Slingerland Duet at PNB Director’s Choice

“Slingerland Duet (Pas de deux)” is only eight minutes long. But what wonderful minutes they are. “Slingerland Duet” is the second of four pieces presented at this year’s Director’s Choice at Pacific Northwest Ballet. Director’s Choice is my favorite rep of the season most years, but this year was the best yet. Artistic Director Peter Boal says he chooses pieces that he wants audiences to understand “are worth their attention and exploration.” That is certainly true of “Slingerland Duet.”

Slung Around

The title “Slingerland” is a bit of a mystery, but this particular dance has been slung around a bit. Choreographer William Forsythe played with the Slingerland theme for years. It eventually grew to a full four-act ballet, then disintegrated into smaller performances again. Two duets from the 1989 “Slingerland (Part I)” were pulled out in 2000, built up with some additional choreography, and presented as “Slingerland Duet.” In 2015 (if I’m correctly remembering the details from Education Programs Director Doug Fullington’s pre-talk) “Slingerland Duet” (or just this part of it) was planned as part of Forsythe’s “New Suite” at PNB. But after the very first performance, Forsythe decided it didn’t fit, and pulled these six minutes from the piece. Another change: earlier versions of “Slingerland” used potato chip-shaped tutus. These were recently replaced with pale bodysuits that kind of looked like nudity from a distance.

Tying the Rep Together

Like Lebowski’s stolen rug, this short piece stolen from a larger one tied the rep together, linking Ezra Thomson’s “The Perpetual State” and Ulysses Dove’s “Red Angels” (more on that later). Compared to Thomson’s piece, this one was more pretzelly (yes, that is a technical ballet term). It moved towards the more angular “Red Angels,” but still maintained some of the beauty and fluidity of Thomson’s piece.

Stand Alone

“Slingerland Duet” serves as more than just connective tissue, though. Despite being pulled from a larger work, the duet (danced by Lesley Rausch and Seth Orza on the night I attended) feels complete. It has a magical, otherworldly quality unique among the pieces in Director’s Choice. The spare costumes and stark lighting focus all the viewer’s attention on movement that is at once intricate and captivating. It’s only eight minutes, but for those eight minutes, the audience exists outside of time.

Tickets

Tickets ($30-$187) can be purchased online. Subject to availability, tickets are also available 90 minutes prior to each performance at McCaw Hall. These tickets are half-price for students and seniors; $5 for TeenTix members.

Remaining performances are:

March 22 – 24 at 7:30 pm

March 25 at 1:00 pm

Just the Facts

Slingerland Duet

Music: Gavin Bryars (String Quartet No. 1, “Between The National and The Bristol“)
Choreography: William Forsythe
Staging: Stefanie Arndt
Stage, Costume, and Lighting Design: William Forsythe
Duration: 8 minutes
Premiere: November 25, 1989; Ballett Frankfurt
Pacific Northwest Ballet Premiere: March 13, 2015 (New Suite)
Cast on the day I attended:

Lesley Rausch
Seth Orza