Pacific Northwest Ballet & Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra at The Music Center

Pacific Northwest Ballet, one of the largest and most highly regarded ballet companies in the United States, was founded in 1972. In July 2005, Peter Boal became artistic director, succeeding Kent Stowell and Francia Russell, artistic directors since 1977. The company of nearly 50 dancers presents more than 100 performances each year of full-length and mixed repertory ballets at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall in Seattle and on tour. Pacific Northwest Ballet has toured to Europe, Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada and throughout the United States. The company will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2022 with performances at The Music Center as well as Lincoln Center in New York City. Pacific Northwest Ballets performances at The Music Center, featuring the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra, will entail a distinct presentation showcasing a host of contemporary works including Little mortal jump, a complex work by the companys resident choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo. The 26-minute work is a bubbling blend of different styles and genres that distills into a fluid, cohesive whole. The dance fuses the technicality of movement, the theatricality of the stage and the dark humor inherent in relationships. The program continues with Plot Point, a haunting piece inspired by film noir by Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite, which presents each performer shadowed by a counterpart dancer. The concept piece features dancers whose configurations and gestures sketch out the essential plot points of a narrative as their corresponding characters embody the emotional tone and tension of those moments. The performances will be capped with Twyla Tharps Waiting at the Station, a piece the incomparable choreographer developed for the company in 2013 as its first-ever artist-in-residence. Set in 1940s New Orleans with a score by R&B artist Allen Toussaint, the works scale, humanity and impetus sweep (New York Times) the audience into this narrative ballet that follows a man attempting to connect with his son one final time. Additional public events involving the company will be announced at a later date.At the current time, The Music Center requires all members of the public who attend performances and events inside The Music Centers four theatres to show proof of full vaccination for COVID-19 or a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of attendance (including children under 12). This applies to performances and events presented by TMC Arts and any organizations that present in The Music Centers theatres with the exception of The Music Centers resident companies, which have their own vaccination policies. As directed by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, all current visitors to The Music Centers indoor venues must wear a face covering, whether fully vaccinated or not. These policies could change and will be adapted to current conditions when the Dance at The Music Center season begins on March 11, 2022. In accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Los Angeles County Department of Public Health directives, The Music Center worked behind-the-scenes during the pandemic to prepare for the return of live performances in its venues, both indoors and outdoors, by implementing new measures and procedures. The Music Center became the first performing arts organization in the nation to earn the UL Verified Healthy Buildings Mark for Indoor Air and Water Quality. The Music Center underwent an extensive assessment process to earn the verification, demonstrating that each of its four venues, Grand Parks administrative office and The Music Center Annex, has excellent quality for indoor air and water. Additionally, The Music Center has enhanced all cleaning procedures, installed hand sanitizer dispensers in all public spaces and created a contact-free experience in its public restrooms as well as instituted electronic ticketing and a digital program book, among other measures.The 19th season of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center is generously supported by Glorya Kaufman Foundation, Center Dance Arts, Dorothy B. Chandler Program Fund and Elisabeth Katte Harris.