seattle_dancer Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 From the beginning and end of the press release: PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET presents ONE THOUSAND PIECES Featuring works by David Dawson and Alejandro Cerrudo. Artistic Director Peter Boal announces Alejandro Cerrudo as PNB’s first Resident Choreographer. March 13 – 22, 2020 Marion Oliver McCaw Hall 321 Mercer Street, Seattle Center Seattle, WA 98109 Seven Performances Only! March 13 at 7:30 PM March 14 at 2:00* and 7:30 PM March 19, 20 & 21 at 7:30 PM March 22 at 1:00 PM *Live captioning of pre- and post-performance events. See “Special Events,” below. SEATTLE, WA – Pacific Northwest Ballet’s 2019-2020 season continues with ONE THOUSAND PIECES, a double-bill of powerful dance works by Alejandro Cerrudo and David Dawson. Following acclaimed PNB performances of Little mortal jump and Silent Ghost, Cerrudo’s rapidly-expanding Seattle fan base is eagerly anticipating PNB’s premiere of One Thousand Pieces, a large-scale ensemble work inspired by artist Marc Chagall. The program also features the return of Dawson’s (A Million Kisses to my Skin) powerfully athletic Empire Noir, set against a massive, curving sculpture. One Thousand Pieces is the fourth Cerrudo work to enter PNB’s repertory – following Memory Glow (world premiere 2014), Little mortal jump (PNB premiere 2016), and Silent Ghost (PNB premiere 2018) – and Artistic Director Peter Boal today announced that Mr. Cerrudo has been appointed as PNB’s first Resident Choreographer. “Alejandro's work is more than innovative; it captures the humor and pathos of humanity in unexpected and illuminating ways,” said Mr. Boal in his announcement. “Each time Alejandro has come to PNB, the connection between choreographer and dancers deepens. Inspiration fills the room. With this appointment, we can channel this inspiration into new creations, repertory additions, and multiple opportunities to collaborate with and get to know one of the great creative forces working in dance today. We thank Susan Brotman for supporting Alejandro's residency and we look forward to a great new creative chapter for PNB.” As part of his three-year residency, Mr. Cerrudo will create two world premieres and restage two repertory works for the Company, plus one for the PNB School. In addition, he will provide mentoring to student and Company choreographers while offering opportunities for dialogue with PNB audience members about his creative process. ONE THOUSAND PIECES runs for seven performances only, March 13 through 22 at Seattle Center’s Marion Oliver McCaw Hall. Tickets start at $30. For more information, contact the PNB Box Office at 206.441.2424, in person at 301 Mercer Street, or online at PNB.org. The line-up includes: Empire Noir Music: Greg Haines (2015) Choreography: David Dawson Staging: Rebecca Gladstone Scenic Design: John Otto Costume Design: Yumiko Takeshima Lighting Design: Bert Dalhuysen Running Time: 24 minutes Premiere: June 17, 2015, Dutch National Ballet (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) PNB Premiere: March 17, 2017 The world of Empire Noir is a ballet designed as a blast of graphic energy—fast-paced and relentless in its own journey through the darkness of the night, the color black, the void of madness. Performed as a pure-dance event, Empire Noir works to allow each of its ten dancers to shine as individuals, but also to present themselves as a team. This dance is contained inside an architectural illusion created by John Otto, who as set designer manages to create simplicity in building a structural surprise. Completed with an upbeat original score by Greg Haines, an over-exposed light design by Bert Dalhuysen, and costumes that behave as a second skin by Yumiko Takeshima, Empire Noir is a force unto itself. An observed entertainment played at its fullest force aiming to leave its audience breathless. [Notes reprinted by permission of dawsonarts.net.] One Thousand Pieces – PNB Premiere Music: Philip Glass* Choreography: Alejandro Cerrudo Staging: Ana Lopez, Pablo Piantino Scenic and Costume Design: Thomas Mika Lighting Design: Michael Korsch Running Time: 70 minutes Premiere: October 18, 2012; Hubbard Street Dance Chicago *Music details: “The Illusionist” from the motion npicture soundtrack The Illusionist, 2006; “Tissue No. 7” from the film Naqoyqatsi: Life as War, 2002; “Song VII” from Songs & Poems for Solo Cello, 2007; “Renfield,” “When the Dream Comes,” “Seward Sanatorium,” “The Crypt,” “Renfield in the Drawing Room,” “Carriage Without a Driver,” and “Dr. Van Helsing & Dracula” from the motion picture soundtrack Dracula, 1998; “Etude No. 12” from Etudes for Solo Piano, Book 2: Nos. 11-20, 1994/2012; “Cassandra’s Dream” from the motion picture soundtrack Cassandra’s Dream, 2007; “The Land” from Piano Concerto No. 2: After Lewis and Clark, 2004; Mad Rush, 1979; “Knee