The Vertiginous Thrill of Forsythe

[Helene]

From the press release:

THE VERTIGINOUS THRILL OF FORSYTHE

March 13-22, 2015
Marion Oliver McCaw Hall
321 Mercer Street, Seattle Center
Seattle, WA 98109

Performances:
March 13-14 & 19-21 at 7:30pm
March 14 at 2:00pm
March 22 at 1:00pm

“Forsythe lobbed a live grenade into the laps of those who'd always seen ballet as picturesque and safe.” — The Independent

SEATTLE, WA – With THE VERTIGINOUS THRILL OF FORSYTHE, Pacific Northwest Ballet becomes the first major American dance company to present a program devoted entirely to the work of acclaimed choreographer William Forsythe. The triple bill, 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 refined 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. And In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated returns to the PNB stage: endlessly prized by dancers and audiences, its relentless pace and fierce physicality serve as paradigm for Forsythe’s revolutionary impact on 21st-century ballet. The program also includes a musical prelude to shine the spotlight on the nationally renowned PNB Orchestra, currently celebrating its 25th Anniversary. THE VERTIGINOUS THRILL OF FORSYTHE runs for seven performances only, March 13 through March 22 at Seattle Center’s Marion Oliver McCaw Hall. Tickets start at $30 and may be purchased by calling 206.441.2424, in person at the PNB Box Office at 301 Mercer Street, or online at PNB.org.

The line-up for THE VERTIGINOUS THRILL OF FORSYTHE will include:

Orchestra Prelude
Music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Overture from Le nozze di Figaro, 1786)

Running Time: Four minutes
Pacific Northwest Ballet salutes the mighty PNB Orchestra as it celebrates its 25th Anniversary. All of the mixed reps during PNB’s 2014-15 season include an orchestral selection to spotlight our acclaimed musicians in the pit. The final Orchestra Prelude will be during Carmina Burana.



The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude (PNB Premiere)


Music: Franz Schubert

Choreography: William Forsythe


Staging: Stefanie Arndt

Costume Design: Stephen Galloway

Scenic and Lighting Design: William Forsythe

Running Time: 11 minutes
Premiere: January 20, 1996; Frankfurt Ballet

The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude has achieved considerable acclaim worldwide for its speed, brilliance, and remarkable musicality. It received New York City’s “Best Ballet of the Season” critics’ choice award in 1998 and appears in the repertories of some of the world’s most renowned ballet companies. Insiders have referred to it as “the most technically difficult ballet ever performed.” Others have found it “the most liberating experience of an entire career.” For the dancer, it is a triumph of euphoric perfection. For the audience, it is eleven elegant minutes of exhilarating excellence.

New Suite (PNB Premiere)


Music: George Frideric Handel (from Concerti grossi, Op. 6, 1736-1741), Luciano Berio (selections from Duetti per due Violini, Vol. 1, 1979-1983), Gavin Bryars (String Quartet No. 1, “Between the National and the Bristol”, 1985) and Johann Sebastian Bach (Chaconne, from Partita in D minor for solo violin, BWV 1004, 1717-1723)

Choreography: William Forsythe
Staging: Laura Graham and Oleg Klymyuk
Scenic and Lighting Design: William Forsythe
Costume Design: William Forsythe and Yumiko Takeshima

Duration: 25 minutes
Premiere: February 25, 2012; Dresden Semperoper Ballet

New Suite is made up of a series of pas de deux, which William Forsythe has rearranged or created for the Dresden Semperoper Ballett and now, with some differences from the Dresden version, for Pacific Northwest Ballet. All underlying works were created around the nineties for Forsythe’s Ballet Frankfurt. The 2015 Pacific Northwest Ballet performances of New Suite mark the first time the work has been performed with live music.

In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated

Music: Thom Willems (1987)

Choreography: William Forsythe


Staging: Kathryn Bennetts
Scenic, Costume and Original Lighting Design: William Forsythe
Lighting Designer: Randall G. Chiarelli

Running Time: 28 minutes
Premiere: May 30, 1987; Paris Opera Ballet
Pacific Northwest Ballet premiere: March 16, 2000

Commissioned by Rudolf Nureyev in 1987 for the Paris Opera Ballet, Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated was recognized immediately as a contemporary masterpiece and has since entered the repertories of major companies around the world. The faux disdain of the dancers contrasts with the strict and severe technical demands of the choreography, while the electronic score by Thom Willems cuts the air like thunder. Forsythe has commented: “Originally created for the Paris Opera Ballet, In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated is a theme and variations in the strictest sense. Exploiting the vestiges of academic virtuosity that still signify ‘the Classical,’ it extends and accelerates these traditional figures of ballet. By shifting the alignment and emphasis of essentially vertical transitions, the affected enchainements receive an unexpected force and drive that makes them appear foreign to their own origins.” As for the title of the ballet, look for two golden cherries hanging “in the middle, somewhat elevated,” a minimal reflection of the vast interior of the Palais Garnier, home of the Paris Opera Ballet.

