Helene Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 Four years after its originally-scheduled PNB Premiere, Alejandro Cerrudo’s complete One Thousand Pieces finally arrives. Seven Performances Only: March 15 – 24, 2024 Friday, March 15 at 7:30 PM Saturday, March 16 at 2:00 and 7:30 PM Thursday – Saturday, March 21 – 23 at 7:30 PM Sunday, March 24 at 1:00 PM Marion Oliver McCaw Hall 321 Mercer Street at Seattle Center Seattle, Washington 98109 Streaming Digitally March 28 – April 1 SEATTLE, WA – Delayed gratification: Four years after a global pandemic pushed back its Pacific Northwest Ballet premiere, Alejandro Cerrudo’s One Thousand Pieces finally comes to the McCaw Hall stage as the fourth offering in PNB’s 2023-24 season. Featuring music from Philip Glass, Cerrudo’s large-scale ensemble work will be presented on a double-bill, paired with the joyous revelry of Matthew Neenan’s made-for-PNB Bacchus. ONE THOUSAND PIECES plays seven performances only, March 15 through 24 at Seattle Center’s Marion Oliver McCaw Hall. Tickets start at just $38. (The program will also stream digitally March 28 – April 1. Digital access is available by subscription only.) For tickets and additional information, contact the PNB Box Office at 206.441.2424, in person at 301 Mercer Street, or online 24/7 at PNB.org. (Follow hyperlinks below for additional notes): One Thousand Pieces Music: Philip Glass Choreography: Alejandro Cerrudo Staging: Pablo Piantino, Jessica Tong, and Ana Lopez Scenic and Costume Design: Thomas Mika Lighting Design: Michael Korsch Running Time: 70 minutes Premiere: October 18, 2012, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago PNB Premiere: March 13, 2020*; September 24, 2021 (excerpts); March 15, 2024 (full work) *COVID shut-down “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 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, and the dancers have all inspired me. I’m not trying to tell a story or represent the art. 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.” One Thousand Pieces was the fourth work by Alejandro Cerrudo to be added to Pacific Northwest Ballet’s repertory PNB's 2024 performances of One Thousand Pieces are supported by Lynne Graybeal & Scott Harron. The 2020 Pacific Northwest Ballet premiere of Alejandro Cerrudo’s One Thousand Pieces was generously underwritten by Susan Brotman. Bacchus Music: Oliver Davis Choreography: Matthew Neenan Costume Design: Mark Zappone Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli Running Time: 24 minutes Premiere: March 15, 2019, Pacific Northwest Ballet Inspired by the lush and flamboyant music of Oliver Davis, Matthew Neenan’s Bacchus embodies the nature of the Roman god of wine, merriment, and abundance. PNB's 2024 performances of Bacchus are supported by Connie & Tom Walsh. The 2019 world premiere of Matthew Neenan's Bacchus was supported by Richard & Lisa Altig, Lyndall Boal, and David & Cheryl Hadley. SPECIAL EVENTS PNB CONVERSATIONS & DRESS REHEARSAL Thursday, March 14, 5:30 pm Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at McCaw Hall Join PNB Dance Historian Doug Fullington, in conversation with members of the PNB Orchestra, including Music Director/Principal Conductor Emil de Cou, and Concertmaster Michael Jinsoo Lim. 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 ONE THOUSAND PIECES. 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. 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. TICKET INFORMATION Tickets to PNB’s live and/or digital performances may be purchased 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 ONE THOUSAND PIECES are $38 - $210. Groups of ten or more may enjoy discounts up to 20% off regular prices (not valid on lowest-priced tickets or combined with other offers): Visit PNB.org/season/group-sales for more info. PNB’s digital presentation of ONE THOUSAND PIECES (March 28 – April 1) is available by subscription only, $120. For information about special ticket offers including group discounts, The Pointe, Pay-What-You-Can, rush tickets, Beer and Ballet night, TeenTix, and more, visit PNB.org/offers. Caveat Emptor: Like many performing arts, PNB struggles with ticket resellers. At their most mundane, third-party sites snap up less expensive tickets and sell them for a profit. At their most dastardly, they sometimes sell invalid tickets. 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, and Accessibility: At this time, masks are encouraged but not required as part of the PNB audience experience. For details and info regarding PNB’s current health and safety policies, visit PNB.org/Health. For information 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 weather, traffic, or acts of Congress. In the unlikely event that the status of a performance does change, an announcement will be posted on PNB.org. Link to comment
