About Costume Designer Mark Zappone: “Follow Your Curiosity”
Mark Zappone has designed over 30 costumes for PNB, and he’s worked on many more productions for choreographers like Twyla Tharp, Christopher Wheeldon, and Yuri Possokhov. But Mark didn’t start his career designing costumes for dance. Mark became the accomplished ballet costume designer he is today by following his curiosity and saying “yes” to new […]
PNB Black History Month Profile: Jonathan Batista
PNB invited employees who celebrate Black History Month to share their stories with us – we hope you enjoy. Stories may be edited and condensed for clarity. How long have you been with PNB? I have been with PNB for 3 seasons. Do you have a favorite ballet or ballets? Swan Lake, Giselle, and Allegro Brillante are favorites. […]
PNB Black History Month Profile: Zsilas Michael Hughes
PNB invited employees who celebrate Black History Month to share their stories with us – we hope you enjoy. How long have you been with PNB? I am currently in my 3rd year with the company. Do you have a favorite ballet or ballets? My favorite ballets include Allegro Brilliante by George Balanchine, and my own production Piano […]
PNB Black History Month Profile: Betty Agent
PNB invited employees who celebrate Black History Month to share their stories with us – we hope you enjoy. Stories may be edited and condensed for clarity. How long have you been with PNB? I am a founding member of the PNB Orchestra, having played with the group since 1988. Do you have a favorite […]
Meet PNB’s Newest Company Dancers!
PNB is excited to introduce you to our newest company dancers, Kali Kleiman, Emerson Boll, and Samuel Portillo. These three dancers joined PNB’s Company just this season! Get to know each artist a little better in the brief interviews below. When I got into the podcasting space, it was right in the height of Covid. […]
A Day in the Life of a Professional Division Student: Rehearsing Swan Lake
Follow a PNB School Professional Division student through a full day of ballet training and Swan Lake rehearsals at Pacific Northwest Ballet.
Dan Williams, PNB’s Principal Oboist, on Swan Lake
Tchaikovsky’s first ballet score, Swan Lake, was commissioned in 1875. Tchaikovsky, who is widely considered to be the foremost ballet composer, utilized his keen orchestration skills in this ballet to create a score characterized by bold gestures and dramatic expressivity. The first notes of this enduring score are played by the oboe. The instrument features prominently throughout […]
Pacific Northwest Ballet Principal Dancer James Yoichi Moore Announces Retirement
Pacific Northwest Ballet principal dancer James Yoichi Moore has announced that after a 20-year career with the company, he is retiring at the end of PNB’s 2023-24 season. Moore joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in 2004 and was promoted to soloist in 2008 and principal in 2013. His […]
Pointe Shoe: Ballet’s Beloved Illusion
By Emma Love Suddarth Shimmering. Floating. Even flying. All these words have been used to describe the simplest of motions as a ballerina bourrées supernaturally across the stage, whether as a swan queen, a sleeping princess, an icy ghost, or a sugar plum fairy. How can this unassuming movement of two feet, never leaving the ground […]
Nutcracker “Grow Ups”
Performing in The Nutcracker is a rite of passage for many young dancers and something they look forward to each December. From Polichinelles to Party Children, see how Pacific Northwest Ballet Company dancers began their lifelong journey of dancing in The Nutcracker! Emerson Boll (she/her) is from Bellevue, Washington. She studied at Pacific Northwest Ballet School and attended summer […]