For detailed program notes, visit PNB.org.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Raised in New York and principally trained in Florida with Nolan Dingman and Christa Long, William Forsythe danced with the Joffrey Ballet and later the Stuttgart Ballet, where he was appointed Resident Choreographer in 1976. Over the next seven years, he created new works for the Stuttgart ensemble and ballet companies in Munich, The Hague, London, Basel, Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, Paris, New York, and San Francisco. In 1984, he began a 20-year tenure as director of the Ballet Frankfurt.



After the closure of the Ballet Frankfurt in 2004, Forsythe established a new, more independent ensemble. The Forsythe Company, founded with the support of the states of Saxony and Hesse, the cities of Dresden and Frankfurt am Main, and private sponsors, is based in Dresden and Frankfurt am Main and maintains an extensive international touring schedule. Forsythe’s most recent works are developed and performed exclusively by The Forsythe Company, while his earlier pieces are prominently featured in the repertoire of virtually every major ballet company in the world, including the Kirov Ballet, New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada, England’s Royal Ballet, and the Paris Opera Ballet. 



Awards received by Forsythe and his ensembles include the New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Award (1988, 1998, 2004, 2007) and London’s Laurence Olivier Award (1992, 1999, 2009). Forsythe has been conveyed the title of Commandeur des Arts et Lettres (1999) by the government of France and has received the German Distinguished Service Cross (1997), the Wexner Prize (2002) and the Golden Lion for Livetime Achievement in Venice (2010).



In collaboration with media specialists and educators, Forsythe has developed new approaches to dance documentation, research, and education. His 1994 computer application “Improvisation Technologies: A Tool for the Analytical Dance Eye,” developed with the Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie, is used as a teaching tool by professional companies, dance conservatories, universities, postgraduate architecture programs, and secondary schools worldwide. 2009 marked the launch of “Synchronous Objects for One Flat Thing, reproduced,” a digital online score developed with Ohio State University that reveals the organizational principles of the choreography and demonstrates their possible application within other disciplines. 



As an educator, Forsythe is regularly invited to lecture and give workshops at universities and cultural institutions. In 2002, Forsythe was chosen as the founding Dance Mentor for The Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. He currently co-directs and teaches in the Dance Apprentice Network aCross Europe (D.A.N.C.E.) program, an interdisciplinary professional insertion program based at Dresden’s Palucca Schule. Forsythe is an Honorary Fellow at the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance in London and holds an honorary doctorate from the Juilliard School in New York. In 2014, Forsythe announced he will join the University of Southern California’s newly-created Glorya Kaufman School of Dance as a professor in fall 2015.

[Helene]

Peter Boal tweeted:

Guess who's coming to Seattle to work w/@PNBallet? The man himself, Bill Forsythe. Opening night of #thevertiginousthrillofforsythe 3/13/15

[Helene]

From the press release:

SPECIAL EVENTS:

FRIDAY PREVIEWS

Friday, March 6, 6:00 pm
The Phelps Center, 301 Mercer Street, Seattle

Join us for an hour-long dance preview led by Artistic Director Peter Boal and featuring PNB dancers rehearsing excerpts from THE VERTIGINOUS THRILL OF FORSYTHE. PNB Friday Previews offer an upbeat and up-close view of the Company preparing to put dance on stage. Tickets are $12 each. (These events sell out in advance.) Friday Previews are sponsored by U.S. Bank.


BALLET PREVIEW — FREE

Tuesday, March 10, 12:00 noon
Central Seattle Public Library, 1000 Fourth Avenue, Seattle

Join PNB for a free lunch-hour preview lecture at the Central Seattle Public Library. Education Programs Manager Doug Fullington will offer insights about William Forsythe, complete with video excerpts. FREE of charge.


