Pacific Northwest Ballet Opens Box Office for the 2014-2015 Season

Pacific Northwest Ballet opens its Box Office for 2014-2015 ticket sales on Monday, July 21. As is its tradition, PNB is offering a special money-saving deal for early-bird ticket-buyers, to celebrate the company's 42nd season: Pay no service fees on tickets purchased thru July 31.* Tickets (as well as money-saving subscriptions) may be purchased either by phone (206.441.2424), online (PNB.org) or in person at the PNB Box Office, 301 Mercer Street at Seattle Center.

Artistic Director Peter Boal has announced the confirmed line-up for Pacific Northwest Ballet's 2014-2015 season. Highlights include a program devoted to the work of acclaimed choreographer William Forsythe; the return of popular works by George Balanchine, Alexei Ratmansky, David Dawson, and Nacho Duato; a world premiere by New York City Ballet's Justin Peck, a PNB premiere by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa; and a fond farewell to the Northwest's favorite holiday tradition, Kent Stowell and Maurice Sendak's Nutcracker. (In 2015, PNB will unveil a new production of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker™ with sets and costumes by Ian Falconer.)

During its 2014-2015 season, PNB will also be celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the world-famous Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra. Most rep performances will feature the PNB Orchestra performing additional music selections chosen by Mr. Boal and Music Director/Principal Conductor Emil de Cou, to complement the programming.

2014-2015 SEASON LINE-UP

First Look Gala

Friday, September 26, 2014

(Not part of PNB's subscription season. Call the PNB Box Office for details.)

Celebrate the opening of PNB's 42nd season and salute the 25th Anniversary of the PNB Orchestra with a glamorous cocktail party, an elegant backstage dinner, and a dance party onstage after the performance! Edward Villella is scheduled to be PNB's honored guest at our season kick-off gala. For information, visit PNB.org. (Performance tickets sold separately. This event will sell out in advance.)

Rep 1 - George Balanchine's JEWELS™

September 26 - October 5, 2014

Choreography: George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust

Staging: Elyse Borne

Costume Design: Karinska

Lighting Design: Mark Stanley

Emeralds

Music: Gabriel Fauré

Rubies

Music: Igor Stravinsky

Diamonds

Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

"Simple and complex, thought-provoking and crowd-pleasing, deeply traditional and utterly modern, [an] affirmation of Balanchine's genius." -The New York Times

Costumed in emerald green, ruby red, and luminous white, the trio of gems in George Balanchine's Jewels pay tribute to golden ages of music and dance. Evoking the birthplace of Romantic ballet, Emeralds' graceful clouds of tulle whisper French courtesy, fashion, and fragrance. Rubies mirrors the carefree spontaneity of America, Balanchine's beloved adopted country: a sassy, jazzy collaboration with Stravinsky. The splendor of Diamonds recalls the great choreographer's heritage, so that "if the entire Imperial Russian inheritance of ballet were lost, Diamonds would still tell us of its essence" (Mary Clarke and Clement Crisp).

Rep 2 - DIRECTOR'S CHOICE

November 7 - 16, 2014

A Million Kisses to My Skin

Music: Johann Sebastian Bach

Choreography: David Dawson

Scenic Design: David Dawson

Costume Design: Yumiko Takeshima

Lighting Design: Bert Dalhuysen

Rassemblement

Music: Toto Bissainthe

Choreography: Nacho Duato

Scenic Design: Walter Nobbe

Costume Design: Nacho Duato

Lighting Design: Nicolas Fischtel

Before After (PNB Premiere)

Music: Marc Van Roon

Choreography: Annabelle Lopez Ochoa

Costume and Lighting Design: Annabelle Lopez Ochoa

World Premiere

Music: George Antheil

Choreography: Justin Peck

"[PNB has] pushed the envelope with world premieres by highly sought-after choreographers and emerging talent alike. Let's just say Boal chooses well." -Seattle Dances

