Helene Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 From the press release: Pacific Northwest Ballet continues its 2023-24 Season with the return of 10 Performances Only! February 2 – 11, 2024 February 2, 8 and 9 at 7:30 PM February 3 and 10 at 1:00 and 7:30 PM February 4 at 1:00 and 7:00 PM February 11 at 1:00 PM Marion Oliver McCaw Hall 321 Mercer Street at Seattle Center Seattle, WA 98109 SEATTLE, WA – Pacific Northwest Ballet continues its 2023-24 season with Kent Stowell’s Swan Lake. Every element of this production was crafted to keep audiences on the edge of their seats, from the masterful choreography, stunning costumes by Paul Tazewell, and off-kilter scenic design by Ming Cho Lee, to the undeniably iconic score brought to life by the world-famous PNB Orchestra. Considered by many to be the greatest classical ballet of all time, Swan Lake provides the ultimate challenge for dancers: the dual role of Odette, trapped in the body of a white swan until an oath of true love sets her free; and Odile, the “Black Swan” temptress. Swan Lake runs for 10 performances, February 2 through 11. Tickets start at just $38. (Swan Lake will also stream digitally from February 15 through 19: Digital access is available by subscription only.) For tickets and additional information, contact the Pacific Northwest Ballet Box Office at 206.441.2424, online 24/7 at PNB.org, or in person at 301 Mercer Street. TICKET INFORMATION Tickets to PNB’s performances are available through the PNB Box Office: Phone - 206.441.2424 In Person - 301 Mercer Street at Seattle Center Online (24/7) - PNB.org Subject to availability, tickets are also available 90 minutes prior to each performance at McCaw Hall. (Advance tickets through the PNB Box Office are strongly suggested for best prices and greatest availability.) Tickets for the live performances of Swan Lake are $38 - $210. Groups of ten or more may enjoy discounts up to 20% off regular prices: Contact Group Sales Manager Julie Jamieson at 206.441.2416 or JulieJ@PNB.org for ticketing assistance. (Group discounts are not valid on lowest-priced tickets and may not be combined with other offers.) PNB’s digital presentation of Swan Lake (February 15 – 19) is available by subscription only ($160 for remainder of the 23-24 season). For additional information about special ticket offers including The Pointe, Beer & Ballet night, Pay-What-You-Can, TeenTix, senior/student rush tickets and more, visit PNB.org/offers. Caveat Emptor: Like many performing arts, PNB struggles with ticket resellers. At their most mundane, third-party sites buy up less expensive tickets and sell them for a profit. At their most dastardly, they sometimes sell invalid tickets at inflated prices. To enjoy the ballet at the best prices available, always purchase tickets directly from PNB. Suspected ticket scams should be reported to the Better Business Bureau. Health & Safety: At this time, masks are encouraged but not required as part of the PNB audience experience. For details and current information regarding PNB’s health and safety policies, visit PNB.org/Health. For info on McCaw Hall accessibility, visit PNB.org/Accessibility. The show must go on: Pacific Northwest Ballet is committed to honoring its performance calendar. Performances will not be cancelled for sleet, snow, or Seattle traffic. In the unlikely event that the status of a performance does change, an announcement will be posted on PNB.org. SPECIAL EVENTS PNB CONVERSATIONS & DRESS REHEARSAL Thursday, February 1, 5:30 pm Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at McCaw Hall Join PNB Associate Artistic Director Kiyon Ross, in conversation with a panel of Prince Siegfrieds (casting TBA). PNB Conversations offer in-depth interviews with artists involved in putting our repertory on stage. Attend the Conversations event only or stay for the dress rehearsal of Swan Lake. Tickets (suggested donation of $25) are available through the PNB Box Office. BALLET TALK Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at McCaw Hall Join dance historian 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. (There will be no Meet the Artist post-show Q&As for the run of Swan Lake.) ABOUT THE BALLET Swan Lake Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Op. 20, 1875 – 1876) Choreography: Kent Stowell Staging: Francia Russell (after Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov) Scenic Design: Ming Cho Lee Costume Design: Paul Tazewell Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli Original Production Premiere: February 20, 1877, Imperial Ballet, Moscow, choreography by Julius Reisinger; restaged January 15, 1895, Imperial Ballet, St. Petersburg, choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov Stowell/Russell Production Premiere: October 1, 1976, Frankfurt Ballet Pacific Northwest Ballet Premiere: April 8, 1981; new production September 25, 2003 Running Time, Live: Three hours, including two intermissions Running Time, Digital: Approximately two hours and ten minute Swan Lake is considered by many to be the greatest classical ballet of all time. With its fantastical plot filled with romance, sorcery, and betrayal, Swan Lake offers dancers the ultimate challenge of a dual role: Odette, trapped in the body of a swan while awaiting an oath of true love to set her free; and Odile, the temptress daughter of Baron von Rothbart, who plots the downfall of Odette’s true love, Siegfried. Pacific Northwest Ballet’s 1981 production was a significant milestone as the first full-length ballet re-created for the Company. The current production of Kent Stowell’s Swan Lake, in a revised staging and featuring new designs, premiered in 2003 to open PNB’s inaugural season in Marion Oliver McCaw Hall. Swan Lake has inspired countless choreographers, who, in their own productions, seek to extend the ideas and meanings suggested in the work of its creators: composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky and choreographers Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov. Tchaikovsky composed his score for Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet in 1877, but it was not until Petipa and Ivanov’s St. Petersburg production of 1895 that Swan Lake took the form we know today. The original 1877 Moscow production, now generally regarded as a failure, actually achieved mild success and saw more performances over more years than most ballets premiered on the Moscow stage. Tchaikovsky longed for a successful revival of his first ballet, but died in 1893, and a memorial concert in St. Petersburg the next year included a revival of Swan Lake Act II, the first lakeside scene, with new choreography by Lev Ivanov, ballet master Marius Petipa’s assistant. The performance was a success and plans were laid for a revival of the entire ballet in 1895. Ivanov choreographed Act IV, the second lakeside scene, and Petipa supplied dances for Acts I and III. Although Petipa succeeded with his choreographic contribution, Ivanov’s lakeside acts provided the images by which Swan Lake has become iconic The 1895 revival of Swan Lake has served as the basis for nearly every production since then. The dual role of Odette/Odile remains a coveted challenge for dancers and is broad enough in concept to sustain an endless variety of interpretations. Following tradition, choreographers often have revisited Swan Lake, for the ballet lends itself generously to new stagings and new interpretations. Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Swan Lake dates from 1981, when Mr. Stowell and Ms. Russell mounted here the production they had first created for the Frankfurt Ballet in 1975. Preserving the best of the St. Petersburg original as it has come down to us through England’s Royal Ballet, Ms. Russell researched and staged what has long been regarded as the soul of Swan Lake—nearly all of Ivanov’s Act II, where music and dance are sublimely fused. Petipa’s Act I pas de trois and Act III Black Swan pas de deux were also retained. To enhance the story line, and following in the path of many choreographers, Mr. Stowell made important changes in the order of the musical numbers. He also re-choreographed most of Act I, the national dances in Act III, and all of Act IV, rescuing the usually forgotten last act with a radiant pas de deux and giving the conclusion dramatic power and unity. [Excerpted from notes by Doug Fullington. Click here for complete program notes.] FUN FACTOIDS: FEATHERS FOR THE FLOCK Swan Lake is the quintessential classical ballet, and producing this staggering production is no small feat. All of its elaborate costumes, including headpieces, bodices, tutus, and accessories, were made by the acclaimed PNB Costume Shop. One tutu can take up to 200 hours of labor and costs thousands of dollars, but once constructed, it will be used for hundreds of performances and fit many dancers with multiple sets of hook-and-eye closures. PNB’s current Swan Lake costumes were designed in 2003 by Paul Tazewell (Hamilton) and have been meticulously maintained and repaired as necessary in the years since. (The Seattle Times called the iconic tutus “as complex, and as beautiful, as a swan’s wing.”) For the 2022 run of Swan Lake, the PNB Costume Shop refurbished the production’s tacked tutus (so named because all the layers of tulle are tacked together by hand) and created 42 new bodices for the PNB Company dancers and Professional Division students (from the PNB School) dancing in the large corps of swans. (There are 24 swans on stage during a performance, but multiple costumes are created to fit multiple dancers.) The costume shop put in 1,900 hours producing the bodices, including 84 hours spent hand-sewing buttons and closures, and over 300 hours hand-painting feathery detail work. The project also entailed over 60 hours of fittings. The cost of rebuilding and refurbishing PNB’s swans and additional Swan Lake costumes in 2022 came to approximately $100,000; PNB plans to see these iconic costumes on stage for many more years to come. Link to comment
