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 […]
Staging The Sleeping Beauty at PNB
By Doug Fullington Since its creation in 1890 in St. Petersburg, Russia, The Sleeping Beauty has been a pillar of the classical ballet repertory. Its score by Tchaikovsky and choreography by Marius Petipa represent one of the greatest collaborative achievements in music and dance in the 19th century. Pacific Northwest Ballet’s production of The Sleeping Beauty is also the product […]
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 […]
The Making of PNB’s New Jewels
George Balanchine’s Jewels celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and we’re throwing the biggest birthday party possible! All new costumes and sets are coming to PNB’s production of Jewels. But these things don’t happen overnight. Read on for breathtaking photos AND facts about the process of stitching it all together! A total of 79 costumes were built. We […]
Roméo et Juliette Timeline
In late January 2008, PNB became the first American company to perform Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette, with costumes and sets rented from Maillot’s Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo. In early 2012, PNB’s costume shop, under the direction of Larae Hascall, shop manager since 1987, began building the Company’s own production. The inspiration for PNB’s first performance and the […]
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 […]