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PNB 2014-2015 season, plus Stowell/Sendak "Nutcracker" last


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Today's Seattle Times story is mostly about PNB retiring the Stowell/Sendak "Nutcracker" after the 2014 season, but also mentions the upcoming 2014-2015 season:

  • Rep 1: Jewels
  • Rep 2: Director's Choice (A Million Kisses to My Skin - David Dawson/Rassemblement - Nacho Duato/premieres from Anna Lopez Ochoa - Before After, and from Justin Peck)
  • Rep 3: tentatively Don Quixote, per the PNB website
  • Rep 4: All Forsythe (it looks like 2 premieres, plus In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated)
  • Rep 5: Romeo et Juliette
  • Rep 6: Carmina Burana, Ratmansky's Concerto DSCH and Jose Limon's The Moor's Pavane

Interesting to see that they're bringing back Romeo et Juliette so soon; looking forward to seeing A Million Kisses to My Skin again, as well as the Forsythe program.

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Lots to think about with this season, but quickly -- thrilled to see Jewels coming back, as well as the Dawson and the Forsythe. Very curious to know what the other Forsythes will be -- I'd love to see One Flat Thing again, but I have a feeling it won't return. Also very interested in seeing a J Peck work here -- all we need is a Liam Scarlett and a Wayne Macgregor...

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Here's the official release

Pacific Northwest Ballet Announces 2014-2015 Season Line-Up

PNB Box Office now taking orders for renewals and new subscriptions: Only PNB subscribers may currently purchase tickets to the final year of Stowell/Sendak Nutcracker.

Nutcracker tickets to go on sale to the public on Monday, May 19.

42nd season single-ticket sales begin Monday, July 21.

September 2014 – June 2015

Marion Oliver McCaw Hall

321 Mercer Street, Seattle Center

Seattle, Washington

42nd season to feature the return of audience favorites George Balanchine’s Jewels; Alexei Ratmansky’s Don Quixote, and Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette. Other highlights include PNB premieres by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and William Forsythe, and a world premiere by Justin Peck. The line-up also includes the popular Carmina Burana, and a bon voyage to the Stowell & Sendak Nutcracker.

February 12, 2014, SEATTLE, WA—Artistic Director Peter Boal has announced to subscribers the line-up for Pacific Northwest Ballet’s 2014-2015 season. Highlights include a program devoted to the work of acclaimed choreographer William Forsythe; the return of popular works by George Balanchine, Alexei Ratmansky, David Dawson, and Nacho Duato; a world premiere by New York City Ballet’s Justin Peck, a PNB premiere by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa; and a fond farewell to the Northwest’s favorite holiday tradition, Kent Stowell and Maurice Sendak’s Nutcracker. (PNB will unveil a new production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™ with sets and costumes by Ian Falconer in 2015.)

PNB is now accepting season subscription renewals and new subscription orders; New and renewing subscribers may also purchase tickets to the Stowell & Sendak Nutcracker, which goes on sale to the public on May 19. The Box Office opens for 2014-2015 season ticket sales on Monday, July 21. For further information, contact the PNB Box Office by phone at 206.441.2424, online at PNB.org, or in person at 301 Mercer Street. Discounted subscription rates are available for senior citizens and students with ID. All programming and dates are subject to change. For more information, visit PNB.org.

2014-2015 SEASON LINE-UP (programming subject to change):

First Look Gala

Friday, September 26, 2014

(Not part of PNB’s subscription season. Call the PNB Box Office for details.)

Celebrate the opening of PNB’s 42nd season with a glamorous cocktail party, an elegant backstage dinner, and a dance party onstage after the performance! Edward Villella is scheduled to be PNB’s honored guest at our season kick-off gala. For information, visit PNB.org. (Performance tickets sold separately.)