WILLIAM FORSYTHE ON STAGE 


Wednesday, March 11, 6:30 pm
McCaw Hall

Hear from iconic choreographer William Forsythe, as he rehearses the Company onstage at McCaw Hall. Tickets are $25, available through the PNB Box Office.

LECTURE SERIES & DRESS REHEARSAL

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Lecture 6:00 pm, Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at McCaw Hall
Dress Rehearsal 7:00 pm, McCaw Hall

Join PNB artistic director Peter Boal with William Forsythe for an engaging discussion during the hour preceding the dress rehearsal. Attend the lecture only or stay for the rehearsal. Tickets are $12 for the lecture, or $30 for the lecture and dress rehearsal, and may be purchased through the PNB Box Office.


PRE-PERFORMANCE LECTURES

Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at McCaw Hall

Join Education Programs Manager Doug Fullington for a 30-minute introduction to each performance, including discussions of choreography, music, history, design and the process of bringing THE VERTIGINOUS THRILL OF FORSYTHE to the stage. One hour before performances. FREE for ticketholders.


POST-PERFORMANCE Q&A

Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at McCaw Hall

Skip the post-show traffic and enjoy a Q&A with Artistic Director Peter Boal and PNB dancers, immediately following each performance. FREE for ticketholders.


TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets ($30-$184) may be purchased through the PNB Box Office:
· Phone - 206.441.2424 (Mon.-Fri. 9am–6pm; Sat. 10am–5pm)
· In Person - 301 Mercer Street, Seattle (Mon.-Fri. 10am–6pm; Sat. 10am–5pm)
· Online - PNB.org (24/7)
Subject to availability, tickets are also available 90 minutes prior to each performance at McCaw Hall.

DISCOUNT OFFERS

GROUP SALES

Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. For group tickets, please call 206.441.2416, email JulieJ@PNB.org or use PNB’s online contact form at PNB.org/Season/GroupTickets.


KUOW’s FRONT ROW CENTER

Saturday, March 14, 2:00 pm

It’s back! Join KUOW host Marcie Sillman for a show and great conversation in this “book club for the arts.” Front Row Center guests will enjoy discounted tickets to the March 14 matinee performance, and stay afterwards for a conversation with Sillman, PNB artistic director Peter Boal, and company dancers. For tickets and information, visit KUOW.org/term/front-row-center.


YOUNG PATRONS CIRCLE NIGHT

Friday, March 20

Join members of PNB’s Young Patrons Circle in an exclusive lounge for complimentary wine and coffee before the show and at intermission. YPC is PNB’s social and educational group for ballet patrons in their 20s and 30s. YPC members save up to 40% off their tickets. For more info, visit PNB.org and search for “YPC.”

$15 TICKETS FOR AGES 25 & UNDER

All Thursday and Friday performances: March 13, 19 & 20 at 7:30 pm

One ticket for $15 or two for $25 for patrons 25 years and younger! To purchase tickets, contact the PNB Box Office at 206.441.2424 or visit 301 Mercer Street. This offer is good for the March 13, 19 & 20 performances only. Offer is subject to availability and not valid on previously purchased tickets. Each attendee must present valid ID upon ticket retrieval.

TEEN TIX

PNB is a proud participant of Teen Tix, whose members (13 to 19 years old) can purchase tickets to PNB performances and other music, dance, theater and arts events for only $5. To join Teen Tix or view a list of participating organizations, visit TeenTix.org.


STUDENT AND SENIOR RUSH TICKETS

Subject to availability, half-price rush tickets for students and senior citizens (65+) may be purchased in-person with ID, beginning 90 minutes prior to show time at the McCaw Hall box office.

[sandik]

They aren't kidding when they say the Friday preview sells out -- if you want to go, act fast. It's a great chance to see stuff up close, for very little money.

[Lynette H]

There's a lot of Forsythe about - it turns out that ENB are performing Vertiginous Thrill at Sadler's Wells at more or less exactly the same time (10 - 15th March).

http://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/2015/english-national-ballet/

I wonder how Forsythe gets to supervise all this.

[Helene]

Generally he has stagers for his work who create, at least, the foundation. There was some hope expressed in the Q&A's last season that Forsythe would personalize "New Suite" for PNB. It looks like he might be in Seattle long enough to do this. He's taking up a new post in California in the Fall, and this may turn out to be a combined trip.

[sandik]

The impression I get is that the work he made for the Frankfurt Ballet gets staged widely, mostly by designated ballet masters. The works he's made for the Forsythe Company are much more closely held -- I don't know that they've been distributed much.

