ByGD
Halloween was my favorite holiday growing up. But now that I have my own kids, it feels like the pronunciation I hate has become accurate – “hollow”. One year I handed out these full-disclosure homemade treats. It felt like I was resisting the defanging of Halloween.
I only thought the day was sanitized back then. Oh well. At least kids will be allowed to wear masks with their costumes again this year.
ByGD
After Covid cancelled half a season of Pacific Northwest Ballet performances, and Seattle Dance Collective put out a great virtual summer season, I bought season tickets to PNB@Home without paying much attention to what it involved. I just knew I wanted to support the company and make sure it was still around when “real” ballet was possible again. But then I saw the first program of the virtual season, and to my surprise, I enjoyed it just as much as a night at McCaw Hall. So now I’m taking a closer look at the rest of the season.
ByGD
I am not a particularly superstitious person. And even very superstitious people usually think of fortune cookies as just-for-fun. But thanks to a very accurate fortune cookie I got in high school, I tend to pay a little closer attention to them than they probably deserve. But not this time. This fortune cookie was clearly meant for someone else.
ByGD
I can never curb my enthusiasm over a good night out at the ballet. I didn’t expect to have the same problem with a virtual ballet performance. But the first program of Pacific Northwest Ballet’s digital 2020-2021 season was just as good as anything I’ve seen live. Of course there are trade-offs, but I discovered that recorded ballet can be worth buying tickets to. And as much as I loved what I saw in Act 1 of Rep 1, Act 2 topped it.
ByGD
This is the post where I put the cart before the horse. Between paid work and keeping up with Seattle Opera’s weekly online releases, I haven’t had a chance to preview Pacific Northwest Ballet’s virtual season. But PNB@Home Rep 1 posted last night, and it’s only available until Monday, so I have to write about it now or anyone who reads this won’t have a chance to see it. And missing this program would be a shame.
I’ve watched a lot of art online since the pandemic started, and while virtual performances are better than nothing, they are rarely better than live ones. But I rank this first program of PNB’s online 2020-2021 season among some of my favorite nights of ballet since that fateful Nutcracker in 1992 that hooked me on the art form.