In case you missed PNB's Choreographers' Showcase

In 2004, I had something better to do than watch a football game. The next day, the entire world was talking about the “Wardrobe Malfunction” and I missed it. After seeing Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Choreographers’ Showcase April 21, I get to be the one talking about the thing everyone else missed.

In theory, creating an eight minute ballet performance should be easy. Play some Tchaikovsky, throw on some tutus and Pointe shoes. A couple lifts, add a pirouette or two and call it a day. That might cover the bases, but it won’t impress anyone. This year’s Choreographers’ Showcase blew the audience away.

“I just had a dancegasm,” one audience member said during the performance.

Jonathan Porretta started off the show Spring Waltz. In the introductory video, he said he just wanted to make a pretty dance. Clearly, he is an overachiever.

Like the rest of the performances, it was danced by members of the PNB School. While technically proficient, my critical mind was trying to tell me I was unimpressed, yet I was moved by the performance. Ballet isn’t all leaps and lifts, that is just the athletics of it. Good ballet is art. And Art moves you. Even if you can’t explain why.

It started out simple enough. The black walls and backdrop with a single ballerina reminded me of one of those jewelry boxes. It made me think that this is what happens when the lid is closed. She doesn’t stop dancing just because there is no one to see her. And maybe, she is joined by her friends.

Emma Appel was the clear standout, out dancing her partner for most of the performance. From start to finish Spring Waltz was a joy to watch. Alas, the waltz, like spring, ended all too soon.

If Spring Waltz was a homerun, The Anxiety Variations was a grand slam. The short performance was broken into five mini-acts, Opening, Entrance of the Anxieties, Anxious, Respiration and Panic. Inspired by being diagnosed with asthma as a young child, this was more of a dark piece and heavily conceptual.

The music was dramatic, changing tempo to highlight the dancing. There was a great mix of light and shadow. Often dancers would be out of the light and silhouetted against the red backdrop. There was a mix of dance styles, classical ballet, contemporary and even some signature Paso Doble moves. In the end, it all came together beautifully. So well in fact, that is how the night should have ended.

Seth Orza’s Fragment was up after the intermission. Orza most stands out in my mind from his performances in the West Side Story. In the introductory video before his piece, he said one of the hard parts about being a choreographer is being judged, he needn’t have worried. While there might have been inspiration from other choreographers, there wasn’t any imitation. I liked how he played around with movement. There was even a short part where it looked like the men were on Pointe.

The pas de deux with Price Suddarth and Julia Cinquemani was breath taking. Suddarth also stood out in Anxiety.

Dramatic music changes that reflected the tempo and mood. Lighting was once again a factor and well utilized.

“We have this choreographic love child,” Andrew Bartee said of Shatter his joint venture with frequent collaborator Margaret Mullin. A love child, unlike some children, is the one you find most endearing. I know that they said that there was “nothing to get” in the piece. But we all put or get something out of everything. The only performance with the dancers in socks instead of Pointe shoes, with the dancers wearing spandex shorts, tank tops and socks, it had the look of a slumber party.

Again, the pas de deux was amazing. If the rest of the piece was a slumber party, this was Steven Loch and Sarah Pasch sneaking away for a private moment. Their moves were well executed, their lines were perfect and their connection could be felt in the audience. The trust Pasch had in her partner is something you usually see in more seasoned dancers.

Choreographers’ Showcase is the perfect venue to show how deep the talent pool is at PNB. If dancers like Suddarth and Appel are what are coming out of the PNB School, the future of ballet is secure. If the dancers have the creativity and vision that we saw tonight, the world of ballet will always be fresh and entertaining.

Randall Chiarelli deserves special attention for lighting design. After the performance, some of the choreographers admitted to putting little thought into the lighting. You never would have known it. Especially in Anxiety. The use of lighting was perfect and PNB is lucky to have a production team that supports them so well. When you don’t even have to think about such an important element as the lighting, you are truly spoiled by talent.

If you missed it, keep an eye out for the titles and you might see them elsewhere. One of Porretta’s earlier choreographic works was shown at Bumbershoot. Who knows, you might get lucky and catch one of these. This was without a doubt a show worth seeing.



