Italian ballet superstar Roberto Bolle is a global sensation, as evidenced by his “Roberto Bolle and Friends” at the Florence Opera House this summer. Those friends included Taras Domitro of the San Francisco Ballet, Melissa Hamilton of the Royal Ballet in London, Misa Kuranaga of the Boston Ballet, Danil Simkin of American Ballet Theatre, Polina…
Category: Finding Balance blog
Brava! Bravissima! PNB’s sparkling Jessika Anspach
Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Jessika Anspach took her final bow on the Seattle Opera House stage last June. The longtime PNB dancer enjoyed 12 years in the Company, and 14 years in the School before then. I first encountered Jessika during the writing of the second edition of Finding Balance. The book features images of a teenage…
Whim W’Him/IN-spired
Whim W’Him/IN-spired/January, 2016/Cornish Playhouse at Seattle Center There’s much about Whim W’Him’s winter program, besides the name, that is In-spired. The choreographers, the choreography, the dancers’ intriguing ensemble of five men (Kyle Johnson, Jim Kent, Patrick Kilbane, Thomas Phelan, Justin Reiter) and two women (Mia Monteabaro and Tory Peil), the artistic director, the performing space,…
The exquisite Jean-Christophe Maillot Romeo et Juliette
Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Romeo et Juliette offers roles that challenge even the most brilliant of dancers. In PNB’s winter program, featured dancers Noelani Pantastico, Lesley Rausch and Jerome Tisserand, Laura Tisserand, Seth Orza, Jonathan Porretta, Margeret Mullin, others – met that challenge. Could they be transcendent? (Yes, is the short answer. Read on.) So powerful in…
My favorite dance program of 2015 (Seattle’s Pacific Northwest Ballet)
At the start of the New Year, I take a few minutes to reflect on how robust the dance scene is in Seattle, as well as north of the border in Canada. I have indeed been fortunate to have academic jobs that allow me to busy myself with both dance classes and dance writing. Western…
So You Think You Can Dance?
The So You Think You Can Dance 2015 Tour made it to the very wintery Pacific Northwest, heating up the city of Abbotsford, BC. On a frigid January 9, the 14 dancers of the tour played to a packed house – Abbotsford’s Entertainment and Sports Centre. As attendees were downing beer, pretzels, popcorn, hot dogs…
One more chance to see the inimitable Carla Korbes in Kent Stowell’s Swan Lake….
…as well as the stunning Lesley Rausch and Laura Tisserand (who debuts in the role this season), April 18-19, McCaw Hall, Seattle Center …and Michael Jinsoo Lim’s almost unbearably-sweet violin ______________________________ Carla Korbes has been ever-present throughout the repertory this season, beginning with Balanchine’s Jewels in the fall, in which she danced major roles in…
Pacific Northwest Ballet, again
Program: Director’s Choice March 14-23, 2014 Seattle’s McCaw Hall Susan Marshall’s Kiss is part meditation, part circus, part soliloquy (the dancers spend almost more time apart than together), and (when together) intimate duet. Arvo Part provides the mesmerizing yet minimalist music. What a thrill it was to see Carla Korbes return to the stage (post-injury),…
A Program to Remember (Pacific Northwest Ballet)
Stunning, breathtakingly beautiful, and unparalleled in programing and performance, PNB’s November program, Kylian + Pite, was one not to be missed. It is easily the most memorable (non-full-length ballet) program in the almost 20 years that I have been viewing and reviewing the company. Huge kudos to Peter Boal, ballet masters all, and the generous…