Premieres pair with stunning repertory works in this absorbing mixed bill. Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's (Cylindrical Shadows) critically-acclaimed signature piece, Before After, a PNB premiere, unmasks the turmoil just before a relationship ends. David Dawson's breathtaking, hyper-extended A Million Kisses to my Skin references the intoxicating bliss dancers experience while performing.Rassemblement, Nacho Duato's poignant work set to slave songs by Haitian artist Toto Bissainthe, voices communal yearning and resistance in a climate of oppression. The program also features a world premiere by New York City Ballet's newly-appointed resident choreographer Justin Peck, praised for creation that "seems to come easily, naturally, from a quick and brimming intelligence" (New York Observer).

Stowell & Sendak NUTCRACKER

November 28 - December 28, 2014

(Not part of PNB's subscription season. Call the PNB Box Office for details.)

Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Choreography: Kent Stowell

Scenic & Costume Design: Maurice Sendak

Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli

Created by Founding Artistic Director Kent Stowell and famed author and illustrator Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are), PNB's one-of-a-kind Nutcracker has been dazzling Northwest audiences for 31 years. Join us for the final season of our beloved Nutcrackerbefore it goes into the PNB vault. (In 2015, PNB will unveil a new production of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker™, featuring sets and costumes by author and theatre designer Ian Falconer.)

Rep 3 - DON QUIXOTE

January 30 - February 8, 2015

Music: Ludwig Minkus

Choreography: Marius Petipa and Alexander Gorsky

with additional choreography and staging by Alexei Ratmansky

Scenic and Costume Design: Jerome Kaplan

Lighting Design: James F. Ingalls

"A visual explosion of costume and color, spirited dancers, and humorous acting...a brilliant theatrical success."

-City Arts

Alexei Ratmansky's genius for revitalizing classic ballets is the talk of the dance world. America had its first look at his staging of Don Quixote when PNB premiered it to great acclaim in 2012. Vast in every sense-from Jérôme Kaplan's colossal sun-bleached sets and vibrant costumes to the expansive sweep of the choreography-Don Q is informed by Ratmansky's technical fluency punctuated by carefree humor. A perfectly crafted story ballet, the plot follows its visionary hero to the city of Barcelona, where he becomes entangled in the affairs of spirited young lovers. Bravura dancing, captivating character players, and stunning stagecraft combine with Ludwig Minkus' rousing score to deliver a tremendous theater experience to audiences of all ages. Guest artists Tom Skerritt and Allen Galli are scheduled to return in their acclaimed performances as Don Quixote and his devoted squire, Sancho Panza.

Rep 4 - THE VERTIGINOUS THRILL OF FORSYTHE

March 13 - 22, 2015

The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude (PNB Premiere)

Music: Franz Schubert

Choreography: William Forsythe

Costume Design: Stephen Galloway

Scenic and Lighting Design: William Forsythe

New Suite (PNB Premiere)

Music: Johann Sebastian Bach, Luciano Berio, Gavin Bryars, George Frederic Handel, Thom Willems

Choreography: William Forsythe

Scenic and Lighting Design: William Forsythe

In the middle, somewhat elevated

Music: Thom Willems

Choreography: William Forsythe

Scenic, Costume and Lighting Design: William Forsythe

"In short, Forsythe lobbed a live grenade into the laps of those who'd always seen ballet as picturesque and safe."

-The Independent

A William Forsythe triple threat, 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 virtuoso 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. In the middle, somewhat elevated returns: endlessly prized by dancers and audiences, its relentless pace and fierce physicality serve as paradigm for Forsythe's revolutionary impact on 21st-century ballet.

SNOW WHITE

March 15 - 21, 2015

(Part of PNB's "Family Matinees" subscription package. Call the PNB Box Office for details.)

Music: Jules Massenet

Choreography: Bruce Wells

Scenic Design: Edith Whitsett

Costume Design: Pacific Northwest Ballet Costume Shop

Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all? PNB's enchanting production, performed by students of Pacific Northwest Ballet School, is true to the treasured tale of a jealous Queen, her beautiful stepdaughter, and a legendary kiss. This narrated, hour-long performance is the perfect opportunity to introduce young children to the magic of live theatre.