Rep 1 – George Balanchine’s JEWELS

September 26 – October 5, 2014

Choreography: George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust

Staging: Elyse Borne

Costume Design: Karinska

Lighting Design: Mark Stanley

Emeralds

Music: Gabriel Fauré

Rubies

Music: Igor Stravinsky

Diamonds

Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

“Simple and complex, thought-provoking and crowd-pleasing, deeply traditional and utterly modern, [an] affirmation of Balanchine’s genius.” —The New York Times

Costumed in emerald green, ruby red, and luminous white, the trio of gems in George Balanchine’s Jewels pay tribute to golden ages of music and dance. Evoking the birthplace of Romantic ballet, Emeralds’ graceful clouds of tulle whisper French courtesy, fashion, and fragrance. Rubies mirrors the carefree spontaneity of America, Balanchine’s beloved adopted country: a sassy, jazzy collaboration with Stravinsky. The splendor of Diamonds recalls the great choreographer’s heritage, so that “if the entire Imperial Russian inheritance of ballet were lost, Diamonds would still tell us of its essence” (Mary Clarke and Clement Crisp).

Rep 2 – DIRECTOR’S CHOICE

November 7 – 16, 2014

A Million Kisses to My Skin

Music: Johann Sebastian Bach

Choreography: David Dawson

Scenic Design: David Dawson

Costume Design: Yumiko Takeshima

Lighting Design: Bert Dalhuysen

Rassemblement

Music: Toto Bissainthe

Choreography: Nacho Duato

Scenic Design: Walter Nobbe

Costume Design: Nacho Duato

Lighting Design: Nicolas Fischtel

Before After (PNB Premiere)

Music: Marc Van Roon

Choreography: Annabelle Lopez Ochoa

Costume and Lighting Design: Annabelle Lopez Ochoa

World Premiere

Music: George Antheil

Choreography: Justin Peck

“[PNB has] pushed the envelope with world premieres by highly sought-after choreographers and emerging talent alike. Let’s just say Boal chooses well.” —Seattle Dances

Premieres pair with stunning repertory works in this absorbing mixed bill. Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s (Cylindrical Shadows) critically-acclaimed signature piece, Before After, a PNB premiere, unmasks the turmoil just before a relationship ends. David Dawson’s breathtaking, hyper-extended A Million Kisses to my Skin references the intoxicating bliss dancers experience while performing. Rassemblement, Nacho Duato’s poignant work set to slave songs by Haitian artist Toto Bissainthe, voices communal yearning and resistance in a climate of oppression. The program also features a world premiere by New York City Ballet’s rising dancer-choreographer Justin Peck, praised for creation that “seems to come easily, naturally, from a quick and brimming intelligence” (New York Observer).

Stowell & Sendak NUTCRACKER

November 28 - December 28, 2014

(Not part of PNB’s subscription season. Call the PNB Box Office for details.)

Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Choreography: Kent Stowell

Scenic & Costume Design: Maurice Sendak

Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli

Created by Founding Artistic Director Kent Stowell and famed author and illustrator Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are), PNB’s one-of-a-kind Nutcracker has been dazzling Northwest audiences for 31 years. Join us for the final season of our beloved Nutcracker before it goes into the PNB vault. PNB subscribers will get first dibs at ordering tickets for the 2014 performances of the Stowell/Sendak Nutcracker before tickets go on sale to the public on May 19. In 2015, PNB will unveil a new production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™, featuring sets and costumes by children’s author and theatre designer Ian Falconer (Olivia the Pig).

Rep 3DON QUIXOTE (to be confirmed)

January 30 - February 8, 2015

Music: Ludwig Minkus

Choreography: Marius Petipa and Alexander Gorsky

with additional choreography and staging by Alexei Ratmansky

Scenic and Costume Design: Jerome Kaplan

Lighting Design: James F. Ingalls

“A visual explosion of costume and color, spirited dancers, and humorous acting…a brilliant theatrical success.”

City Arts

Alexei Ratmansky’s genius for revitalizing classic ballets is the talk of the dance world. America had its first look at his staging of Don Quixote when PNB premiered it to great acclaim in 2012. Vast in every sense—from Jérôme Kaplan’s colossal sun-bleached sets and vibrant costumes to the expansive sweep of the choreography—Don Q is informed by Ratmansky’s technical fluency punctuated by carefree humor. A perfectly crafted story ballet, the plot follows its visionary hero to the city of Barcelona, where he becomes entangled in the affairs of spirited young lovers. Bravura dancing, captivating character players, and stunning stagecraft combine with Ludwig Minkus’ rousing score to deliver a tremendous theater experience to audiences of all ages.