Play No. 5” from the opera Einstein on the Beach, 1975 “For me, a stained glass window is a transparent partition between my heart and the heart of the world. Stained glass has to be serious and passionate. It is something elevating and exhilarating” — Marc Chagall One Thousand Pieces was created in celebration of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s 35th anniversary in 2012. The work was inspired by Marc Chagall’s America Windows, stunning panels of glowing stained glass created by the Russian-French artist and donated to the Art Institute of Chicago in 1977—the same year Hubbard Street was founded—to commemorate America’s bicentennial. When asked during the creative process why he chose the title One Thousand Pieces, Cerrudo replied, “Literally because of the symbolism of the work, observing how each piece of glass combines to make a whole larger piece made from many individual pieces, the same way human beings come together to create a project. The windows have inspired my choreography, but I’m not intending to teach anyone about this artwork. Instead, it’s my personal interpretation. The set designer, the music by Philip Glass, and the dancers have all inspired me. I’m not trying to tell a story or represent the art. The work will have three sections, and the scenic design is quite abstract, yet I hope everyone will be immersed in the images that will appear and connect them to the windows.” ABOUT THE ARTISTS Alejandro Cerrudo is a Chicago based-choreographer born in Madrid, Spain. His professional career includes work with Stuttgart Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater 2, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC). Cerrudo became HSDCʼs first-ever Resident Choreographer in 2008 and held that position until 2018. His body of work has been performed by more than 20 professional dance companies around the world. In March 2012, upon receiving the Joyce Theater Foundationʼs second Rudolf Nureyev Prize for New Dance, Cerrudo was invited by Pacific Northwest Ballet to choreograph his first work for the company, Memory Glow. Additional honors include an award from the Boomerang Fund for Artists (2011) and the Prince Prize for Commissioning Original Work from the Prince Charitable Trusts (2012) for his acclaimed major work, One Thousand Pieces. In 2014, he was awarded the USA Donnelley Fellowship by United States Artists. Mr. Cerrudo was one of four choreographers invited by New York City Balletʼs Wendy Whelan to create and perform original duets for her program Restless Creature. In 2017, Cerrudo was invited by Daniil Simkin to choreograph a site-specific performance for the Guggenheim Rotunda, a Works & Process Rotunda Project commission featuring Daniil Simkin, with original costumes by Dior. Cerrudoʼs Sleeping Beauty, created for Ballet Theater Basel in 2016, was nominated as Production of the Year in Switzerland in Tanz, Jahrbuch 2016 by Neue Zürcher Zeitung. British choreographer David Dawson is one of the leading dance makers working in classical ballet today. His choreographic style and his signature works have been praised by critics and audiences worldwide. His creations have been introduced to the repertoires of many ballet companies including Boston Ballet, Ballet National de Marseilles, Dutch National Ballet, Semperoper Ballet, English National Ballet, Aalto Ballet Theatre Essen, Finnish National Ballet, Hungarian National Ballet, Norwegian National Ballet, Mariinsky Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, The Royal Ballet, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Royal New Zealand Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Scottish Ballet, Slovenian National Ballet, Staatsballett Berlin, Bayerisches Staatsballett, Staatsballett Karlsruhe, Royal Swedish Ballet, Singapore Dance Theatre, Ballet du Capitole Toulouse, Tulsa Ballet, Vienna State Opera Ballet, Ballett im Revier and West Australian Ballet. Born in London, Mr. Dawson trained at the Rona Hart School of Dance, Arts Educational School and The Royal Ballet School. In 1991 he won the prestigious Prix de Lausanne, and the same year joined the Birmingham Royal Ballet. He joined the English National Ballet in 1994 as a soloist, and a year later moved to Amsterdam to perform with Dutch National Ballet. Subsequently, he joined Ballet Frankfurt in 2000, where he worked with William Forsythe and performed for two more years before deciding to devote his time to creating his own new works. He has been Associate Artist with the Dutch National Ballet since 2015, and was given the honored position of Artistic Patron to Junior Ballet Antwerp in 2019. Between 2004 and 2012 Mr. Dawson was Resident Choreographer for the Dutch National Ballet, the Semperoper Ballet and the Royal Ballet of Flanders. [Excerpted from daviddawson.com.] Through his opera, symphonies, compositions for his own