Pacific Ballet Presents ROMEO ET JULIETTE, Contemporary Ballet, Today

Pacific Ballet presents ROMEO ET JULIETTE, a contemporary interpretation of Shakespeare's tragedy, Choreography by Jean-Christophe Maillot, Music by Sergei Prokofiev (Op. 64, 1935-36).

February 5 - 14, 2016

Marion Oliver McCaw Hall

321 Mercer Street at Seattle Center

Seattle, WA 98109

February 5 at 7:30 pm

February 6 at 2:00 and 7:30 pm

February 11 - 13 at 7:30 pm

February 14 at 1:00 and 6:30 pm

"A remarkable work...this is like no Romeo and Juliet ballet you've seen before: It's intricate, often achingly beautiful, and never simply pretty." -The Seattle Times

"A tour-de-force requiring not only high-quality dancing but committed acting in this symbolic, abstract version of the Shakespearean love story. Maillot's choreography is exciting and energizing, a feast of styles densely packed together, and the PNB dancers revel in it." -Tacoma News Tribune

SEATTLE, WA - In January 2008, Pacific Northwest Ballet brought Jean-Christophe Maillot's masterful Roméo et Juliette to Seattle for its west coast premiere, making PNB the first American company to perform the work. This three-act interpretation of Shakespeare's great love story was premiered in 1996 by Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, where Maillot is resident choreographer and artistic director. His contemporary interpretation has been hailed throughout the world as "one of the most beautiful ballets adapted from Shakespeare's masterpiece that can be seen today" (Scènes Magazine), and instantly became an audience favorite and a signature work in PNB's repertory. Now, eight years after its Seattle debut, this unforgettable three-act interpretation of Shakespeare's great love story returns as PNB continues its 2015-2016 Season. (Audience Advisory: Content may not be appropriate for young children.)

Roméo et Juliette runs for eight performances only, February 5 through 14 at Seattle Center's Marion Oliver McCaw Hall. Showtimes are 7:30 pm February 5, 6, 11, 12 and 13, with matinees at 2:00 pm on February 6 and 1:00 pmon February 14, and a final 6:30 pm performance on February 14. Tickets start at $30 and may be purchased by calling the PNB Box Office at 206.441.2424, online at www.PNB.org, or in person at the PNB Box Office at 301 Mercer St.

Watch a preview below!

ABOUT THE BALLET

Roméo et Juliette
Music: Sergei Prokofiev (Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64, 1935-1936)
Choreography: Jean-Christophe Maillot
Staging: Gaby Baars, Bernice Coppieters, and Giovanna Lorenzoni
Scenic Design: Ernest Pignon-Ernest
Costume Design: Jérôme Kaplan
Lighting Design: Dominique Drillot
Premiere: December 23, 1996: Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo
Pacific Northwest Ballet Premiere: January 31, 2008
Running Time: 2 hours, 25 minutes

From West Side Story to Twilight, Shakespeare's great romance seems always to find new interpretation, and its tale of forbidden love has been especially enticing to the dance world. Peter Boal was so mesmerized by Jean-Christophe Maillot's Roméo et Juliette when he attended its New York debut in 1999, that it became his first full-length acquisition for PNB as artistic director. Though Maillot's Roméo et Juliette is firmly grounded in classical ballet, his choreography is imbued with natural and intuitive movement that feels progressive and expands margins of expression. As the famous story of star-crossed lovers unfolds, the dancers' swimming hands, flying arms, and off-kilter balances speak for racing hearts, reckless impulses, and inner turmoil. Stage action is brought into high relief by the ballet's spare and elegant design. Great washes of blue and gold light reflect the magnitude of Prokofiev's dramatic score, and the piercing elation and lament of young love project like Hollywood close-ups.

Sergei Prokofiev's glorious ballet score is frequently called his masterpiece. Its thematic melodies-by turns sweetly tender, sweepingly passionate, hotly fierce and chillingly eerie-provide counterpoint and impart eloquent support to the narrative. In his version of Roméo et Juliette, choreographer Jean-Christophe Maillot has taken formal inspiration from the episodic character of Prokofiev's classic score, structuring the action in a manner akin to cinematic narrative. Rather than focusing on themes of political-social opposition between the two feuding clans, this Romeo and Juliet highlights the dualities and ambiguities of adolescence. Torn between contradictory impulses, between tenderness and violence, fear and pride, the lovers are caught in the throes of a tragedy that exemplifies their youth and the extreme emotions and internal conflicts that characterize that time of life-a time of life when destiny, more than at any other moment, seems to escape conscious control, and when the inner turmoil occasioned by passions and ideals can sometimes have disproportionate-even fatal-consequences. In evoking this fragile and volatile state of being, scenic designer Ernest Pignon-Ernest has created a decor marked by transparency and lightness: a play of simple forms that reveals an underlying complexity of meaning. [Notes reprinted by permission of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo.]

