From Screen to Stage – The Veil Between Worlds Creation Process
The Veil Between Worlds has a curious program note: “premiere June 10, 2021; Pacific Northwest Ballet (digital release).” This ballet was originally created, filmed, and shown during PNB’s 2020/21 Digital Season. Much like the inspiration for the work, The Veil Between Worlds has lived many lives; the piece has been performed on the screen and on the stage! Read on as we dive deep into The Veil Between Worlds unique creation process. Choreographer […]
Mark Zappone on Designing the Costumes for Bacchus
Costume designer Mark Zappone has created many costumes over the years for PNB, including for Matthew Neenan’s Bacchus. Peek behind the scenes with us today on the PNB Blog as Mark explains how he created these delightful costumes! Working with Neenan felt natural for Mark. He says, “I worked with Matthew Neenan before, so there was a sense […]
Doug Fullington on Reconstructing Giselle
Peter Boal’s World Premiere staging of Giselle marks the first time an American ballet company has revived a classic based on original material researched by Stepanov notation expert Doug Fullington in collaboration with leading Giselle scholar Marian Smith. “Our work on Giselle continued in early January with a week of rehearsals in preparation for a demonstration in New York as part […]