ensemble, and collaborations with artists ranging from Twyla Tharp to Allen Ginsberg and Woody Allen to David Bowie, Philip Glass (composer, One Thousand Pieces) has had an extraordinary and unprecedented impact on the musical and intellectual life of his times. In just the past 25 years, Glass has composed more than 25 operas; twelve symphonies; three piano concertos and concertos for violin, piano, timpani, and saxophone quartet and orchestra; soundtracks for films ranging from new scores for the stylized classics of Jean Cocteau to Errol Morris’ documentary about former defense secretary Robert McNamara; string quartets; and a growing body of work for solo piano and organ. He has collaborated with Paul Simon, Linda Ronstadt, Yo-Yo Ma, and Doris Lessing, among many others. He presents lectures, workshops, and solo keyboard performances around the world and continues to appear regularly with the Philip Glass Ensemble. English musician Greg Haines (composer, Empire Noir) developed an interest in sound and the devices used to create it at a young age. Snow Airport, the opening track of his first album Slumber Tides (2006) was featured on the Point Music/Universal compilation Reflections on Classical Music. Mr. Haines’s other recordings include Until the Point of Hushed Support (2010) and the albums Digressions (2012) and Where We Were (2013). As a performer, he has toured internationally and is a member of several groups, including The Alvaret Ensemble and The Group. Mr. Haines has worked regularly as a composer for dance since 2008 and has composed the scores for Dawson’s day4 and Empire Noir, both commissioned by Dutch National Ballet. # # # Link to comment
seattle_dancer Posted March 1, 2020 Author Share Posted March 1, 2020 More from press release: TICKET INFORMATION & DISCOUNT OFFERS Tickets ($30-$190) are available through the PNB Box Office: Phone - 206.441.2424 In Person - 301 Mercer Street at Seattle Center Online - PNB.org Subject to availability, tickets are also available 90 minutes prior to show times at McCaw Hall. GROUP SALES Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. For group tickets, please call Group Sales Manager Julie Jamieson at 206.441.2416, email JulieJ@PNB.org or use PNB’s online contact form at PNB.org/Season/Group-Sales. GET THE POINTE The Pointe is PNB’s exclusive mailing list for ballet fans between the ages of 20 and 40. Members of The Pointe receive information about special events and flash sales tailored just for them. Born between 1980 and 2000? Visit PNB.org/ThePointe for more information and to sign up. TEENTIX PNB is a proud participant of TeenTix, whose members (13 to 19 years old) can purchase tickets to PNB and other music, dance, theater and arts events for only $5. To join TeenTix 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, from 90 minutes prior to show time at the McCaw Hall box office. SPECIAL EVENTS PNB IMMERSION EXPERIENCE Part I: Tuesday, March 3, 5:00 pm – Studio Rehearsal (Phelps Center Part II: Wednesday, March 11, 10:30 am – Orchestra Rehearsal (McCaw Hall) The PNB Immersion Experience presents a new way to enhance patrons’ performance experiences for the 2019-2020 season: Each program will include an Immersion Experience Studio Rehearsal – hour- long studio rehearsals hosted by Artistic Director Peter Boal, featuring Company dancers rehearsing excerpts from upcoming ballets – as well as the opportunity to observe a rehearsal of the PNB Orchestra, or an up-close Q&A with PNB artists and tour of the PNB Costume Shop. Tickets ($40 per program) are available through the PNB Box Office. (Immersion Experience tickets do not include a performance.) PNB CONVERSATIONS & DRESS REHEARSAL Thursday, March 12, 5:30 pm Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at McCaw Hall Choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo, in conversation with Artistic Director Peter Boal, will share insights into the creative process of bringing his work to the stage. Attend the Conversations event only or stay for the dress rehearsal. Tickets ($30) may be purchased through the PNB Box Office. BALLET TALK Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at McCaw Hall Join Audience Education Manager Doug Fullington for a 30-minute introduction to each performance, including discussions of choreography, music, history, design and the process of bringing ballet to the stage. One hour before performances. FREE for ticketholders. (The Saturday, March 14 matinee Ballet Talk will be live-captioned.) MEET THE ARTIST 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. (The Saturday, March 14 matinee Meet the Artist talk will be live-captioned. Live-captioning is supported by CCACaptioning.org: Collaborative for Communication Access via Captioning.) YOUNG PATRONS CIRCLE NIGHT Friday, March 20 Join members of PNB’s Young Patrons Circle (YPC) 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 