Rep 5 - SWAN LAKE

April 10 - 19, 2015

Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

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

"As the curtain came down, the audience raved, with bravos, whistles, and roars of approval."

-The SunBreak

The most popular classical ballet of all time, Swan Lake's powerful tale of love and deception is inseparable from its haunting moonlit beauty and Tchaikovsky's sublime score. The ultimate challenge for each ballerina who performs the dual roles of Odette and Odile, this beautiful production offers an ideal opportunity to introduce friends and family to the wonders of Pacific Northwest Ballet's remarkable dancers and Kent Stowell's magnificent Swan Lake.

REP 6 - CARMINA BURANA

May 29 - June 7, 2015

Concerto DSCH

Music: Dmitri Shostakovich

Choreography: Alexei Ratmansky

Costume Design: Holly Hynes

Lighting Design: Mark Stanley

Carmina Burana

Music: Carl Orff

Choreography: Kent Stowell

Scenic Design: Ming Cho Lee

Costume Design: Theoni V. Aldredge; additional costumes by Larae Theige Hascall

Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli

"[Carmina Burana is] a monumental work that never fails to thrill."-Seattle Gay News

PNB closes its season with a tremendous double-bill of repertory works. Alexei Ratmansky's Concerto DSCH, an "endlessly suspenseful construction [with] passages of breathtaking dance brilliance" (New York Times) returns, dazzling eyes and ears with its playful, propulsive energy.. And in Kent Stowell's primal Carmina Burana, a grand-scale synthesis of dance, chorus, and orchestra, the famous cantata's poems materialize as the entire Company unites song and score in jubilant communal experience under Carmina's colossal golden wheel of fortune.

SEASON ENCORE PERFORMANCE

Sunday, June 7, 2015

(Not part of PNB's subscription season. Tickets to this event go on sale in 2015.)

Encore! Encore! PNB celebrates the conclusion of its season, and bids adieu to departing dancers, with its annual Encore Performance of audience favorites.

NEXT STEP choreographers' showcase

Friday, June 12, 2015

(Not part of PNB's subscription season. Tickets to this event go on sale in 2015.)

Experience the arrival of the next generation of dance artists! A vehicle for emerging talent, NEXT STEP gives PNB Company dancers the opportunity to step up as choreographers, and PNB School's Professional Division students take centerstage in an all-premiere line-up of works created just for them.

34th ANNUAL PNB SCHOOL PERFORMANCES

Saturday, June 13, 2015

(Not part of PNB's subscription season. Tickets to this event go on sale in 2015.)

See the stars of tomorrow on stage today! PNB School's annual School Performance showcases and celebrates our students' skills and accomplishments over the past year.

PNB ON TOUR

(Tickets not available through the PNB Box Office.)

August 6 - 10, 2014

Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival (July 16 - August 24, 2014)

Becket, MA

For tickets and more information, visit JacobsPillow.org

August 27, 2014

Wolf Trap Face of America™

Vienna, VA

For tickets and more information, visit WolfTrap.org

October 8 - 12, 2014

The Joyce Theater

New York, NY

For tickets and more information, visit Joyce.org

2014-2015 SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS, SEMINARS AND LECTURE/DEMONSTRATIONS

(Not part of PNB's subscription season. All events take place at The Phelps Center, 301 Mercer Street at Seattle Center, unless otherwise noted. Tickets are available through the PNB Box Office.)

PNB offers a variety of free or affordably-priced special events for most of its productions, including previews, conversations, lectures, and Q&As. For additional information on library previews (at the Central Seattle Public Library), pre-performance lectures, and post-show Q&As, visit PNB.org and click on the "Events & Offers" tab under each specific production's listing.