*at press time there were no photos

PNB's Choreographers’ Showcase

Since this is one night only, reviews will come too late. So April 21 be at McCaw Hall for the Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Choreographers’ Showcase. It promises to be a delight worth seeing.

PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal calls these choreographic workshops an important contribution to dance. Unlike All Balanchine, All Tharp and 3 Dove, this will not showcase the talents of some of ballet’s biggest names. These choreographers are PNB’s own.

It is no secret that I am a fan of Principal Dancer Jonathan Poretta. So I am especially looking forward to see what he brings to the table as a choreographer. When someone dances, you see them apply their skill to the choreographer’s steps under the artistic director’s direction. While he has always performed expertly, I am curious to see what Poretta envisions. This will be his sixth showcase.

Soloist Seth Orza made his choreographic debut in 2009’s Choreographers’ Showcase. I have seen him in a number of roles and look forward to seeing what he has come up with. Corps de ballet dancers Barry Kerollis, Andrew Bartee and Margaret Mullin will also showcase pieces in the performance. This will not be the first showcase for any of them and shows the depth of the PNB talent pool. Bartee and Mullin have collaborated before and performed their piece in Arizona and France.

Not to take away from the greats of ballet’s past, I think it is safe to say that there is still more great ballet out there waiting to be discovered by the choreographers of the future. The great choreographers of the future are the dancers of today. There is an old adage. “Those that can do, those that can’t teach.” Those in the dance world that can, do, and those that can’t have no business in ballet. However, as you will learn on Wed. those that can and also teach are called choreographers.

Tickets to Choreographers’ Showcase start at $10. It falls in the middle of Seattle Restaurant week. Some of the best restaurants in Seattle offer three course meals for $30. Dinner and a show for $40, you will not find a better deal for a while.

Tickets may be purchased by calling the PNB Box Office at206.441.2424, online at www.pnb.org or in person at the PNB Box Office, 301 Mercer Street. I will see you there.



*Photo Credit: Pacific Northwest Ballet principal dancer Jonathan Porretta. Photo ©Angela Sterling.

PNB is All Balanchine all night long

Every year, along with the performances like Swan Lake and Nutcracker the Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) showcases choreographers. April 15, it was three works of George Balanchine. The world of ballet lost George Balanchine in 1983, but performances like the PNB All Balanchine keeps bringing his genius to Seattle ballet lovers. And I, for one, am glad that they do.

As we all know, I do not read the programs beforehand. I want to see what I can get from the performance. Is there a disconnect between artist intent and my perception? Can they convey the message to the viewer, or in this case reviewer? By just watching the performance with no prior information, it is sadly the only way Balanchine and I will ever interact.

As I watched Serenade, the first performance of the evening I was struck by how beautifully it was put together. Artistic Director Peter Boal did another fantastic job of putting together a great show, but outside of some seriously good dancing, I couldn’t piece together much more. It wasn’t until I read the program later that I discovered why.

Serenade was a piece Balanchine developed over time. “The best way to make students aware of stage technique was to give them something new to dance,” Balanchine said. Set to Tchaikovsky’s Serenade in C for string orchestra, Balanchine improvised whatever he had for the day to put together what would become a signature piece of the New York City Ballet. He incorporated whatever came his way. A late student, more students one day, fewer the next.

In the end, it all works. The set was simple with just a blue backdrop and the dancers wearing blue, it had a very calming effect. After the day I had been having, it was exactly what I needed. After the intermission, I was ready for Square Dance.



Since most forms of dance, ballet included, can be traced back to folk dancing, Balanchine decided to fit classical ballet, 17th century court dance and American country dancing. The original 1957 production must have been a sight to see before the orchestra was moved to the pit and there was still a caller onstage. A solo was added for the principal male dancer.

A friend told me that ballet dancers can take a job anywhere in the world because even if they do not know the language of the director, all the moves have the one name. I feel like that concept went out the window with Square Dance. There were a number of elements that seemed foreign to classical ballet, yet it was delightfully entertaining.

