Tag Archive Karel Cruz

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Pacific Northwest Ballet Season Encore

Pacific Northwest Ballet corps de ballet dancers Amanda Morgan and Sarah Pasch with company dancers in Diamonds from Jewels, choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust. PNB is presenting Jewels, with new sets and costumes designed by Jerome Kaplan, September 22 – October 1, 2017. Photo © Angela Sterling.

Pacific Northwest Ballet dancers Amanda Morgan and Sarah Pasch with company dancers in Diamonds from Jewels, 2017. Photo © Angela Sterling.

This is the first season that I’ve attended any of Pacific Northwest Ballet’s “extra” events – like performance previews, lectures, and now the Season Encore performance. Although it’s called a season encore, it’s not just a highlights reel of the past season. As I wrote yesterday, it’s also a farewell to departing dancers. In fact, several pieces performed at Season Encore were not even from the last season.

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Farewell Karel

Karel Cruz final bow at Pacific Northwest BalletI’ve attended regular season ballet performances since I was 18. But this is the first season that I’ve attended any of Pacific Northwest Ballet’s “extra” events – like performance previews, lectures, and now the Season Encore performance. Although it’s called a season encore, it’s not just a highlights reel of the most popular dances of the past season. The Encore program is also a farewell to company members who are leaving for other companies or retiring.

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Kaleidoscope 101

Last Saturday was all about dance. In the afternoon I went Pacific Northwest Ballet’s final Ballet 101 presentation of the season. That evening I finally got to see Kaleidoscope Dance perform their annual spring concert in the Broadway Performance Hall. Pairing the two events worked out very well.

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Perpetual State of Director’s Choice at PNB

Pacific Northwest Ballet principal dancer Jerome Tisserand and soloist Leta Biasucci, with company dancers in the world premiere of Ezra Thomson’s The Perpetual State, which PNB is presenting as part of DIRECTOR’S CHOICE, March 16 – 25, 2018. Photo © Angela Sterling.

PNB’s Jerome Tisserand and Leta Biasucci in Perpetual State. Photo © Angela Sterling.

Every year, Director’s Choice is my favorite rep at Pacific Northwest Ballet, but this year, Peter Boal knocked it out of the park with his selections. I’ve described Director’s Choice as omakase in the past. Boal himself says he chooses pieces he “wants audiences to understand are worth their attention and exploration.” He has also said that this year, a theme emerged after he chose the four pieces: each piece was choreographed by a dancer who was “given a chance” by their ballet director. The first piece of Director’s Choice, appropriately, was choreographed by one of PNB’s own dancers, Ezra Thomson. Read More

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In Which I Love Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Roméo et Juliette Immoderately

PNB Romeo and Juliet booklet

You kiss by the book(let)

Since the invention of the kiss, there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure…this one left them all behind.

This line from The Princess Bride kept running through my head during Roméo et Juliette at Pacific Northwest Ballet. Since I first saw ballet, there have been four instances that left the others behind. Read More