Jacob's Pillow Preview (Studio Presentation)

Thursday, July 31, 5:30 pm

Pacific Northwest Ballet returns to historic Jacob's Pillow with a mixed bill-including David Dawson's A Million Kisses to my Skin, Nacho Duato's Rassemblement, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's Before After, and Susan Stroman's TAKE FIVE...More or Less-plus a one-off performance of Molissa Fenley's State of Darkness.

Jewels Coaching Series (Studio Presentations)

Diamonds, featuring Jacques d'Amboise

Wednesday, August 20, 5:30 pm

Emeralds, featuring Violette Verdy and Mimi Paul

Thursday, September 11, 5:30 pm

Rubies, featuring Edward Villella

Monday, September 22, 5:30 pm

Pacific Northwest Ballet Artistic Director Peter Boal has invited the original interpreters of George Balanchine's Jewels to coach PNB dancers for the Company's revival of the 1967 masterpiece. Join these esteemed artists in the studio for a series of coaching sessions on the iconic roles Balanchine made for them.

Wolf Trap Preview (Studio Presentation)

Thursday, August 21, 6:00 pm

Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts has commissioned a new work from Andrew Bartee, former PNB dancer and PNB School student which was filmed in Olympic National Park in April 2014. The Company will offer a single performing at Wolf Trap on August 27and will preview it in Seattle at this studio presentation.

Joyce Theater Preview (Studio Presentation)

Tuesday, September 30, 5:30 pm

Pacific Northwest Ballet returns to New York's Joyce Theater with a mixed bill, including Christopher Wheeldon's Tide Harmonic, Alejandro Cerrudo's Memory Glow, and a preview of Justin Peck's new work that will have its Seattle premiere in November's DIRECTOR'S CHOICE program.

Being Don Quixote: A Conversation with Tom Skerritt & Guests (Seminar)

Saturday, January 24 @ 3:00-4:30 PM

A panel discussion featuring actors Tom Skerritt and Allen Galli with PNB Company dancers.

William Forsythe On Stage (Lecture-Demonstration)

Wednesday, March 11, 6:30 pm

McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer Street at Seattle Center

Hear from iconic choreographer William Forsythe as he rehearses PNB Company dancers on stage at McCaw Hall in his own works.

PNB Lecture Series & Dress Rehearsal

McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer Street at Seattle Center

Jewels - Edward Villella

Thursday, September 25

DIRECTOR'S CHOICE - Justin Peck

Thursday, November 6

Don Quixote - Panel Discussion

January 29

THE VERTIGINOUS THRILL OF FORSYTHE - William Forsythe

Thursday, March 12

Swan Lake - Panel Discussion

Thursday, April 9

Carmina Burana - Alexei Ratmansky (Concerto DSCH)

Thursday, May 28

PNB's Lecture Series offers in-depth discussions with choreographers, stagers, designers, dancers, and other artists that reveal much about the creative process involved in the development of a ballet. Guests may attend the lecture only or stay for the dress rehearsal. (Tickets $12 lecture only; $30 lecture and dress rehearsal.)

Friday Previews

Jewels

September 19

Don Quixote

January 23

THE VERTIGINOUS THRILL OF FORSYTHE

March 6

Carmina Burana

May 15

PNB's popular Friday Previews are hour-long studio rehearsals hosted by Artistic Director Peter Boal and PNB artistic staff, featuring Company dancers rehearsing excerpts from upcoming ballets. These events usually sell out in advance. Friday Previews are sponsored by U.S. Bank.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets to the 2014-2015 season go on sale Monday, July 21. (Season subscriptions are available now.)

Tickets and subscriptions may be purchase through the PNB Box Office:

· Phone: 206.441.2424

· In Person: 301 Mercer Street at Seattle Center

· Online: PNB.org

For information on discount offers including 25 & Under tickets, Teen Tix, and Group Sales, visit PNB.org. While there, sign up on PNB's email list, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and the PNB blog! Be among the first to learn about PNB news, casting and performance updates, ticket offers, and more.

Photo Credit: Angela Sterling