Tag Archive Sarah Ricard Orza

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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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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