Pacific Northwest Ballet began its new season last Saturday with "First Look 2007."
This special preview performance, followed by a gala party for PNB supporters, ranged from the elegance of Balanchine's "Ballet Imperial" to the giddy goofiness of Jerome Robbins' "The Concert (or, The Perils of Everybody)."
Entering his third year as artistic director of Pacific Northwest Ballet, Peter Boal again demonstrated his willingness to keep the audience guessing.
The lush "Ballet Imperial," with a full complement of ballerinas in glittering tutus and rhinestone crowns, was followed immediately by the cool "Für Alina." In the latter piece, Carla Körbes and Batkhurel Bold appeared and disappeared in a spotlight shining on a darkened stage, twisted by Edwaard Liang's choreography into positions of haunting vulnerability.
Even more startling was "Caught" by David Parsons. Principal dancer Olivier Wevers moved in and out of a strobe light, appearing to be suspended in mid-air in a series of leaps synchronized to the flashes of the strobe.
Boal consciously avoided a particular theme for the season. "I really resist [looking for a theme] when I'm scheduling works," he said, "so I'm always amazed afterwards how different themes emerge as the season goes on."
The fact that both full-length ballets this season, outside of the perennial favorite "Nutcracker," were Shakespearian stories wasn't the real attraction to Boal. Rather, he chose Jean-Christophe Maillot's "Roméo et Juliette" because it was quite different from the lush costumes and sets of "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
Boal predicted "Roméo et Juliette" will appeal to the same audience that has loved the contemporary short works appearing in the "mixed rep" programs over the past two seasons. "It is a beautiful interpretation of the story," said Boal, "but the set is quite minimalist and the costumes are sparse. The intricacy of the work comes from the dancers' characterization."
The balcony pas de deux from "Roméo et Juliette" was danced Saturday night by principal dancer Noelani Pantastico and recently promoted soloist Lucien Postle-waite. The pair became giddy, teenaged lovers, caught up in the excitement of a first kiss. So charming was this couple that anyone who attends the full-length version better come prepared with a basket of Kleenex to sustain themselves through the lovers' tragic end.
Along with Postlewaite's promotion, Boal announced that Mara Vinson, who has danced at PNB since 1999, would become a principal dancer this season.
Although soloists and principals dance the majority of leading roles throughout the season, Boal has often and quite deliberately moved around pairings of dancers, bring the corps members (the ballet equivalent of a chorus member) into prominence. It's a practice that will continue this season.
"The audience recognizes the talent of all of our dancers, and I want to create new opportunities for each dancer to be seen and to grow [in their craft]," Boal said. "We have six new dancers in the company this season, and you should get to know all of them better as the season progresses."
PNB's first regular "rep" of the season will be the All Balanchine program opening Thursday, Sept. 20. The three pieces selected for the evening are "Square Dance" as revised by Balanchine in 1976, "Prodigal Son" and "Ballet Imperial."
Although he began the season with Balanchine, the company's most often performed choreographer, Boal will continue to expand PNB's repertoire. "Here, there is such a strong familiarity with the works of Balanchine," said Boal, "but now we've added several pieces by Ulysses Dove, Jerome Robbins and Twyla Tharp. And [the audience] now can start looking for the similarities and differences in how a new work by these choreographers compares to what has been done here before."
Boal also plans to repeat such recent works as "The Kiss" by Susan Marshall (which had its PNB première in 2006) and "Sense of Doubt" by Paul Gibson (which had its PNB première earlier this spring).
Such quick repeats come out of his own experience, said Boal. "I danced in a company that would repeat choreography over the course of three seasons and then retire it for awhile. And, because 'Sense of Doubt' was part of the festival last year, not all of our regular subscribers got to see it."
The Spring Festival, which premièred last year as a way for PNB to reach out into the broader dance community and share the stage with other local and out-of-town companies, returns in April 2008. The 2008 festival revolves around the theme of comedy under the title "Laugh Out Loud!"
"There is a strong thread of comedy that runs through this season," said Boal, who thinks the 2008 festival will attract both the ballet audience fresh from being amused by the full-length "A Midsummer's Night Dream" in April and dance enthusiasts who just like to laugh.
The season will conclude with an all-Robbins program that repeats "Fancy Free" and "Into the Night" and adds delightful ballet spoof "The Concert" to PNB's repertoire.
By the end of this season, Boal expressed the hope that the audience's reaction to this mix of classic ballet, modern works and comedy cut-ups will be "Wow, more, please!"
The "First Look 2007" certainly left them clapping enthusiastically at the end of Saturday night.
'ALL BALANCHINE'
Sept. 20-30
Pacific Northwest Ballet
McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St.
Tickets: $20-$150
441-2424 or www.pnb.org
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