ByGD
The fourth program of Pacific Northwest Ballet’s digital season, appropriately titled Rep 4 – launched? opened? posted? Premiered? – on Thursday, but I couldn’t watch it until Friday. It’s only available until Monday. So since time is short, I’ll try to keep my comments short. Rep 4 is a mixed rep program comprising world premieres by two of my favorite choreographers, and archival video of a third piece that PNB performed in 2017. I have mixed feelings about it.
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ByGD
The second program of Pacific Northwest Ballet’s season is Locally Sourced, a mixed rep comprising three world premieres by local choreographers: Eva Stone, Donald Byrd, and Miles Pertl. Of the three, Donald Byrd is the most well-known. Byrd is the Tony-nominated (The Color Purple) and Bessie Award-winning (The Minstrel Show) choreographer in charge of the contemporary dance company Spectrum Dance Theater. I can’t remember when I first became aware of Donald Byrd, or which of his works I first saw. But by the time I saw Christopher D’Ariano perform his piece Wake the Neighbors at Next Step, I already knew I liked his work. So I was looking forward to Love and Loss, and it did not disappoint.
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ByGD
The second program of Pacific Northwest Ballet’s season is Locally Sourced, a mixed rep comprising three world premieres by local choreographers. The title Locally Sourced is a gift to bloggers. It begs for restaurant metaphors and punny references to house-made ingredients and sound-to-stage production. But I’ve been a bit overwhelmed lately and can’t generate my usual enthusiasm for a writerly gimmick. Fortunately, enthusiasm for the actual program is in abundant supply. Locally Sourced was a high point in an otherwise bleak week.
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ByGD
In the past, my ballet exposure was limited to regular season performances. But this year I busted out of that narrow approach. I attended preview dress rehearsals, lectures, the season encore, and now, NEXT STEP. NEXT STEP is Pacific Northwest Ballet’s annual choreographers showcase. Managed by former PNB soloist Kiyon Ross, NEXT STEP is a one-night-only event where company dancers rise as choreographers, and the PNB School’s Professional Division students take center stage in an all-premiere program. This year it busted out of McCaw Hall, spilling onto the grounds of Seattle Center. Called NEXT STEP: OUTSIDE/IN, it featured (almost) all-new choreography (mostly) by PNB dancers. Appropriately, the evening began OUTSIDE.