Rep 4 – THE VERTIGINOUS THRILL OF FORSYTHE

March 13 – 22, 2015

The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude (PNB Premiere)

Music: Franz Schubert

Choreography: William Forsythe

Costume Design: Stephen Galloway

Scenic and Lighting Design: William Forsythe

New Suite (PNB Premiere)

Music: Johann Sebastian Bach, Luciano Berio, Gavin Bryars, George Frederic Handel, Thom Willems

Choreography: William Forsythe

Scenic and Lighting Design: William Forsythe

In the middle, somewhat elevated

Music: Thom Willems

Choreography: William Forsythe

Scenic, Costume and Lighting Design: William Forsythe

In short, Forsythe lobbed a live grenade into the laps of those who'd always seen ballet as picturesque and safe.”

The Independent

A William Forsythe triple threat, including two PNB premieres, presents distinctive works from a dance maker legendary for his radical inventiveness. Forsythe achieves perfect neo-classical form in The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, a dizzy delight of virtuoso technique and crystalline pointe work. A sampler of duets, individually re-worked for PNB, New Suite’s multiple pairings articulate a diversity of forms as well as matters between the sexes. In the middle, somewhat elevated returns: endlessly prized by dancers and audiences, its relentless pace and fierce physicality serve as paradigm for Forsythe’s revolutionary impact on 21st-century ballet.

SNOW WHITE

March 15 – 21, 2015

(Part of PNB’s “Family Matinees” subscription package. Call the PNB Box Office for details.)

Music: Jules Massenet

Choreography: Bruce Wells

Scenic Design: Edith Whitsett

Costume Design: Pacific Northwest Ballet Costume Shop

Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli

This narrated, hour-long performance is danced by students of Pacific Northwest Ballet School, and is the perfect opportunity to introduce young children to the magic of live performance.

Rep 5ROMÉO ET JULIETTE

April 10 – 19, 2015

Music: Sergei Prokofiev

Choreography: Jean-Christophe Maillot

Staging: Gaby Baars

Scenic Design: Ernest Pignon-Ernest

Costume Design: Jerome Kaplan

Lighting Design: Dominique Drillot

“Art can transform us, and this masterful ballet does so: it makes its dancers, and its watchers, forever young.”

The Seattle Times

Vivid choreographic expression, avant-garde design, and Sergei Prokofiev’s passionate score knit seamlessly in Jean-Christophe Maillot’s profoundly moving Roméo et Juliette, a smash hit since its 2008 PNB debut. The entire Company—arrayed in Jérôme Kaplan’s ravishing costumes, framed by high, light-washed walls— accelerates the drama with cinematic momentum that’s central to the ballet’s intensity. But it’s the dancers’ fearless depiction of internal conflict—tenderness and violence, fear and pride, elation and devastation—that never fails to reward each audience with profound artistry.

REP 6 – CARMINA BURANA

May 29 – June 7, 2015

Concerto DSCH

Music: Dmitri Shostakovich

Choreography: Alexei Ratmansky

Costume Design: Holly Hynes

Lighting Design: Mark Stanley

The Moor’s Pavane

Music: Henry Purcell

Choreography: Jose Limón

Costume Design: Pauline Lawrence

Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli

Carmina Burana

Music: Carl Orff

Choreography: Kent Stowell

Scenic Design: Ming Cho Lee

Costume Design: Theoni V. Aldredge; additional costumes by Larae Theige Hascall

Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli

“[Carmina Burana is] a monumental work that never fails to thrill.”—Seattle Gay News

PNB closes its season with a tremendous trio of repertory works. Alexei Ratmansky’s Concerto DSCH, an “endlessly suspenseful construction [with] passages of breathtaking dance brilliance” (New York Times) returns to the stage, as does The Moor’s Pavane, Jose Limón’s spellbinding reduction of Shakespeare’s Othello, now a celebrated masterwork of American modern dance. In Kent Stowell's primal Carmina Burana, a grand-scale synthesis of dance, chorus, and orchestra, the famous cantata’s poems materialize as the entire Company unites song and score in jubilant communal experience under Carmina’s colossal golden wheel of fortune.

