On the West Coast in fall, 2022, Pacific Northwest Ballet premiered a moving work by world renowned choreographer Alexei Ratmansky—Wartime Elegy. It is his first ballet since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Critics call it not so much a political ballet, as a tribute to perseverance over struggles and emotions. Reportedly, during the opening night…
Tag: Alexei Ratmansky
THE SEASONS’ CANON filmed Nov 4, 2022
Pacific Northwest Ballet’s The Seasons’ Canon opens with Dwight Roden’s atmospheric Catching Feelings. With gorgeous lighting (Joey Walls) and costumes (Christine Darch), and cleverly cast dancers in shaded light, this is a breathtaking piece. Exciting strings (Bach/ Peter Grayson and Johan Ullén after J.S. Bach) and staging (with a choreographer assist from Clifford Williams)—offer a…
Robbins Bigonzetti Ratmansky
The September 25 evening program of the New York City Ballet’s fall season opened with Opus 19/The Dreamer, set to Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, the composer’s first violin concerto and often referred to as “music in technicolor.” So, too, Jerome Robbins’ colorful dance, with lead couple Tiler Peck and Gonzalo Garcia, and a…
PNB’s Wonderfully Diverse Rep
Pacific Northwest Ballet is a master in programming—variety, diversity, complexity. Case in point: Two very different PNB programs, one, all new choreography (Rep 4) and then the other, one of classical ballet’s greatest comedies, Coppélia (Rep 5). My cursory notes suggest a whole lot of great dancing. Highlights for me are below. … Rep (Program)…