It was interesting to see how all the elements come together. Square Dance really showcased Balanchine’s creativity and ability to put together different elements into something new. It also showcased the versatility of PNB, a classical ballet company. Principle dancers Lucien Postlewaite and Carrie Imler stood out looked at ease playing around in the mixture of styles. PNB shows that while it is a classical ballet company, that isn’t all they can do.

Up last was The Four Temperaments. Rarely seen outside of New Yrok City Ballet, Kent Stowell and Francia Russell brought it to PNB in 1978. While the piece has changed, Russell had Balanchine’s blessing to keep it the way she performed it.

The Four Temperaments, named Melancholic, Sanguinic, Phlegmatic and Choleric. It is four variations on the same intertwined theme. My advice, don’t over think it, just watch. The four variations give the feeling of separate, but interconnected acts within a single performance. It is romantic, graceful and beautiful to watch.


As always, Jonathan Porretta showed why he is a principal dancer. Outside of being able to dance, he is a true performer. There is a difference between dancing for a show and dancing to show off. Porretta gives a good show without looking to see if the audience is watching. He performs for us, not for his ego. He bends over backwards for the company, literally, he bends backwards and walks off stage at the end of Melancholic.

Corps dancer Jordan Pacitti has been growing on me lately. I look back and remember him in every performance I have attended. He is the William H. Macy of the ballet world. Supporting the performance, doing a great job and not outshining everyone else. He grasps the acting and stage presence part of ballet, knowing what to do when not dancing so as to not be a distraction. I look forward to seeing more of him in the future.

All Balanchine runs through April 25. Up next is the Choreographer’s Showcase on April 21.




Top photo: Pacific Northwest Ballet principal dancer Kaori Nakamura (center) with (L-R) corps de ballet dancers Brittany Reid, Leah O’Connor, Abby Relic and Sarah Ricard Orza in Serenade. Photo © Angela Sterling
Middle Photo: Pacific Northwest Ballet principal dancers Carrie Imler and Lucien Postlewaite with company dancers in Square Dance. Photo © Angela Sterling
Bottom Photo: Pacific Northwest Ballet corps de ballet dancers Laura Gilbreath and William Lin-Yee in The Four Temperaments. Photo © Angela Sterling

The Crazies

Hollywood has run out of ideas. For a while now movies have been remakes or adaptations of comic books. The Crazies, out Friday Feb. 25, is no different. It is a remake of George A. Romero’s 1973 movie of the same name. I haven’t seen the original, but this one isn’t worth the price of admission.

At the first high school baseball game of the season, Rory Hamill comes strolling onto the outfield, holding a shotgun, with a crazy look in his eyes. The next day, Bill Farnum locks his wife and son in a closet and burns his house down. The town’s people are going crazy and no one knows why.

Deputy Russell Clank (Joe Anderson) remembers that there was a report of a plane crash in the swamp that feeds the town’s water supply. Mysterious black suburbans are spotted as the town’s people continue to act weird. From there, the plot gets stupid.

In a nutshell, The Crazies is a cross between every zombie movie and 28 Days later, only not as well made. It is not one of those movies that are so bad it is good, it is just bad. It is a one trick pony. Just as you think it is has been a few minutes since the last attack, the camera pans to one of the main characters. Of course, there is a psycho in the background.

You see the infected crazy, they stand still foreshadowing their attack and then they try to hack at the cast. Every move is telegraphed, even the jump out and scare you moments. After a while, it gets old. Unfortunately, that is long before the movie ends.

The government’s reaction is like every other contagion movie where they try to contain the area. Some of their methods don’t make sense. Soldiers gather up the town’s people into buses, to one location. For some reason, they also boot all the cars. It is used as a plot device so that the Sheriff (Timothy Olyphant) and his merry crew can’t just drive away, but it seems like a huge hassle. Why not just shoot all the engines with a high caliber round? That will immobilize the vehicles. You know who has a lot of high caliber rounds? The military!

In the end, it is all predictable. They follow the standard horror movie formula. Split the group up as often as possible so someone has to come to the rescue. If the whole world was out to get you, would you really let your unarmed pregnant wife out of your sight?

If you like suspenseful, gory horror movies, this isn’t for you. Skip it and spend your $10 elsewhere. If you see it, you really are crazy.