SEASON ENCORE PERFORMANCE

Sunday, June 7, 2015

(Not part of PNB’s subscription season. Tickets to this event go on sale in 2015.)

NEXT STEP choreographers’ showcase

Friday, June 12, 2015

(Not part of PNB’s subscription season. Tickets to this event go on sale in 2015.)

34th Annual PNB School Performances

Saturday, June 13, 2015

(Not part of PNB’s subscription season. Tickets to this event go on sale in 2015.)

TICKET INFORMATION:

Tickets to the 2014-2015 season go on sale Monday, July 21. (Money-saving season subscriptions are available now; Nutcracker tickets go on sale Monday, May 19.)

Tickets and subscriptions may be purchase through the PNB Box Office:

  • Phone: 206.441.2424
  • In Person: 301 Mercer Street at Seattle Center
  • Online: PNB.org

For information on discount offers including 25 & Under tickets, Teen Tix, and Group Sales, visit pnb.org. While there, sign up on PNB’s email list, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and the PNB blog! Be among the first to learn about PNB news, casting and performance updates, ticket offers, and more.

PNB offers a variety of free or affordably-priced special events for most of its productions, including previews, conversations, lectures, and Q&As. For more information, visit pnb.org and click on the “Events & Offers” tab under each specific production’s listing.

# # #

Schedule and Programming Subject to Change.

Pacific Northwest Ballet’s 2014-2015 season is proudly sponsored by ArtsFund and Microsoft Corporation. The season is also sponsored in part by 4Culture, and Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture.

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I saw this at work today. I am in the same boat as sandik:

Thrilled to see Jewels (wish PNB would have the orchestra play the first movement of Tchaikovsky's Symphony #3 in D Major, while showing some slides of Mr B, the original cast, and various PNB casts)

Even more excited to see A Million Kisses again, and pleased to see the accompanying pieces. Just wish they could have included a 2nd Dawson piece.

Surprised to see the end of the Stowell/Sendak Nucracker, though I suppose weakening tickets meant that something had to happen (and the costumes and sets were not going to last forever). Still, the replacement isn't exactly fresh or "must see". I could drive to Portland to see OBT perform it. Of all the things to add to PNB, this wasn't my first or even 99th priority. I feel like PNB is just going to become another generic rep that copies everyone else (down to the cloned B-Nut). Honestly I'd rather see PNB exchange sets/costumes every other year with OBT to give people some variety of nutcrackers. It would cheaper and the money could be used better elsewhere. Couldn't we have the Ratmansky Nut instead? If I had my druthers, I'd limit the number of Nuts to 20 until Christmas eve. Then come back with a Waltz program for post-Christmas - New Year's Eve. Vienna Waltzes would be my choice for new costumes / sets.

Don Quixote by Ratmansky will be warmly welcomed back to Seattle. Is PNB renting costumes again from Dutch National Ballet? Or are they constructing their own? I wish PNB could rent ABT's Bright Stream sets / costumes (and schedule it instead of R+J).

The Forsythe triptyche looks very interesting. Who is staging?

How often does Seattle need to see Malliot's Romeo et Juliette? I feel like 3 times in the past 8 years is a lot. Now it will be 4 times in 9 years.

Speaking of redux, didn't we just see Carmina Burana a few years ago? If there is a Stowell ballet to deep six, it's this one (and his Cinderella). I would rather see some Balanchine in this slot. However, I am looking forward to Moor's Pavane and Concerto DSCH.

