Helene Posted March 30 Share Posted March 30 Twyla Tharp ● Jessica Lang ● Crystal Pite PNB Announces Jessica Lang as the Company’s next Resident Choreographer Seven Performances Only: April 12 – 21, 2024 Friday, April 12 at 7:30 PM Saturday, April 13 at 2:00 and 7:30 PM Thursday – Saturday, April 18 – 20 at 7:30 PM Sunday, April 21 at 1:00 PM Marion Oliver McCaw Hall 321 Mercer Street at Seattle Center Seattle, Washington 98109 Streaming Digitally April 25 – 29 SEATTLE, WA – Crystal Pite’s The Seasons’ Canon captivated audiences when Pacific Northwest Ballet first presented the work in 2022, so by overwhelmingly popular demand it is back as the centerpiece of PNB’s fifth offering of the 2023-24 season. Featuring 54 dancers moving as one organism to Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons (recomposed by Max Richter), the mesmerizing work will be complemented by Twyla Tharp’s Shaker-inspired Sweet Fields and Jessica Lang’s stunning solo work The Calling. With this triple-bill, PNB is thrilled to announce that Jessica Lang will become the company’s new Resident Choreographer: “Jessica will commence her residency in August with a new creation for our first program of the 2024-25 season,” stated PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal. “This will be her fourth new work for the Company. PNB will then have five works by Jessica in active rep and we look forward to adding several more during her residency.” Lang’s powerful Let Me Mingle Tears With Thee (“Jaw-droppingly gorgeous” –The Stranger) had its world premiere in 2023. Previous works choreographed for PNB included Ghost Variations (created during the pandemic for PNB’s first digital season in 2020 and premiering onstage in 2021) and Her Door to the Sky (2016). Boal continued: “Jessica is a true collaborator - working side by side with dancers, designers, rehearsal directors and staff to achieve artistic excellence and to ensure a rewarding process for all involved. I’m so excited for Jessica to become our Resident Choreographer and to continue an already winning partnership for PNB.” THE SEASONS’ CANON runs for seven performances only, April 12 through 21 at Seattle Center’s Marion Oliver McCaw Hall. Tickets start at just $38. (The program will also stream digitally April 25 – 29: 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): Sweet Fields™ Music: 18th- and 19th-century American hymns by William Billings, William Walker, Abraham Wood, and Jeremiah Ingalls, performed by The Tudor Choir Choreography: Twyla Tharp Staging: Matt Rivera and Shelley Washington Original Costume Design: Norma Kamali Lighting Design: Jennifer Tipton Running Time: 19 minutes Premiere: September 20, 1996, Tharp! PNB Premiere: June 3, 2022 Pythagorean geometry and its related harmony and restraint inspired Tharp all through Sweet Fields™: Geometry as a key to Godliness. Simple, distinct patterns keep recurring, while one theme grows out of another. The men lead off the ten-part “score” of 18th- and 19th-century American religious hymns. The women perform the second hymn, and so on, the numbers go, mostly keeping the men and women “congregants” separated. Their striding gaits and their shuffling and loping paces make physical the plainsong music of the hymns. The vocabulary of details hews to the direct and the elemental in movement and posture, with flexed feet overriding a tendency toward pointed toes. The shaking of the women’s hands responds directly to Shaker community articulations associated with the specifically “Shaker Hymns” in the mix. “Chesterfield” involves all the men and takes the form of an austere funeral cortege. For “Jordan,” the hymn that invokes the title’s “sweet fields,” the men and women intermingle but don’t meld for long. “Brevity,” which follows, showcases a lone dancer, in a private moment. Some of the dancer-to-dancer interactions involve softly pummeling hand moves that appear to hammer at the music as they represent the healing gestures that are part of such Shaker religious activities. The pervasive discipline and playful rigors of the choreography overall, could not, in Tharp’s own words, have been possible without her own Quaker origins. [Excerpted notes courtesy of Twyla Tharp Productions. For complete notes, visit PNB.org.] The 2022 Pacific Northwest Ballet premiere of Twyla Tharp's Sweet Fields was principally supported by Leslie Yamada and Deidra Wager. The Calling Music: Anonymous (“O Maria, stella maris,” French, late 12th-early 13th century), performed by The Tudor Choir Choreography: Jessica Lang Staging: Jessica Lang and Kanji Segawa Costume Design: Elena Comendador Costume Concept: Jessica Lang Lighting Design: Adapted by Nicole Pearce Running Time: Five minutes Premiere: October 15, 2006 (as part of Splendid Isolation II), Ailey II (Baltimore, Maryland) PNB Premiere: June 7, 2015 The 2015 Pacific Northwest Ballet premiere of Jessica Lang’s The Calling was generously underwritten by Aya Stark Hamilton. The Seasons’ Canon Music: Max Richter (Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons, 2012) Choreography: Crystal Pite Staging: Eric Beauchesne and Anna Herrmann Scenic Design and Reflected Light Concept: Jay Gower Taylor & Tom Visser Costume Design: Nancy Bryant Lighting Design: Tom Visser, staged by Douwe Beernink Running Time: 32 minutes Premiere: September 26, 2016, Paris Opera Ballet PNB Premiere: November 4, 2022 The Seasons’ Canon is the third work of Crystal Pite’s to enter Pacific Northwest Ballet’s repertoire after Emergence and Plot Point. “…I consider nature’s facts – its beautiful and grotesque forms and events – in terms of the import to thought and their impetus to the spirit. In nature I find grace tangled in a rapture with violence; I find an intricate landscape whose forms are fringed in death; I find mystery, newness, and a kind of exuberant, spendthrift energy.” –Annie Dillard “Creation for me is like looking through a lens. It’s a way to see the world in greater detail and clarity; it’s a magnified experience. It is the act of making that sharpens my awareness and connects me most deeply to the natural world and all the brutality and beauty it contains. The Seasons’ Canon is a gesture, an offering. It is as much my way of coping with the vastness and complexity of the natural world as it is a way of giving thanks for it.” –Crystal Pite PNB’s 2024 performances of Crystal Pite’s The Seasons’ Canon are supported by Joan Fitzmaurice. The 2022 PNB premiere of The Seasons’ Canon was principally supported by Susan Brotman and Dan & Pam Baty. SPECIAL EVENTS PNB CONVERSATIONS & DRESS REHEARSAL Thursday, April 11, 5:30 pm Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at McCaw Hall Join PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal, in conversation with retiring principal dancer James Yoichi Moore. 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 THE SEASONS’ CANON. 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 THE SEASONS’ CANON 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 THE SEASONS’ CANON (April 25 - 29) is available by subscription only, $80. 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. 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vipa Posted March 30 Share Posted March 30 This sounds great. I'd love to see Seasons' Canon, but it seems it's subscription only for digital. Link to comment
volcanohunter Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 22 minutes ago, vipa said: This sounds great. I'd love to see Seasons' Canon, but it seems it's subscription only for digital. If you wait until April 2, the remaining two streams should be available for $80 and you'll also get Coppélia. Alternatively, Seasons' Canon is in the library of Paris Opera Play (but on a program with three different choreographers), which includes a 7-day free trial. Again, wait until April 2 and you'll get a livestream of Don Quixote into the bargain. Link to comment
vipa Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 53 minutes ago, volcanohunter said: If you wait until April 2, the remaining two streams should be available for $80 and you'll also get Coppélia. Alternatively, Seasons' Canon is in the library of Paris Opera Play (but on a program with three different choreographers), which includes a 7-day free trial. Again, wait until April 2 and you'll get a livestream of Don Quixote into the bargain. Thank you. Great information. Link to comment
volcanohunter Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 The remaining two streams are now on sale for $80. https://order.pnb.org/packages/fixed/1098 Crystal Pite's piece is also available on Paris Opera Play, though the rest of the program is different, of course. https://play.operadeparis.fr/en/p/thierree-shechter-perez-pite-evening Since the Paris Opera Ballet livestreamed Don Quixote today, which will be available on demand until April 9, now is as good a time as any to take advantage of POP's 7-day free trial. 💃🕺 https://play.operadeparis.fr/en/p/don-quixote-2024 Link to comment
its the mom Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 I am thrilled that Boston will be performing this piece next season. Enjoy! Link to comment
vipa Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 9 hours ago, its the mom said: I am thrilled that Boston will be performing this piece next season. Enjoy! Sounds like I'll be taking a trip to Boston in the fall. Thanks for mentioning this, @its the mom Link to comment
SandyMcKean Posted April 5 Share Posted April 5 There is only one thing to say........Crystal Pite is a genius, pure and simple. P.S. If you haven't seen "The Statement", find a way (you can find parts of it, mostly rehearsals, on Youtube). Link to comment
Helene Posted April 6 Author Share Posted April 6 First weekend casting is up: https://www.pnb.org/season/the-seasons-canon/ Almost two full casts for all three works. The stream is usually the Opening Night cast. Here's a link to the downloadable Excel sheet: 2924 04 05 The Seasons Canon.xlsx Link to comment
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