ages 21 through 39. YPC members save up to 40% off their tickets. For more information, visit PNB.org/YPC. BALLET 101: The Business of Ballet Tuesday, March 24, 6:30 pm (Phelps Center) BALLET 101 is a four-part series exploring a range of ballet topics, taking a behind-the-scenes look at many facets of the ballet industry, and providing an engaging point of entry for audiences both well- acquainted with and new to PNB. Join Artistic Director Peter Boal and senior artistic and administrative staff for a discussion of PNB’s 2019-20 season, including the business of ballet acquisition, commissioning, touring, and working with scenery, costumes, and more. Tickets ($25) are available thru the PNB Box Office. Link to comment
pherank Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 What do you think about the choreography of Alejandro Cerrudo? Link to comment
seattle_dancer Posted March 3, 2020 Author Share Posted March 3, 2020 I’ve only seen the four pieces spanning PNB’s rep and Restless Créature, so I feel that’s pretty limited. And only Memory Glow was made on a ballet company, although Wendy Whelan was a ballet dancer. I’ve heard One Thousand Pieces is really special. Unfortunately there is not much video available to the public. I, like everyone else, loved Little Mortal Jump immediately. There are some really unique staging ideas, genius really. The other pieces I don’t have a strong recollection. I guess I didn’t have a super strong like or dislike. Since he’ll be here for three years I’m thinking the new pieces will be pretty good since he’ll know the dancers so much better and have more time than being imported for a single commission. It will be great to have him as a resource for all of the budding and existing choreographers in the school and company. Link to comment
seattle_dancer Posted March 5, 2020 Author Share Posted March 5, 2020 First weekend casting is online! There's a few debuts first weekend in Empire Noir. And twenty-some dancers premiering in One Thousand Pieces. Scroll to bottom here: https://www.pnb.org/season/one-thousand-pieces/ It looks like PNB has added additional Empire Noir photos from Angela Sterling below the casting real estate. They are gorgeous! I am getting really excited for opening night!!! Link to comment
Helene Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 Juliet Prine is having a wonderful season since getting featured roles in Nutcracker and Cinderella, and now Empire Noir! Here's a link to the downloadable spreadsheet: Empire Noir (2020_03_04).xlsx Link to comment
seattle_dancer Posted March 8, 2020 Author Share Posted March 8, 2020 Here's a video preview of Empire Noir: and One Thousand Pieces: I wonder if the stage is really wet? If so is it water, or some kind of thicker gel? Looks dangerous. Can't wait to see the dress rehearsal on Thursday! Link to comment
Grace8 Posted March 11, 2020 Share Posted March 11, 2020 Unfortunately this rep and The Beauty and the Beast student performances are now cancelled due to the governor's order to prohibit gatherings of more than 250 people due to COVID-19: https://www.pnb.org/aboutpnb/health-update/ I was really looking forward to seeing this rep. ☹️ Link to comment
SandyMcKean Posted March 11, 2020 Share Posted March 11, 2020 I am SO bummed out! I looked forward to this program more than any other this season. I have also already purchased tickets for 3 performances.....c'est la vie. Link to comment
sandik Posted March 11, 2020 Share Posted March 11, 2020 Just got the press release with the announcement that all of the performances for March (Discover Dance and Beauty and the Beast, as well as the Dawson/Cerrudo program) are cancelled. The PNB website is slammed right now, so I'll paste the release into a separate topic, but just want to point out that they will be streaming the dress rehearsal of the program for ticket holders. Not sure about the mechanics, but am so glad they are able to pull that out of the fire. Link to comment
Helene Posted April 5, 2020 Share Posted April 5, 2020 Sarah-Gabrielle Ryan collaborated (virtually) with other PNB dancers to create this video collage of movement from One Thousand Pieces. (I love Luther DeMyer's Christmas lights!) Link to comment
pherank Posted April 5, 2020 Share Posted April 5, 2020 That was nice - thanks for the video. I like the dogs tail suddenly making an appearance. The Xmas lights on the wall took me back to when I was a 20-something and had roommates - we had Xmas lights as our sole decoration, running along the living room wall just below the ceiling. Instant atmosphere! Link to comment
sandik Posted April 8, 2020 Share Posted April 8, 2020 Realized a few days ago that the video of Empire Noir is likely the last time I'll see Ben Griffiths perform -- his opening solo was just fantastic. Link to comment
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