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I agree... Wouldn't it be fun from the audience perspective to put the regional company's Nutcrackers in rotation? I suppose the realities such as sets designed for particular theaters and a myriad of behind the scenes headaches would prevent this.... But one could return each year to see this year's manifestation... Has there ever bern a ballet with more variations? And the Stowell-Sendak rendition wouldn't vanish into oblivion... Perhaps a ressurection could be found for the Ruth Page Nutcracker and Kirk Peterson's Nutcracker, both productions boasted stunning costumes and some charming numbers... The old Boston Ballet Nut could return and one could see Ballet West's Nut without having to find a reason to fly to Utah at a busy time of year. I'd love to see Joffrey's and Ballet Arizona's production.

Oh my god... Did I just say I'd love to see The Nutcracker?

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I also have mixed feelings about switching to the Balanchine Nutcracker. It sounds like they're hoping for some interest with new sets by Ian Falconer. I took my 5-year old son to see the Stowell/Sendak Nutcracker for his first time in December, and he loved it (also was my first time seeing this production live -- saw the movie version ages ago). He's still talking about it 2 months later. I agree it would be more interesting to see different versions; when I lived in DC, one had the option between whoever came to the Kennedy Center on tour or the Washington Ballet's version.

For the upcoming season, I was also noticing a number of reps or works were repeats from 2011-2012, I think. I'm guessing it has to do with how many performances of the particular work PNB is licensed to do in X number of years, plus the expense of bringing in new repertory?

sandik -- I'm with you, would love to see One Flat Thing again -- we can hope...

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It depends on the original agreement -- there are all kinds of elements that go into those contracts. Sometimes you get a finite number of performances in a specified set of locations with casting ok'd by the artist or their representative. Sometimes the company learning the work has more freedom to make decisions about those things.

The difficulty in a rotating Nut is mostly about production -- there just aren't that many large scale productions that are designed to tour to multiple venues any more, especially if they're as full of technical tricks as Nutcrackers tend to be. Many years ago, there was a plan to have PNB dance Nut in Seattle and in Minneapolis -- they went as far as building some of the set pieces to fit the specs at Northrop Auditorium, but the project didn't make enough money to continue. I'm not sure what happened with those set pieces, but I doubt they're still viable.

And then there was a proposal to create a touring arrangement with Houston, Boston and PNB, so that each company would circulate around the three cities, but it also didn't manage to get financing. It's a juicy idea, from the audience point of view, but an expensive one as far as administration is concerned.

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I believe it's standard to purchase 1,3, or 5 year licenses for the ballets. Now that I've had a day to let this sink in, I think there is some long term strategy in PNB's announcement. They didn't say that the Stowell version would never come back, just that it would be put into storage. They are making a a 10-month advance notice announcement (on the front page of the Seattle Times in an exclusive to its Arts journalist) about the change. This will maximize revenue for the 2014 Stowell Nut, and probably for the 2015 "new/old" Balanchine Nut.

Don't be surprised that in 5 years time, PNB "caves" to public requests for the Stowell/Sendak Nut. I think ultimately they will alternate Nuts. Mariinsky, DNB and other companies have multiple Nuts, why not PNB?

I do understand that people have emotional connections to the story constructed by Mariinsky and reconstructed by Balanchine at NYCB. They have a very hard time seeing Nutcracker with anything other than that version of the narrative. I think they will be happy with the replacement, and enjoy the return of Mother Ginger, the Arabian, the Snow Queen and the Sugar Plum Fairy to the stage. Maybe PNB will go back to the original 1954 choreography and have a male Arabian Coffee? I can see that if you grew up on the Mariinsky narrative, in your mind's eye, that's how it should be. Changing it would be akin to turning Giselle into an Irish Dancer who lives happily ever after with Hilarion.

I also understand that many in Puget Sound love the ETA Hoffman story, and especially love the magical Sendak sets. I don't think the sets and costumes are "dated" in that they look very 1980's. I think they are dated because they are 30+ years old and don't look freshly painted / constructed. I liked the storyline, I felt it was stronger than the Mariinsky version, which seems overly sugary and child-centered for my taste.