Helene Posted January 25 Author Share Posted January 25 Thank you to the person who gave me a heads up that casting is up for first weekend and Odette-Odile/Siegfried casting is up for second weekend: https://www.pnb.org/season/swan-lake/ (Scroll to bottom) There will be five Odette-Odiles with two performances each; returning are Elizabeth Murphy and Leta Biasucci, both partnered by Lucien Postlewaite, and Angelica Generosa with Jonathan Batista, and two debuts by Elle Macy partnered by James Kirby Rogers and Cecilia Iliesiu with Dylan Wald. Since Postlewaite is partnering two ballerinas, performances with Elizabeth Murphy will be first weekend, including opening night, and with Leta Biasucci will be second weekend. Here's the link to a downloadable Excel file: As always, casting is subject to change. Edited to add: I've updated the Excel file include the Thursday, Feb 8 Principal Casting, which I missed for trying to get fancy. 2024 01 25 Swan Lake--updated.xlsx Link to comment
Grace8 Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 Interesting tidbit from the recent Seattle Times article "Performing ‘Swan Lake’ is notoriously difficult. PNB dancers explain why" that 8 couples were originally chosen to rehearse with the plan for 5 couples to perform the lead roles. Both Elle Macy and Cecilia Iliesiu learned Odette/Odile for the previous run. Can anyone ID the dancer who I think is performing Siegfried here toward the end of the video? Link to comment
seattle_dancer Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 5 hours ago, Grace8 said: Can anyone ID the dancer who I think is performing Siegfried here toward the end of the video? Luther DeMyer? My guess judging by hair, physique and way he moves. Not entirely certain though. Link to comment
seattle_dancer Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 On 1/25/2024 at 7:31 AM, Helene said: https://www.pnb.org/season/swan-lake/ (Scroll to bottom) There will be five Odette-Odiles with two performances each; returning are Elizabeth Murphy and Leta Biasucci, both partnered by Lucien Postlewaite, and Angelica Generosa with Jonathan Batista, and two debuts by Elle Macy partnered by James Kirby Rogers and Cecilia Iliesiu with Dylan Wald. Since Postlewaite is partnering two ballerinas, performances with Elizabeth Murphy will be first weekend, including opening night, and with Leta Biasucci will be second weekend. I noticed yesterday that some principal casting has changed. On the website it now says Leta Biasucci will be O/O first weekend and Elizabeth Murphy will be second weekend. Link to comment
Helene Posted February 1 Author Share Posted February 1 Thank you for the heads up, @seattle_dancer! Here's the updated downloadable Excel file: 2024 01 31 Swan Lake.xlsx Link to comment
seattle_dancer Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 (edited) On 1/30/2024 at 11:17 PM, seattle_dancer said: Luther DeMyer? My guess judging by hair, physique and way he moves. Not entirely certain though. I just came from opening night. The male character in this video is Benno, not Sigfried. Luther DeMyer is listed to play Benno first Saturday evening. The show was outstanding tonight! Leta Biasucci went on a week early and you’d never know. Her second act Odette arms were very soft, she almost looked like a dancer of a bygone era but of course she has such strength and technique of a modern dancer. The tempo during the Act III foutte turns seemed insanely fast. I wonder if that was per Leta’s request? Her partnership with Lucien Postlewaite was spot on. Lucien himself is still dancing at a tremendously high level this fifth time as Siegfried and he is probably the best story teller in the company. All the National dances and the corp looked great. The PNB orchestra never sounded better. I can’t wait for my next show! Edited February 4 by seattle_dancer Link to comment
Helene Posted February 4 Author Share Posted February 4 Lucien Postlewaite was never a dancer who tried to give himself a concussion by kicking himself in the head with any movement that started with a forward battement, I don't think it's easy by any means to maintain such a high level of excellence for 20 years, especially when you add in all of the lifting and partnering he's done. But it does mean that the comparisons now aren't to extremes that younger dancers in their twenties, especially virtuoso dancers can go to, but instead to elegance, placement, line, and musicality that has become burnished with experience, most definitely including his experience in Monte Carlo. One of the things about the ballet classics, is that they're a lot like opera: dancers start thinking a lot about the iconic solos/arias and pas de deux/duets, especially ones like the White Swan pas de deux, or a variation that grabs them, the way aspiring opera singers learn E lucevan le stelle or Vissi d'arte in Tosca. Or like delving