Celebrating Kabby Mitchell III
Honor Kabby Mitchell III, PNB’s first Black dancer, through Kiyon Ross’s tribute. Learn about Mitchell’s career, teaching legacy, and lasting impact on Seattle.
Staging The Sleeping Beauty at PNB
Dance historian Doug Fullington explains how 1890s Stepanov notation shaped PNB’s new Sleeping Beauty, restoring Petipa’s original choreography and pantomime.
Prodigal Son Through the Years at PNB
PNB first performed George Balanchine’s Prodigal Son in 1984. Today on the PNB Blog, celebrate Prodigal Son‘s 95th anniversary, as well as the beloved ballet’s 40th anniversary here at PNB! Travel back in time with these archival photos of PNB’s Prodigal Son performances through the years. Prodigal Son has been performed three times at PNB’s special Season Encore performance. Season Encore […]
PNB by the Decades: The 2000s Launch a New Era at PNB
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. Additionally, PNB got a new and improved performance space, McCaw Hall, which audiences enjoy to this day. In many ways, the PNB as we know it […]
PNB by the Decades: Dancing around the Globe and in Seattle in the ’90s
As PNB celebrates our 50th anniversary season, we are looking back to our past. We’ve discussed the company’s beginning during our “Far-Out” first years and the creation of Kent Stowell’s productions of Swan Lake and Nutcracker during the ‘80s. Now, we’re turning our sights to the ‘90s, which were “all that and a bag of chips” when it comes to PNB. Now […]
PNB by the Decades: 1980s at PNB, the Origins of Kent Stowell’s Swan Lake and Nutcracker
PNB took tremendous leaps toward establishing itself as an acclaimed ballet company in the 1980s. As the company grew artistically, it was compelled to grow administratively. More and more staff were hired, which led to an important physical move for the company. PNB’s original productions of Swan Lake and the Nutcracker, which both premiered in the ‘80s, were pivotal steps […]
PNB by the Decades: Our “Far-Out” First Years
Alongside many other key Seattle organizations, we are celebrating our 50th anniversary at Pacific Northwest Ballet. Through the years, PNB has experienced a lot of twists and turns. Read on to see how we boogied through our first 10 years in the ‘70s! Most companies don’t spring up out of the blue, and PNB is […]
A History of Jerome Robbins at PNB
PNB is so grateful for the work of our archivist, Sheila Dietrich. Sheila collects materials from our history and often exhibits them for lobby displays at McCaw Hall. In honor of Jerome Robbins’ 100th birthday and PNB’s centennial celebration of the choreographer’s life, Sheila dug into the archives to recount Robbins’ longtime relationship with PNB. […]
Story Ballets in PNB’s History
Stories are the bridge between the public and the art form. We can’t get them to watch The Four Temperaments until we get them on that bridge. And I can do those stories in ways that haven’t been done before. -Kent Stowell in Mindy Aloff’s essay, Balanchine and Beyond, Melbourne International Festival of Arts Program, October 1995. Within a […]