*This is a movie review that they didn't have room for. As a clip it does show my style. And Hopefully it will save people from renting it on DVD.

Spring's Awakening review

Written in 1891 Germany, Spring’s Awakening must have been at the very least ahead of its time. It had a timeless quality that makes it relevant to this day. If it weren’t for the wardrobe, it could be set in Small Town U.S.A. Historically heavily censored, now at a time where Southpark is syndicated on network television the play is downgraded to mildly inappropriate instead of being overly offensive.

The play chronicles the struggle of biology vs. ideology, nature vs. nurture in school children coming of age. The struggle is pivotal in the development of Melchior, played by Gavin Reub, who doesn’t know how to deal with the urges of puberty. Lacking the wisdom that comes with age and experience, he finds it difficult to control himself.

Rachel Brow is immediately believable as Wendla, the 14 year-old girl who wants to stay a girl. She wants to better understand the world, but is in no hurry to grow up. While she tries to get her mother to explain where babies really come from, she really wants to know if the stork comes down the chimney or in the front door.



Andrew Murray plays Moritz, Melchior’s tortured sidekick. His troubles with school and naiveté with women is pivotal in his issues. He is the perfect Milhouse to Melchior’s Bart. Running through the whole range of emotions, sometimes in the same scene, Murray does a good job of projecting Moritz’s journey though the performance.

The story lines intersect enough to make the play connect, but there is still a disjointed feeling. There feels like too much going on. This can be attributed to trying to throw in scenes to shock 19th century theater goers rather than having everything tie in well. Issues of losing virginity, homosexuality and masturbation are just not that shocking in this more jaded time. Your average Family Guy episode is more offensive than the play.

Director Alyson Roux’s vision is clear in the beginning, but the story gets a little muddled at the end. The man in the mask, a figure that is seen in the background throughout the play, makes only limited sense. While clearly connectional, if he is a foreshadowing figure of death, that makes sense in three scenes, but not in two. If he is the Devil, that makes sense in a couple scenes, but not the rest. There were a few scenes that didn’t seem to add to the story, fortunately, they are quickly forgotten.

The end feels like a twist, but not the good kind like in the Sixth Sense. I was following up until the end and then I felt like I didn’t get it. I walked out feeling disconnected from the story and not sure how to tie in the last scene. Instead of tying it all up in a nice little bow, the play ended with more questions than it answered.

Well directed, the scene transitions were seamless. As a small production, some performers played multiple parts. David Kulcsar and Michael Lukins particularly standout. Kulcsar plays three different part in three distinct ways. Despite little changes visually, you can tell when he is Melchior’s father and when he is Dr. Fizzpowder. Tone of voice, body language and mannerisms change with each role. He was completely unrecognizable as the man in the mask. Kulcsar is also the one who most embraced that this was set in Germany.


Lukins played the five puppet professors. While jumping from one puppet to the next, like Kulcsar he was able to make each one a different character. The simple change of tone of voice and speaking cadence made each puppet distinctive.

Despite the controversy surrounding the early productions of the play, Spring’s Awakening can be enjoyed by a number of theater goers. There are parts that are inappropriate and funny for that crowd, but I think it will be bet enjoyed by the more cerebral theater connoisseur. After watching it with friend, you can retire to a coffee shop and discuss the themes and concepts and how they remain just as relevant today. If you are looking for something light and fun, this is not for you.

Spring’s Awakening runs through April 25 in the Cabaret Theater in Hutchinson Hall.
Up next is “Translations” April 18 - May 2 at the Penthouse theater and “Bat Boy The Musical” April 25 - May 9 at the Meany StudioTheater

3 by Dove +1

Those that know me know that I am rarely short on words and never speechless. However, while watching Vespers, the first act on 3 by Dove plus one, all I could think was “Wow, wow, effing wow.” I was so caught up in the performance; I couldn’t analyze it until later.

Vespers is a simple concept, six women in black dresses dancing with chairs. Britney Spears overdid that in her early videos. You have never seen that how Choreographer Ulysses Dove intended. Set to a heavy percussion beat the dancers utilize the entire stage. First moving and swaying in the chairs, then crossing the space to dance in the open.

Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) is a classical ballet company, but they make the leap to modern easily. Vespers is primal and dramatic. When they are on the chairs, there are times that it looks less choreographed and more like they are all caught up in the same frenzy. It reminded me of worship in southern black churches. Which, I found out later, is what Dove was going for.

I wondered how it would have looked from different angles. Vespers is one of those performances that would have looked different depending on where you were sitting. People higher up would have a seen a different performance than those lower down.

No intermission, just a pause to catch your breath before Red Angels. Four dancers in red leotards accompanied only by a violin soloist. Simply put, it was one of the sexiest things I have seen second only to Kari Brunson’s solo in last year’s Take Five. Like Take Five, people will be talking about this one for a while.

If Vespers brought you up, Angels brings you down. Sexy and sensual, watching it feels voyeuristic. Outside of the movements which were executed superbly, this demonstrates how much can be conveyed through dance. I kept thinking that kind of passion can’t be faked. The dancers not only connected with each other, but brought the audience into their world. After dancing that, I can’t image have two more performances to go.

Suspension of Disbelief by Choreographer Victor Quijada was the “plus one” in 3 Dove plus One. This is just pure movement. Not set, not even a backdrop. You can see the back stage. I don’t read the programs because I like to see what I get out of the art. If you know the artists intention beforehand, you will look for that. Can they convey that to me without me knowing what to look for?

No tights, tutus or pointe shoes, modern doesn’t quite explain it. Suspension is urban ballet. When you remove the other elements, all you are left with is the dance. Quijada keeps mixing it up. No traditional pas de deux, men dance with men, women with women. Quite honestly, it blew me away.

No the concept of men partnering, but the execution. I had never thought about how it would all come together. Men partnering changes the style of dance. There were no masculine and feminine roles, just masculine and masculine. No one was leading and the other following, just dancing together. Lifts with two women are a different dynamic. No less impressive, just different. It was one of those moments that make so much sense you wonder why you have never thought about it before. Of course the dynamic would be different when women pair with women.

I left Suspension thinking it was the perfect commentary for gays in the military. There is nothing overtly sexual about men fighting, or in this case dancing, alongside other men. After Angels, my mind was predisposed to find sensuality in everything, but when Suspension really started going I was captivated by the dancing.

Pairing men with men is like balancing strength with strength, but PNB pulls it off. This also illustrates why PNB can’t have anorexic dancers. The women need to be athletic to be able to pull off Vespers and Suspension.


The night ended with Dove’s Serious Pleasures. A little more classical ballet is thrown in. The set was simple, a few backlit doors, but the dancing was complex. It really was a lot to take in. The solos slowed the pace, but then the stage would be filled with swirling dancers. The slamming of the doors punctuated the drama and the “battle of the hair” where the dancers in turn tossed their hair around threw in a different element. Serious Pleasures showcased that ballet is not all lifts and twirls.

Tragically, the ballet world lost Dove in 1996. Thankfully, PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal has kept Dove’s vision alive for us to appreciate.





*Top photo: PNB principal dancer Jonathan Porretta in Victor Quijada's Suspension of Disbelief.
Bottom photo: Serious Pleasures

All photos by Angela Sterling

Il Trovatore classic opera at its best

Love, betrayal, passion, vengeance. Throw in a gypsy curse, switched babies and a love triangle and you have the makings of a good daytime drama, or a great opera.

Civil war has broken out in Spain between the Prince of Aragón the rebel Count Urgel. Leonora has fallen for a knight she met at a tournament. She professes to her maid her love for the man, who has returned and has been serenading her. Count di Luna, commander of Aragón’s troops, is jealous of the mysterious troubadour and sends guards to stand watch under Leonora’s balcony should he show up.

Then a serenade is heard in the background. Leonora, thinking it is her love, rushes out to greet him. In the shadows, she mistakenly grabs onto di Luna. The mystery troubadour arrives and accuses her of cheating. That is when his identity is revealed. He is the rebel leader Manrico. Not just the rival for Leonora’s affection, but his enemy on the battle field.