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Jean-Christophe Maillot was born in 1960 in Tours, France. He studied dance and piano at the Conservatoire National in Tours before joining Rosella Hightower's International School of Dance in Cannes. In 1977, he won the Prix de Lausanne, and in 1978, he was invited to join the Hamburg Ballet, where director John Neumeier created principal roles for him in many works. In 1983, Maillot was appointed choreographer and director of the Ballet du Grand Theatre in Tours, subsequently one of France's National Choreographic Centres. He choreographed some twenty ballets for this company, and in 1985, he founded the festival Le Chorégraphique. In 1992, he was awarded the title of Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture, Jack Lang. In 1993, H.R.H. the Princess of Hannover invited Maillot to become director of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo. As principal choreographer for a company of fifty dancers, he has created more than 28 ballets, such as Vers un pays sage (1995), Roméo and Juliet (1996), Cinderella (1999) La Belle (2001), Le Songe (2005), Altro Canto (2006), Faust (2007) and LAC (2011). Several of these works are now included in the repertoires of major international ballet companies. In 2009, he developed the content and coordinated the Centenary of the Ballets Russes in Monaco, which would see over 50 companies and choreographers pass through the Principality in one year, providing entertainment for 60,000 audience members. Roméo et Juliette is the first ballet by Jean-Christophe Maillot to enter Pacific Northwest Ballet's repertory.

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was a leading Soviet composer and brilliant pianist. He left Russia in 1918 and lived in Germany and Paris for the next sixteen years, with frequent trips to America for concert appearances. In 1934 he settled in Moscow and composed prolifically until his death. Among his best known works are the ballet scores Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella and Prodigal Son; the opera The Love for Three Oranges; the children's classic, Peter and the Wolf; the film score and cantata for Alexander Nevsky; and the Classical Symphony.

The first Soviet performance of Romeo and Juliet was given at the Kirov Theater on January 11, 1940. Preceding the first performance there were many disagreements between the choreographer, Leonid Lavrovsky, and Prokofiev. The dancers failed to understand the music; and the orchestra, in a last-ditch effort to avoid a disaster, tried to cancel the performance. Despite so little hope for success, the ballet was well received and has been popular ever since. The Lavrovsky ballet was finally presented by the Bolshoi Ballet on December 28, 1946.

TICKET INFORMATION & DISCOUNT OFFERS

Pacific Northwest Ballet's production of Jean-Christophe Maillot's Roméo et Juliette runs February 5 - 14 at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer Street at Seattle Center. Showtimes are 7:30 pm February 5, 6, 11, 12 and 13, with matinees at 2:00 pm on February 6 and 1:00 pm on February 14, and a final 6:30 pm performance on February 14.

Ticket range: $30 - $187. Tickets may be purchased through the PNB Box Office:

· Phone: 206.441.2424 (Mon.-Fri. 10am-6pm; Sat. 10am-5pm)

· In person: 301 Mercer Street, Seattle (Mon.-Fri. 10am-6pm; Sat. 10am-5pm)

· Online: PNB.org (24/7)

Tickets are also available, subject to availability, 90 minutes prior to each performance at McCaw Hall, located at 321 Mercer Street.

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/GroupTickets.

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 just for them. For more information and to sign up, visit PNB.org and search for "The Pointe."

TEENTIX

PNB is a proud participant of TeenTix. Founded by Seattle Center, TeenTix's 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

FRIDAY PREVIEW

Friday, January 29, 6:00 pm

The Phelps Center, 301 Mercer St., Seattle

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. Tickets are $12. These events usually sell out in advance. Friday Previews are sponsored by U.S. Bank.

ROMÉO ET JULIETTE COACHING REHEARSAL

Monday, February 1, 5:30 pm

The Phelps Center, 301 Mercer St., Seattle

Join us for this rare opportunity to see Bernice Coppieters, Jean-Christophe Maillot's muse and original Juliet, coach PNB dancers in Maillot's signature staging of Roméo et Juliette. Tickets ($25) are available through the PNB Box Office. This event will be live-streamed.

BALLET PREVIEW - FREE

Tuesday, February 2, 12:00 noon

Central Seattle Public Library, 1000 Fourth Avenue, Seattle

Join PNB for a free lunch-hour preview lecture at the Central Seattle Public Library. Audience Education Manager Doug Fullington will offer insights about Roméo et Juliette, complete with video excerpts.

LECTURE SERIES & DRESS REHEARSAL

Thursday, February 4

Lecture 6:00 pm, Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at McCaw Hall

Dress Rehearsal 7:00 pm, McCaw Hall

Join PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal in conversation with a panel of Roméo et Juliette artists, during the hour preceding the dress rehearsal. Attend the lecture only or stay for the rehearsal. Tickets are $12 for the lecture, or $30 for the lecture and dress rehearsal. Tickets may be purchased through the PNB Box Office.

PRE-PERFORMANCE LECTURES

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 Roméo et Juliette to the stage. One hour before performances. FREE for ticketholders.

POST-PERFORMANCE Q&A

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.

LISTEN TO THE BALLET!

Saturday, February 6, 7:30 pm

PNB partners with Classical KING FM 98.1 to bring listeners some of the world's most popular ballet scores, featuring the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra direct from McCaw Hall. Tune in to KING FM for a live broadcast performance of Roméo et Juliette conducted by Emil de Cou on Saturday, February 6 at 7:30 pm. Only on 98.1 fm or online at king.org/listen.

YOUNG PATRONS CIRCLE NIGHT

Friday, February 12, 7:30 pm
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 and search for "YPC."

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