Signature at PNB’s Themes & Variations

As I mentioned in my summary post, I have seen Signature before. But that time I was looking forward to seeing something else, and didn’t give it quite the attention it deserves. This time, I think it was my favorite piece in the mixed rep program that ends PNB’s 2018/2019 season, Themes & Variations.

Unexpected Directions

Signature starts with the lights down low – literally. The lighting truss was dropped down so low that it framed the stage. Eventually the frame expanded, and the lights became brighter. But by that time your attention was already focused on the dancers in practical blue and olive body suits. It was a simple thing, but unexpected, much like the rest of Signature.

Choreographed by PNB soloist Price Suddarth in 2015, Signature used a very familiar vocabulary. Except for some pointy snowflake lifts in the middle part, all of the movement was standard ballet. But every movement was different from what you expected to come next. That sense of constant mild surprise was like the fizz in a summer drink, giving the performance a delightful sense of lightness. To me, the unpredictability elevated Signature from merely pretty to something more substantial even as it injected humor.

Something Unique

Suddarth’s notes say the intent of the piece is to explore the value inherent in each of us as unique individuals, even when we struggle to identify anything in particular that is special about any one of us.

“The most beautiful thing we each have to offer is that we are 100% irreplaceable, distinctively singular, and utterly unmatched.”

Price Suddarth, program notes

That idea is perfectly captured in the unusual combinations of familiar movements in Signature.

In contemporary ballet, you often have a small cast where each dancer is doing their own thing. In Signature, you still have groups of people performing the same steps en masse. But compared to more traditional pieces (like Sleeping Beauty earlier in the season or Theme and Variations later in the program) the dancers in Signature are all doing the same thing in their own way. That looseness reminded me of the dancers I saw in Oslo. But coming from a company that excels in the military precision of classical ballet, those little variations in arm position felt like strong statements – signature moves, even.

Lasting Impressions

I have already said a bit about the music in a previous post, but it bears repeating here. VVLD, the Vivaldi-inspired double violin concerto with orchestra that local composer Barret Anspach wrote for the ballet was some of the best music I’ve heard in a while. Ballet music can disappear behind the dancers sometimes, but VVLD was like an extra dancer. Drawing attention to its own beauty without detracting from the dancers’, it contributed a lot to the celebratory feeling of the piece.

I also mentioned in a previous post that I came into this program tired from a super stressful week. Getting too tired always starts the negative self-talk loop in my brain, so this lighthearted affirmation that you don’t have to be special to be unique was a timely breath of fresh air. But it was a joy to watch even if you weren’t in need of a pick-me-up.  

Changing Impressions

Finally, I have one observation that I haven’t previously shared. For years there were a handful of dances that I would never miss. But I mostly sought out novelty and skipped familiar programs. Cost was a factor, and when you just can’t afford to attend everything, it often makes sense to prioritize new work. But whenever you can, it’s so worth seeing things again. Your mood and energy level are different every time you see a ballet. Your knowledge of dance continues to grow. There are different dancers every time a piece is staged, and they each bring unique talents and interpretations to a piece – even when that’s not what the piece is about. You never know when your favorite ballet might turn out to be something you thought was okay a couple seasons ago.

Details

Remaining performances: June 6 – 8 at 7:30 pm and June 9 at 1:00 pm

Tickets ($30-$187) are on sale online, by phone – 206.441.2424, or in person at 301 Mercer Street at Seattle Center. Subject to availability, tickets are also available 90 minutes prior to show times at McCaw Hall.

Music: Barret Anspach (VVLD, 2015)
Choreography: Price Suddarth
Costume Design: Mark Zappone
Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli
Running Time: 30 minutes
Premiere: November 6, 2015, Pacific Northwest Ballet

Cast I Saw

There was a cascade of substitutions in the casting on opening night. I’m not even going to try to list the dancers because I know I’ll get it wrong.

{I attended Theme & Variations program courtesy of Pacific Northwest Ballet. The tickets were theirs, but the opinions are mine.}