I don't have kids, so I didn't know about the Olivia books until the announcement was made (I googled Ian Falconer's name, and then searched Amazon for Olivia). I grew up on "Where the Wild Things Are", so seeing the Stowell/Sendak Nut really *is* my childhood. Still, I enjoy variety in arts. I wouldn't want to go see "Cats" every Valentine's Day for the rest of my life, either. We don't have access to PNB's market research, and I do think families and adults get tired of seeing the same-old-nut every year. Tickets are expensive for a family of four or more, and with so many kid-friendly movies debuting in November / December, I think some parents opt for the $15 cinema ticket instead of the $45 orchestra seat for McCaw Hall.

I would also love to see the Ballet West / Christensen version. Houston Ballet does the Royal Ballet (Peter Wright) version. But I really want to see the ACT Ratmansky version. Maybe a trip to NYC is in my future in 10 months....

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The issue with rotating "Nutcrackers," is that, unlike the Mariinsky with its 200 dancers, who are already worked to the bone in way that would be impossible under PNB's contract, PNB has less than 50. Sure, all of the current dancers know the Stowell version inside out, but five years from now, not so much, and it would be resource-intensive to re-stage it. I watched the Balanchine for years and never got sick of it, but NYCB has an entire segment of tourist audience that Seattle doesn't to fill houses when NYers would rather do something other than the same-old.

This past year the Stowell had a big anniversary. I'm not sure how much revenue the company squeezed out of that, but next year's "Last Chance" comes with the hope that houses will fill up. I suspect that revenues for "Nutcracker" aren't robust and that the Balanchine will pump up sales, at least for a few years. I also suspect that the bump will be relatively short-lived, but a bump's a bump, and the new sets will bring a lot of national attention to PNB.

I think that the Stowell/Sendak "Nutcracker" is a masterwork, but I don't think Seattle can support it year after year, which is a huge shame. What concerns me about the Balanchine "Nutcracker" is that it ticks a Balanchine box, and I hope it doesn't mean that Balanchine won't be represented in the triple bills.

I know Boal said once in a Q&A that he was trying to get the rights for "Don Q" extended a little, because the multi-year contract would end just before it would have been scheduled, but I don't remember if that was originally planned for this season, or if the expiration is 2015. There's a disclaimer for it, which means something hasn't been finalized, whether that be the contract for the work, the stagers' schedules, the hundreds of thousands of dollars for shipping everything to Seattle, etc.

Boal launches another program devoted to a choreographer that Seattle has seen in pieces, here William Forsythe. Russell and Stowell brought "In the middle, somewhat elevated" to PNB, followed by "Artifact II" -- I can still picture Kara Zimmerman as the puppetmeister in the hoodie -- and Boal added "One Flat Thing Reproduced." I would have been happy to see all three in one night, although I'm not sure how feasible that would to rehearse, since all are very big works, and it probably wouldn't be wise to subject the audience to an evening of Willems scores. "In the middle," created for Paris Opera Ballet, is always a hit, even if some people can't stand the loudness of the music. I can't remember if the orchestra was used for "One Flat Thing," and a no-orchestra night wouldn't fly, either.

Made for Ballett Frankfurt, "The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude," with a cast of five, has been performed by a number of companies -- the Mariinsky brought it to City Center when they did a three week run, including a last week of neoclassical mixed bills -- and it's set to the last movement of Schubert's 9th Symphony. "New Suite" premiered in 2012 for the Semperoper Ballet; according to their site, the work "is a specially created and newly arranged suite of pas de deux for the Semperoper Ballett: »New Suite« consists of »Händel«, »Bach«, »Berio«, »Slingerland Pas de deux« and »New Sleep«" According the press release, it will be "individually re-worked" for PNB, but I think it's a safe guess that not only will the evening show a broader range of Forsythe's work than the three in PNB's active rep list, but will also have a far broader range of music. I would have bet on "The Second Detail," but I'll be glad to see something I've never seen before.