Il Trovatore opens with Ferrando (Arthur Woodley) a captain in Count di Luna’s army calling the guards to attention. If you have ever heard of the saying “singing to the rafters” this is what they meant. His voice projects loud and clear, demonstrating how good the acoustics are in McCaw Hall. He is brilliant. So much so that it is a disappointment how underutilized he is in the rest of the performance.

Lisa Daltirus, who performs the part of Leonora in half of the productions, was amazing. She seemed a little unsteady when she came out at the top of the performance, but more than made up for it later. If it was nerves, they were gone by the second act. She so completely threw herself into the role that she broke down after the curtain came down. Tears were streaming down her cheeks when she walked out during the curtain call. Her standing ovation was well deserved.

Gordon Hawkins (Count di Luna) and Antonelle Palombi (Manrico) were both vocally dynamic. Opera is acting while singing, they projected more than their voices. You could feel the fury of di Luna or how Manrico clearly wears his heart on his sleeve.

For acting, Malgorzata Walewska steals the show. As the gypsy Azucena, you watch her run the gamut of emotions as she takes a slow decent into madness while being continuously haunted by visions of 15 year-old memories.

It is easy to get so wrapped up in the performance to miss the music. Conductor Yves Abel leads the orchestra seamlessly through Giuseppe Verdi’s music. Although, I must admit that I think Verdi spun in his grave during Act two when in the gypsy camp I couldn’t help but be reminded of an old yellow pages commercial. One of the fun games to play at operas is to see what music was whored out for commercial gain. Outside that distraction, the music did what it was supposed to do, accent the performance.

The set was beautifully simple. Subtle changes in lighting were utilized more than props. One wall never moved, but was highlighted with different a delicate mix of light and shadow to better fit the setting. In between acts, the placement of the moon or brightness of the background showed the passage of time between acts. Encapsulating the stage was a large frame giving the effect that Il Trovatore is a painting come to life.

It is said that Il Trovatore is an easy production if you have the best vocalists in the world. This must have been the easiest production ever because I don’t see how it could have been performed better.

If you have no exposure to opera, Il Trovatore is the perfect one to cut your teeth on. It has high drama, an intricate story line, with excellent vocals and acting. For something a little lighter and fun, The Magic Flute by Mozart in May can’t be missed. It is one of my personal favorites.

For those on a budget, there are $25 tickets on the second tier side upper for every performance. With a valid ID, students can buy one $20 student rush ticket from the box office two hours before show time. While it may seem counterintuitive, seats on the upper areas can make for easier watching. The subtitles screen is above the stage for those not fluent in Italian. The higher up, the easier the transition from stage to screen.

Il Trovatore runs through Jan. 30.




*Photo credit: Lisa Daltirus (Leonora) and Vira Slywotzky (Inez) with chorus and supernumeraries. © Rozarii Lynch photo

From start to finish, PNB’s ‘Nutcracker’ is a holiday must-see

“Nutcracker” is a Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) staple. Like many, I remember seeing it as a child. If you haven’t seen the PNB performance recently, you don’t know what you are missing.

“I really liked it,” said EdCC student Jordan DeChenne. Despite doing some ballet “back in the day,” she had never seen the full production before opening night at McCaw Hall this year.

Dance, like any form of artistic expression, is open to many different interpretations. Since 1983, the PNB “Nutcracker” performance broke from the Balanchine mold, with Maurice Sendak designing the
set and costumes.

“I thought the peacock costume was so pretty,” DeChenne said. “The sheer screens reminded me of a dream.”

Sendak, best known for his book “Where the Wild Things Are,” brought “Nutcracker” back to its roots. This interpretation is closer to the original intent of the story. While George Balanchine is a master choreographer, the combination of Founding Artistic Director Kent Stowell’s choreography and Sendak’s designs gives the PNB performance a whole new magical feel. Sendak’s influence is clear, with the tiger costume looking like it came from the pages of his illustrations. Watch the backdrop as Clara and the Prince sail to distant lands. Clearly, they pass the island where the wild things are.

I admit that previously, I had only seen Balanchine performances. This gave me the chance to enjoy the performance like it was the first time. The Stowell and Sendak “Nutcracker” is as technical a ballet as I have ever seen, but visually, it is more stunning. “I thought it was very innovative,” DeChenne said.