tutu Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Oh man, I wish they had single tickets for the digital performance. I can’t justify the cost of a digital season pass for just this one, but would love to hear the reviews! Link to comment
volcanohunter Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 10 minutes ago, tutu said: Oh man, I wish they had single tickets for the digital performance. I can’t justify the cost of a digital season pass for just this one, but would love to hear the reviews! I finally relented when the season went past The Nutcracker and Swan Lake and bought access to the final three streams for $120. Link to comment
tutu Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 39 minutes ago, volcanohunter said: I finally relented when the season went past The Nutcracker and Swan Lake and bought access to the final three streams for $120. I just can’t justify $120 when this is the only program I’d watch, but I’ll live vicariously through your review! Link to comment
Helene Posted March 8 Author Share Posted March 8 PNB posted a small snippet of Christopher D'Ariano and Leah Terada from the work: https://www.instagram.com/p/C4LpwiaxGYR/ I'd missed this one from 5 days ago, where they prep the stage. Following Terada and D'Ariano I think is Elle Macy, and then Elizabeth Murphy and Dylan Wald. Link to comment
sandik Posted March 14 Share Posted March 14 Casting is up on the website for both weeks, and they're also listing the post-show guests (for the first week). Link to comment
tutu Posted March 15 Share Posted March 15 22 hours ago, sandik said: Casting is up on the website for both weeks, and they're also listing the post-show guests (for the first week). Really hope they fix the spelling of Destiny Wimpye’s name throughout! Link to comment
pirouetta27 Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 on the digital stream, who was the dancer partnered with James Kirby Rogers around the 45-min mark? They did a duet together (before the water) and I couldn't figure out who she was. Link to comment
SandyMcKean Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 I just watched the digital presentation. To each his own, but frankly, for me, this program was at best ho-hum. (Additionally, the 2 pieces were far too similar IMO.) Link to comment
Helene Posted April 2 Author Share Posted April 2 7 hours ago, pirouetta27 said: on the digital stream, who was the dancer partnered with James Kirby Rogers around the 45-min mark? They did a duet together (before the water) and I couldn't figure out who she was. I'm not sure: I still don't have a handle on the relative heights of some of the dancers, and I haven't been to the post-performance Q&A's since February 2020. My guess is Melisa Guilliams. The musicians were wonderful. I don't know how Christina Siemens does it, but we're really lucky she's here. Link to comment
volcanohunter Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 (edited) 9 hours ago, SandyMcKean said: I just watched the digital presentation. To each his own, but frankly, for me, this program was at best ho-hum. I'm afraid I have to agree. I can imagine that Bacchus probably produces a strong kinesthetic effect in person, but on a screen it seemed like derivative choreography set to even more derivative music. On screen I hated the lighting for both pieces, because it seemed to conspire to obscure the dancers. As for One Thousand Pieces, I never would have suspected that it was inspired by Chagall's America Windows. For one thing, it's so damned dark. Stained glass is nothing without light. The male dancers were practically invisible. Stained glass by definition has color! I was so frustrated by the piece that I came close to turning it off three times. Edited April 2 by volcanohunter Link to comment
pirouetta27 Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 - @Helene I think you're right, it was probably Melisa! I wonder if she was replacing Elle? - One Thousand Pieces was just too long. And I say this as a former dancer who's been watching PNB since 2002. If The Cerrudo was half as long, and if they had programmed something highly structured after it (maybe Symphony in C?) then I think the program would've been much more balanced. - for me, dancer highlights were Kuu in Bacchus and Leah Terada in OTP. Also loved seeing Rosalyn Hutsell get some solo moments! Link to comment
SandyMcKean Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 Quote .....derivative choreography set to even more derivative music. PRECISELY my reaction.....you found the words to say it that I could not 😉 Link to comment
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