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PNB just published a season preview video, with a number of performers no longer with the Company and Nakamura, who will be retired by then:

I can't identify everyone: any help/corrections are appreciated:

Emeralds: Nadeau/Maraval and Pantastico/Stanto

Rubies: Jodie Thomas

Diamonds: Hair looks too light to be Imler, but that's Bold, and I don't remember him being partnered with anyone else in Diamonds dunno.gif

Rassemblement: Ariana Lallone

A Million Kisses..: Korbes/Orza, maybe Dec? (I'm not seeing the Chapman arch)

Before After: footage from Dutch National Ballet

Don Quixote: Bold, Postlewaite, Nakamura, Nakamura/Postlewaite

in the middle, somewhat elevated: Chapman/Herd, Korbes. I'm not sure who the solo man is. Stanton?

The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude: footage from Houston Ballet

Romeo et Juliette: Korbes/Orza, Bold, Korbes, Korbes/Orza

Concerto DSCH: Bold/Imler/Orza

Carmina Burana: Korbes/Cruz, Imler

Moor's Pavane: Nadeau/Bold, Lallone/Stanton

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You've got most of it, I think.

It might be Barker from Diamonds, back when they first did it, though she danced with Milov.

That is Dec in Million Kisses

I think the solo man in middle is Bold. And I think the solo woman in the center is Julie Tobiason, from way back.

And you've got Concerto DSCH mixed with Carmina! The 3-0 in the Ratmansky is Imler, Bold and Ora, and the big lift is Cruz and Korbes.

I think that might be Imler as the Harlot in Carmina, but I can't say for sure.

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Unless some dancers were filling in for taping or Dress, Foster, Eames, and Griffiths were cast in the "Emeralds" Pas de Trois, not the leads, and not always with each other in the PdT. We have the leads from 2006 and 2009 pretty well documented here. Foster also danced in "Rubies."

I thought that looked like Korbes in "Diamonds." Maybe Bold partnered her in Dress?

sandik: do you remember there being unusual casting in the Dress Rehearsal for "Jewels?"

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Oh, yes, that's before the two female leads enter the second-to-last movement and is danced by the PdT dancers and the second couple's man. Thank you!

That makes sense for 2013 footage, since Cruz's injury before "Diamonds" meant no performances for Korbes first weekend and Gilbreath second weekend -- Peter Boal said in a Q&A it was a back injury -- and then Korbes was injured and didn't dance after first weekend. She was scheduled originally to dance in the Encore excerpt with Seth Orza, but Imler danced instead.

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I have the 2014/15 renewal brochure, and Rep 5 lists Swan Lake instead of R&J. So has the asterick "subject to change" been invoked?

Apparently yes, because the PNB website now lists Rep 5 to be Swan Lake.

i can't say I am disappointed, because PNB has some stellar Swan Queens. I look forward to La Imler's "swan arms". Was it chosen because SL redux projected to sell better than R&J redux?

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Without letting any cats out of any bags, I can say that most changes that happen at this point in the process have at least something to do with budget concerns. It's likely not about projected ticket sales per se -- both R&J and SL sell very well for this company.

Like many companies, PNB starts to sell their subscription renewals before they've completed their budgeting for the upcoming year. Some presenting organizations (like On the Boards in Seattle) have been able in the past to include TBA items in a subscription appeal, but that's becoming less common. I still see it in theater companies, and in some single works on a mixed rep bill in dance companies, but it's not as common as it used to be. It's easier to sell a known commodity than a question mark.

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PNB owns the sets and costumes for both "Swan Lake" and "Romeo et Juliette," though. If ticket sales aren't an issue for either, I'm not sure why the swap would be between these two works. RetJ uses fewer students and no guest artists. The big expense -- although not as much as in the PNB premiere -- will be "Don Quixote."

RetJ has sold well for PNB, but 2015 would have made it the fourth time shown in seven years (2008, 2009, 2013, 2015), with the Balcony Pas de Deux included in the 2011 "Love Stories" program.

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maybe feedback from subscribers after the initial announcement for Rep 5 R&J wasn't so positive? Also I think PNB rents out the R&J sets (Atlanta Ballet), so maybe they want them back for 2015 and there are time conflicts?

One of us could be brave and contact PNB and just ask. :)

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