Compared with other ballets with only a couple props, Sendak has a very complex set that moves and expands. Rather than being the environment, the dancers move around, and the set is part of the storytelling. The set effects make it feel less like a ballet performance and more like reading a bedtime story, something Sendak knows a thing or two about.

“Nutcracker” is a ballet for all ages, not just for the costumes and scenery. Children are more able to relate to the characters, since a lot of the dancers are children. Particularly impressive are Fritz (danced by Daniel Bryson-Beane) and Clara (Eileen Kelly). Young Bryson-Beane handled choreography that is beyond many so young. Marc D’Aberle and Calvin Smale both danced multiple roles in different acts,
first in Act 1 as boys, and later in Act 2 as part of the toy theater.

“I couldn’t imagine what was going through their little heads,” DeChenne said.

The performance is not all children dancing. In Scene 2, Principal Dancer Carla Korbes takes the role of the adult Clara, elevating it to the next level. There is much to see on stage, and no single dance lasts long enough to lose the attention of the child audience. Each dance seamlessly flows into the next. “All the transitions were really smooth,” said DeChenne.

Allan Dameron perfectly leads the orchestra through Tchaikovsky’s music. The music is so mainstream that every song is familiar. Unlike many ballets, “Nutcracker” has singing. Listen for EdCC music instructor and soprano Susan Erickson. “This is my 20th year,” she said.

She sings in Scene 1 and the end of Scene 2. The song in the party is a PNB exclusive. Stowell took a little piece of a Tchaikovsky opera and put it into his production. “He wrote this in,” said Erickson. Her second song is during the snowflake scene.

Good for all ages, “Nutcracker” runs through Dec. 30. It is a part of a tradition that we often take for granted, always promising to go next year. Take a child to the matinee showing and avoid the holiday
craziness for an hour and a half. If you have not seen the PNB Stowell and Sendak “Nutcracker,” it will be like seeing it for the first time.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.PNB.org, or by calling the box office at 206-441-2424. Student rush tickets go on sale 90 minutes prior to the performance. Any seat in the house is half price with a student ID. Teen Tix prices are just $5 the day of show.



*Photo credit: Pacific Northwest Ballet corps de ballet dancer Andrew Bartee as the Nutcracker in the fight scene from PNB's Stowell/Sendak Nutcracker.
Photo © Angela Sterling.

*Reprinted with permission from The Triton Review

Peter Boal keeps PNB dancers on their toes

James Bond orders his martinis “shaken, not stirred.” The reason a martini is stirred is to mix it without chipping the ice. Shaking breaks up the ice and will water down your drink. James Bond is a snob about ordering a weak drink.

That is how I feel about most ballet fans. They like the big productions like “Swan Lake” and “Nutcracker” but do not have the appreciation of the beautiful movement of a dancer across an empty stage. If you can only watch ballets with full casts, complex sets and costumes with a convoluted storyline, you are a James Bond ballet fan.

For true ballet aficionados, Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) Artistic Director Peter Boal’s “Director’s Choice” is here. Performing until June 7, “Director’s Choice” is a collection of three dances. Dances at a Gathering, After the Rain pas a deux and Symphony in C.

Dances at a Gathering, choreographed by Jerome Robbins, is set to music by Chopin. Rather than a full suite, it feels like a collection of short stories. Without any sets to maneuver, the dance is simple. Just ten dancers floating on and off the stage to the music of a single piano.

At an hour, it feels a little on the long side. “Dances” is broken up into a mixture of short routines, with only one routine with all ten dancers on stage at the same time. It is simply ballet without the distraction of a lot of unnecessary elements.

After the intermission the audience is treated to the After the Rain pas de deux. This is the PNB premier for the intimate duet. This too is bare bone dancing. With nary a tutu or pointe shoe in sight, it is a combination of ballet and modern dance. Batkhurel Bold shows his strength and skill with intricate lifts and holds.

Powerful and moving, watching it feels more like a voyeuristic intrusion. This is a private, beautiful moment between lovers, a scene that the audience is thankful to have shared with them.