deeply into of Shakespeare's iconic speeches. In a full-length opera or ballet or complete play, there is so much more to think about to make the entire performance work. That's a Captain Obivous statement, but part of what makes it difficult is the imbalance of time spent learning and thinking about the biggest moments, many of which are not only familiar from watching, but also familiar from any combination of variations and partnering class, competitions, auditions, and recitals. It's also the difference between understanding the general arc of a character and all of the individual moments that keep it vivid, especially we're all too apt to think of Prince Siegfried as a one-dimensional fool and enjoy the dancing. Kent Stowell's direction for Prince Siegfried is probably a double-edged sword in that there's rarely an empty moment -- there's a huge amount of interplay downstage left and right between him, the Jester, and Woflgang, the tutor in Act I at the same time other things are happening -- like in Act I of The Nutcracker. There's also dancing with the guests, including six girls. So there's a lot for Siegfried to hang his hat on dramatically, piece by piece, but to be meaningful, it has to be more than vignettes. Postlewaite brought some of his Prince in Maillot's Cendrillon into his portrayal, at least in the beginning: he was not Very Serious. He wasn't a frat boy, but you wouldn't confuse him with Werther. As much as I hate the word "journey," that's what Postlewaite brings to the character over the course of four acts. It's not a Nureyev-like intervention making the Prince the center of the universe, but it makes Siegfried an equal partner in the drama from the beginning, building up to Act II. Odette doesn't ever have to stand around and socialize: the only "downtime" she has is for the few seconds after she makes her entrance thinking she's alone. The rest of the time, it's-all-intensity-all-the-time. Even Odile is static only when her dad, BvG, is whispering in her ear. It's not easy to make the shifts and disjointedness feel like a full characterization, especially since so much of it is recognizable, and there are so many sudden mood shifts. Stowell follows the conventions for O/O in Acts II-III. The other major critical part to the drama in this production is the neoclassical pas de deux, with quotes from Ivanov's Act II, that Stowell created for Act IV to music as plaintive as that for the White Swan pas de deux. (I don't know what it is, and I can't find it.) His Act IV is not a "Swans dance the intro, Odette is distraught, Prince Siegfried is so sorry, now let's wrap this all up with the music we've been waiting for and get the unions home to bed" version. The Act IV pas de deux is like the Wedding pas de deux in Romeo and Juliet, on another, graver plane after an unalterable breach has occurred, and it means something different than the first pas de deux. That distinction is what brings the story and the characters to the end of the arc. It's what Brunnhilde and Siegfried might have sung at the end of the Ring, if he wasn't already dead, and it wasn't Wagner's opera. Leta Biasucci was exquisite as Odette/Odile, and the least of it was her dancing, which was sublime. She, like Postlewaite, showed intention in every moment and aspect of her performance and created such richness; for me, it doesn't get better than that. Link to comment
Grace8 Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 Thanks seattle_dancer for the opening night report! Disappointed that I won't be able to see Leta Biasucci perform live but will look forward to the digital performance. Appreciate any reports from the Odette/Odile debuts. The Saturday evening performance was also excellent with Angelica Generosa and Jonathan Batista. My impressions: Kuu Sakuragi (Jester) seems to defy gravity! Ryan Cardea gave a good performance without overdoing it as Wolfgang, the tutor. Lots of laughs from the audience. Swan corps looked good; Amanda Morgan and Audrey Malek were lovely demi-soloists Both Angelica Generosa and Jonathan Batista were playing with their music interpretation in the Act III Black Swan coda. He can hold his pirouettes for a long time. Her fouettes: initially she did a couple with multiple pirouettes, switching to single fouettes -- wasn't quite sure if she was going to hold on to the end, but she did. Unfortunately Leah Terada was injured during the Act I pas de trois. I'm not sure what happened, but saw her put a hand down while doing a turning run in the introduction. She was able to finish, but Clara Ruf Maldonado who was one of the guests performed the solo variation. She was also wearing an orange costume, so it may not have been obvious to most of the audience. Amanda Morgan performed the Persian dance in her place. Hope Leah is doing okay. Link to comment