[Helene]

pherank just posted this link to Mathilde Froustey's instagram post with a short video clip of Forsythe working backstage with Ballet Mistress Katita Waldo to the SFB forum:

https://instagram.com/p/zjr8X1nrWQ/?modal=true

(Are there enough prepositions in that sentence?)

Mr. Forsythe is making a West coast trip of it: his "The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude" opened last night in San Francisco, and the Forsythe triple bill opens on Friday, 13 March at PNB.

[kbarber]

The impression I get is that the work he made for the Frankfurt Ballet gets staged widely, mostly by designated ballet masters. The works he's made for the Forsythe Company are much more closely held -- I don't know that they've been distributed much.

"

"The extensive body of work that he has created with the Forsythe Company over the last decade will no longer be performed. “That rep was bound to the people who created the roles, to the skill sets of those performers,” he said. “I’m sad about leaving a body of work behind, and my amazing artist friends who I love, but happy about having more time to take care of the Neo-Classical work.”

Jacopo Godani, a former dancer with Mr. Forsythe’s Ballet Frankfurt who is now a freelance choreographer, will take over the company, and Mr. Forsythe has said that he expects him to focus exclusively on his own repertory, select his own artists and rename the troupe."

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/25/arts/dance/forsythe-coaches-boston-ballet-in-the-second-detail.html

[sandik]

Thanks for the link -- I saw that article but couldn't find the link. I know that the work he made for the Forsythe Company got mixed responses from critics and audiences, especially people that were expecting something like the works for export from Ballet Frankfurt (which are the main experience of his work that most international audiences have) but I'm sorry to have missed seeing them.

I got to watch a bit of rehearsal today (Vertiginous and Middle) and am even more excited for the performances.

[kbarber]

It just happened that I was preparing some notes for my group who are going to be seeing the second detail in Vienna at the end of March, so I had just read that article!

Lucky you all in Seattle. I LOVE Vertiginous!!!

[Helene]

A clip of a rehearsal video of "Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude." It opens with Leta Biasucci and Benjamin Griffiths, then Jonathan Porretta, and at very end, he's joined by Carrie Imler (left) and (I think) Sarah Ricard Orza oops, no, Rachel Foster (right). I though I saw Sarah Orza's curls.

Edited to add:

There's another short clip on Instagram:

https://instagram.com/p/ztlMgtGeg3/?modal=true

[Helene]

"Vertiginous" photo shoot video with Lindsi Dec:

https://instagram.com/p/zf0cmtmeqt/?modal=true

(For those not familiar with Instagram, the videos are short and they play in a continuous loop. To turn on or off, click on the video.)

[sandik]

Oooh, that's some snappy video!

[SandyMcKean]

Can anyone make out who is the dancer with the beard in the back of the room marking the Jonathan Poretta part?

[Helene]

If you mean the guy who's second from the left, next to Dylan Wald in the corner, it looks to me like Raphael Bouchard. (And I hope that's not just wishful thinking on my part.)

These vacation break beards are killing me.

[sandik]

If you mean the guy who's second from the left, next to Dylan Wald in the corner, it looks to me like Raphael Bouchard. (And I hope that's not just wishful thinking on my part.)

These vacation break beards are killing me.

I think it's Bouchard, but don't want to take any bets. And yes, the beards make it difficult.

[Helene]

Casting is up for the first week; as always, it's subject to change:

http://www.pnb.org/Season/14-15/AllForsythe/#Casting

There are 32 roles per show in three ballets. 34 company dancers and one apprentice are scheduled to dance first weekend. The Friday and Saturday night casts are the same, with a new cast for each ballet for the Saturday matinee. If I'm reading the schedule correctly, there are nine different Pas de deux in "Neue Suite," and the pairs are listed consecutively. Five dancers are listed for different pdd with each cast: Eric Hipolito Jr., Steven Loch, Sarah Ricard Orza, William Lin-Yee,and Karel Cruz.

Maria Chapman is back from parental leave, at least for first weekend "Neue Suite" (#7 PDD with Karel Cruz). So is Kylee Kitchens in her first dancing role ; she played the character role Johanna in "Don Quixote."

Three dancers will appear in all three ballets first weekend: Leta Biasucci, Carrie Imler, and Jonathan Porretta.

