Pacific Northwest Ballet dancers in William Forsythe’s One Flat Thing, reproduced, 2018. Photo © Angela Sterling.
The Director’s Choice program at Pacific Northwest Ballet this year comprised four outstanding ballets. But let’s face it, the one everybody wants to talk about is William Forsythe’s “One Flat Thing, reproduced.” It’s one of the most divisive ballets ever performed at this company (spoiler alert: I love it). Some people question whether it is even ballet. They doubt that the score qualifies as music. The questions are valid, but the answers are a resounding “yes!” This is the best kind of music and ballet – the kind that confuses us, makes us uncomfortable, and makes us think.