Helene Posted February 10 Author Share Posted February 10 I just looked at the schedule again to find that Elizabeth Murphy isn't in the second week casting, either, and Leta Biasucci is listed for tonight's and the Sunday matinee performance. Leah Terada is listed for tomorrow evening as one of the Act II Pas de trois swans and in the Act I Pas de trois on Sunday. I'm glad to see that she's able to dance. Link to comment
vipa Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 On 2/3/2024 at 10:06 PM, Helene said: Lucien Postlewaite was never a dancer who tried to give himself a concussion by kicking himself in the head with any movement that started with a forward battement, I don't think it's easy by any means to maintain such a high level of excellence for 20 years, especially when you add in all of the lifting and partnering he's done. But it does mean that the comparisons now aren't to extremes that younger dancers in their twenties, especially virtuoso dancers can go to, but instead to elegance, placement, line, and musicality that has become burnished with experience, most definitely including his experience in Monte Carlo. One of the things about the ballet classics, is that they're a lot like opera: dancers start thinking a lot about the iconic solos/arias and pas de deux/duets, especially ones like the White Swan pas de deux, or a variation that grabs them, the way aspiring opera singers learn E lucevan le stelle or Vissi d'arte in Tosca. Or like delving deeply into of Shakespeare's iconic speeches. In a full-length opera or ballet or complete play, there is so much more to think about to make the entire performance work. That's a Captain Obivous statement, but part of what makes it difficult is the imbalance of time spent learning and thinking about the biggest moments, many of which are not only familiar from watching, but also familiar from any combination of variations and partnering class, competitions, auditions, and recitals. It's also the difference between understanding the general arc of a character and all of the individual moments that keep it vivid, especially we're all too apt to think of Prince Siegfried as a one-dimensional fool and enjoy the dancing. Kent Stowell's direction for Prince Siegfried is probably a double-edged sword in that there's rarely an empty moment -- there's a huge amount of interplay downstage left and right between him, the Jester, and Woflgang, the tutor in Act I at the same time other things are happening -- like in Act I of The Nutcracker. There's also dancing with the guests, including six girls. So there's a lot for Siegfried to hang his hat on dramatically, piece by piece, but to be meaningful, it has to be more than vignettes. Postlewaite brought some of his Prince in Maillot's Cendrillon into his portrayal, at least in the beginning: he was not Very Serious. He wasn't a frat boy, but you wouldn't confuse him with Werther. As much as I hate the word "journey," that's what Postlewaite brings to the character over the course of four acts. It's not a Nureyev-like intervention making the Prince the center of the universe, but it makes Siegfried an equal partner in the drama from the beginning, building up to Act II. Odette doesn't ever have to stand around and socialize: the only "downtime" she has is for the few seconds after she makes her entrance thinking she's alone. The rest of the time, it's-all-intensity-all-the-time. Even Odile is static only when her dad, BvG, is whispering in her ear. It's not easy to make the shifts and disjointedness feel like a full characterization, especially since so much of it is recognizable, and there are so many sudden mood shifts. Stowell follows the conventions for O/O in Acts II-III. The other major critical part to the drama in this production is the neoclassical pas de deux, with quotes from Ivanov's Act II, that Stowell created for Act IV to music as plaintive as that for the White Swan pas de deux. (I don't know what it is, and I can't find it.) His Act IV is not a "Swans dance the intro, Odette is distraught, Prince Siegfried is so sorry, now let's wrap this all up with the music we've been waiting for and get the unions home to bed" version. The Act IV pas de deux is like the Wedding pas de deux in Romeo and Juliet, on another, graver plane after an unalterable breach has occurred, and it means something different than the first pas de deux. That distinction is what brings the story and the characters to the end of the arc. It's what Brunnhilde and Siegfried might have sung at the end of the Ring, if he wasn't already dead, and it wasn't Wagner's opera. Leta Biasucci was exquisite as Odette/Odile, and the least of it was her dancing, which was sublime. She, like Postlewaite, showed intention in every moment and aspect of her performance and created such richness; for me, it doesn't get better than that. Thank you for this interesting analysis Helene. Leta Biasucci is one of those dancers I'm sorry I'll probably never see perform life. I felt that way about Carrie Imler! I wish I had seen her perform. Link to comment
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