Here is the cast in a spreadsheet; you shouldn't have to be logged in to download it:
Forsythe 2015 03 05.xlsx

[Helene]

There's a special KUOW discount 40% off all but the Second Tier for the Saturday matinee on 14 March (2pm):

http://kuow.org/post/join-kuow-day-ballet

(link at the bottom)

Marcie Sillman will MC the post-performance Q&A. It's part of the Front Row Center Series

[Helene]

The special presentation, "William Forsythe -- On Stage" will be live-streamed this Wednesday, March 11 at 6:30pm PST (9:30p EST). From the press release:

Here's is the pertinent info from the press release:

SEATTLE, WA –Legendary choreographer William Forsythe will join Pacific Northwest Ballet on stage for a special lecture-demonstration on the eve of the first American program devoted entirely to his work. The evening will feature a candid interview of Mr. Forsythe by PNB artistic director Peter Boal, a peek behind the curtain to watch Mr. Forsythe working with PNB dancers, and an opportunity for audience members to ask questions. This is Mr. Forsythe’s first visit to PNB to work directly with PNB dancers, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome this groundbreaking artist to our studios.

To watch the live broadcast of this event, visit www.PNB.org/Live on Wednesday, March 11 at 6:30 pm (Pacific). Tickets to attend in person ($25) are available through the PNB Box Office, 206.441.2424, online at PNB.org, or at the PNB Box Office, 301 Mercer Street. Subject to availability, tickets are also available 90 minutes prior to showtime at McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer Street at Seattle Center.

With THE VERTIGINOUS THRILL OF FORSYTHE, Pacific Northwest Ballet becomes the first American dance company to present a program devoted entirely to the work of acclaimed choreographer William Forsythe. The triple bill, 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 refined 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. And In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated returns to the PNB stage: endlessly prized by dancers and audiences, its relentless pace and fierce physicality serve as paradigm for Forsythe’s revolutionary impact on 21st-century ballet. The program also includes a musical prelude to shine the spotlight on the nationally renowned PNB Orchestra, currently celebrating its 25th Anniversary. THE VERTIGINOUS THRILL OF FORSYTHE runs for seven performances only, March 13 through March 22 at Seattle Center’s Marion Oliver McCaw Hall. For more information and detailed program notes, visit PNB.org.

[Helene]

I just got confirmation that, like the Bavarian State Opera live streams -- ex: "Paquita" -- this is a one-time transmission. If you miss it live, you've missed it.

[Helene]

Casting for second weekend isn't up yet, but there have been some shifts in first week casting. Batkhurel Bold and Maria Chapman won't be dancing in "New Suite" first weekend. Rachel Foster won't be dancing in "New Suite," but is scheduled for "Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude." Lesley Rausch replaces Carla Korbes in "In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated," but Korbes still dances in "New Suite."

Updated spreadsheet:

Forsythe 2015 03 10.xlsx

[Helene]

A video from earlier today: an excerpt from a "New Suite" pas de deux danced by Chelsea Adomaitis and Steven Loch to music by Berio:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152875463413952&set=vb.21358443951&type=2&theater&notif_t=notify_me

[Helene]

Casting is up for second weekend:

http://pnb.org/Season/14-15/AllForsythe/

(Casting tab)

There's a new cast for "Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude" second weekend Friday and Sunday. Maria Chapman's return in "New Suite" is next Friday. Angelica Generosa and Christian Poppe, the couple in the middle of the first group being coached by William Forsythe last night, Lindsi Dec and Joshua Grant, Leta Biasucci and Jonathan Porretta, Leah Merchant and Raphael Bouchard, Rachel Foster and Benjamin Griffiths, Margaret Mullin and Price Suddarth, and Sarah Pasch and Jerome Tisserand all debut, many in a different pas de deux with new partners.

Here's the spreadsheet:

Forsythe 2015 03 12.xlsx

[Helene]

What an opener! Since this season was announced, the dancers have said unanimously that this would be one of the highlights, if not the highlight for them in the season, and they danced it like it was. As an exploration of classicism, it was mind-blowing. Inthe Q&A, Benjamin Griffiths said that in "In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated," Forsythe had them pare down to the basics, examining the start of the movement, only adding the modernism in the last week.

Just go.

Here's a link to the newest video on the PNB Facebook Page, of "Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude":

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152880255898952

The Men: Benjamin Griffiths (left), Jonathan Porretta (right). The Women (in order of appearance): Leta Biasucci, Margaret Mullin, Carrie Imler.