Getting to Know: Crystal Pite
Crystal Pite is a former company member of Ballet British Columbia and William Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt. She made her professional choreographic debut in 1990 with Ballet British Columbia, and has since created more than 40 works for companies including Nederlands Dans Theater (where she has been an Associate Artist since 2008), Paris Opera Ballet, the […]
What It Takes to Be Crystal Pite
Let’s just soak in the genius of Crystal Pite for a moment. You’ve probably heard us gushing about this groundbreaking choreographer ever since we first staged Emergence in 2013 (and again now that we’re putting on the American premiere of her piece Plot Point). It’s for good reason: she’s one of the most in-demand choreographers in dance today, […]
Her Door to the Sky: Q&A with Choreographer Jessica Lang
We had a chance to talk with Jessica Lang about Her Door to the Sky, which premiered at Jacob’s Pillow in the summer of 2016 and debuted in Seattle early this year. [This Q&A has been slightly edited for brevity and clarity.] Tell us about your research for this piece. Because of my extensive research on […]
Q and A with Summer Course Students
With summer course auditions just around the corner, we asked three students from 2017’s summer course to give advice on how to prepare yourself for the intensive training and how to get the most out of your summer course experience. Below are excerpts from a conversation with Charlotte Sanford (age 13) Maeva Laube (age 17), and […]
Q and A with Dylan Wald
Dylan Wald is from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He studied at Minnesota Dance Theatre & the Dance Institute, where he became an apprentice in 2012, and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. He attended summer courses at Pacific Northwest Ballet, the School of American Ballet, The Juilliard School, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Mr. Wald joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as […]
Q and A with Nancy Casciano
Nancy Casciano is from Atlanta Georgia. She studied at the School of American Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet School, and she attended summer courses at Pacific Northwest Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell. Ms. Casciano joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as an apprentice in 2014. On my weekends, I […]
Q and A with Elle Macy
Elle Macy is from Huntington Beach, California. She studied at Orange County Dance Center and on scholarship at Pacific Northwest Ballet School. She attended summer courses at the School of American Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Ms. Macy joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as an apprentice in 2012 and was promoted to corps […]
Q and A with Principal Conductor Emil de Cou
Emil: I’m the only person I know of all my colleagues who went into music because of loving ballet music. Growing up in Orange County where there was no orchestra, the only orchestra nearby was LA, which I couldn’t get to. So I went to the movie theater and saw Fantasia, then got the record from […]
Q&A: Giselle Designer Jérôme Kaplan
Costume designer Jérôme Kaplan discusses his designs for PNB’s Giselle, from the romantic peasant village to the haunting world of the Wilis in Act II.
Audition Tips from PNB’s Apprentices
PNB apprentices share their best audition tips for summer intensive programs, from preparation and mindset to what ballet schools are looking for in dancers.