Again, the music, by Arvo Pärt, is simple. The piano keeps an even tempo, while the notes from the violin hanging in the air is felt as well as heard. This moving piece is over all too soon at about ten minutes.

Symphony in C is back to classical ballet. They break out the orchestra and the whole company comes out to play. Still no complicated sets, just classical ballet at its best. Choreographed by one of the 20th century’s foremost chorographers, George Balanchine. With the whole corps of dancers filling the stage, all in identical costumes it is a sight to behold. Principal dancer Kaori Nakamura, who was magical as Odet in Swan Lake needs to be careful not to be upstaged by partner, Jonathan Porretta. Porretta seems to spend most of his time spinning, in the air, or a combination of the two.

If you are a “James Bond” ballet fan, you need to see Director’s Choice to learn to appreciate the purity of dance. However, if you are a true ballet aficionado, one who doesn’t see one performance and brag about being cultured, enjoy this art in motion before the run is over.




*Photo caption and credit: Prinicpal dancers Carla Körbes and Batkhurel Bolddo their Titanic impression in the PNB performance of After the Rain pas de deux photo by Angela Sterling

** Reprinted with permission from The Triton Review

A pirouette is worth a thousand words

Anyone who doesn’t think dancers can act clearly has not seen The Pacific Northwest Ballet’s performance of “Romeo et Juliette.” Cancel your plans and rush to McCaw Hall, as this is a performance that is not to be missed.

The Shakespearian play is familiar to almost all, and that should be a prerequisite to seeing this ballet. Without knowing the story, the subtlety of the dancing may make the story hard to follow. Without dialogue, it takes a couple minutes to work out which dancer is which character.

As Mercutio, Principal Dancer Jonathan Poretta was, in a word, underchoreographed. While he put forth a brilliant performance, anyone who has seen him at work knows that he could have done more. However, it did capture the carefree spirit of Mercutio. He got to taunt the Capulets in childish fashion and kiss the girls and make them swoon. Compared to his usual caliber of work, this must have been a break, and it looked like he was having fun.

Romeo (Lucien Postlewaite) need not have worried about being upstaged, be¬cause his performance was powerful. “I cried two times,” said ballet fan Veronica Topacio. Somehow Postlewaite was able to soundlessly convey disinterest, anger and love with subtlety.

You could almost feel the silent scream of despair of Lady Capulet (Ariana Lallone) when she discovers a lifeless Juliet (Carla Körbes). Lallone’s performance is not a dancer trying to act, rather, it is a mother on stage that just lost her daughter.

Körbes shows the whole range of emotion. Clearly, she is conflicted over the death of Tybalt (Batkhurel Bold) and her love for Romeo. Ultimately, we know which way she goes.

Removing the cumbersome Old English dialogue, the dancers seamlessly tell the story on a very simplistic stage. With screens in the back and two moving walls, there is little to distract from the dancing. Do not, however, fall into the trap of just following the movement. This is acting, not just dancing.

Romeo wanders in the background for the first few movements, disinterested in the women that his friends so happily pursue. Focusing only on the dancing will cause you to miss the change in his demeanor when Juliet takes the stage.

Except for the two “slow motion” scenes, there are no exaggerated move¬ments to convey an image. There was no head tossing back to illustrate the drinking of poison.

There are no insignificant parts to the ballet; every dancer, every movement has a purpose. You have to watch the whole stage to be able to pull everything in. Focus too much on one thing and you will miss something else. The other dancers are not props; they are an integral part of the performance. Watching “Romeo et Juliette,” you realize how spoiled you have been by television. On the stage, there is nothing to direct your focus, so you are forced to take it all in.

The subtle acting, the simplicity of the sets and, of course, the dancing made “Romeo et Juliette” a joy to watch. The orchestra, led by music director/conductor Stewart Kershaw, set the stage for one of the most brilliant ballet performances I have ever seen. If you have not seen it yet, get to McCaw Hall and get your ticket. Seats are half price with a student ID 90 minutes before every performance. “Romeo et Juliette” runs through Oct 5.





*Photo credit: Pacific Northwest Ballet principal dancers Lucien Postlewaite and Carla Körbes in Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette. Photo © Angela Sterling.

** Reprinted with permission from The Triton Review