Listen along as dance historian Doug Fullington takes the Ballet Talk audience through the three works featured in Pacific Northwest Ballet's final performances of the 2024/25 Season. Twyla Tharp’s American masterpiece Nine Sinatra Songs is still sharp 40 years after its premiere. In it, Tharp effortlessly floats between dance genres, set to the familiar strains of Frank Sinatra hits. Two pieces from innovative choreographers Rena Butler and PNB’s own Kiyon Ross round out the program. Kiyon Ross...
Jun 10, 2025•23 min•Ep. 69
Enjoy this episode featuring Pacific Northwest Ballet Associate Artistic Director Kiyon Ross in conversation with choreographer Rena Butler ahead of the world premiere of her new work for PNB, Cracks. The two speak on Rena's upbringing in Chicago, her journey from dancer to choreographer, insights into her detailed choreographic process, and her current cultural inspirations. This episode was recorded live in the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall in Marion Oliver McCaw Hall in Seattle, WA on May 29, 2...
Jun 09, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 68
Jean-Christophe Maillot’s contemporary version of Roméo et Juliette requires that dancers tap into unique skills of storytelling. Converge Media host Trae Holiday moderated this conversation with PNB dancers performing iconic roles for the first time. Listen to Angelica Generosa (Juliet), Dylan Wald (Romeo), Luther DeMyer (Friar Laurence), and Kuu Sakuragi (Mercutio) talk through how they got their starts in ballet, their insights into their characters, and more! Recorded in the Nesholm Family L...
May 27, 2025•56 min•Ep. 67
Listen as guest Ballet Talk lecturer Anne Searcy takes an introductory tour through PNB's fifth repertory program of the 2024/25 Season, Jean-Christophe Maillot's Romeo et Juliette. Anne Searcy is an Associate Professor of Music History at the University of Washington. Searcy covers the basic story itself, puts the original Shakespeare play in historical context, and gives a brief history of the various versions of the ballet including the version from Jean-Christophe Maillot and Les Ballets de ...
May 22, 2025•25 min•Ep. 66
Listen to local Seattle arts journalist Marcie Sillman in conversation with PNB Company dancer Price Suddarth and collaborators on his new ballet Dawn Patrol. Hear from Price, choreographic assistant Emma Love Suddarth, scenic designer Chrisoula Kapelonis, composer Alfonso Peduto, lighting designer Reed Nakayama, and costume designer Mark Zappone. The collaborators talk through the inspiration for Dawn Patrol, the collaborative creative process between each other and the dancers at Pacific North...
Mar 25, 2025•57 min•Ep. 65
Enjoy Doug Fullington's pre-show Ballet Talk for PNB's EMERGENCE program. Doug talks through EMERGENCE's quadruple-bill production including the premiere of Dawn Patrol, a new work by PNB Company dancer Price Suddarth; Jerome Robbins' intimate Afternoon of a Faun; Marco Goecke's solo work Mopey; and another audience favorite of Crystal Pite's, the mesmerizing Emergence. Recorded live in the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall in Marion Oliver McCaw Hall in Seattle, WA on March 15, 2025.
Mar 25, 2025•31 min•Ep. 64
Join dance historian and The Sleeping Beauty stager Doug Fullington as he introduces Pacific Northwest Ballet's brand new production of The Sleeping Beauty in this Ballet Talk episode. Fullington covers the history of the ballet's original choreography by Marius Petipa and score by Peter Tchaikovsky, the process of restaging an 1890 ballet for modern audiences, this new productions talented collaborators (including Preston Singletary, Paul Tazewell, and Basil Twist), and answers audience questio...
Feb 13, 2025•32 min•Ep. 63
Dance historian Doug Fullington gives an ALL BALANCHINE overview. He covers the brief histories of George Balanchine and his legacy, including the founding of New York City Ballet, staging Balanchine ballets and the George Balanchine Trust, and Balanchine's collaborators on the three works in PNB's ALL BALANCHINE program. This triple bill features Square Dance (1957), Prodigal Son (1929), and Stravinsky Violin Concerto (1972). Recorded live in the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at Seattle Center's ...
Nov 13, 2024•31 min•Ep. 62
Listen to Peter Boal in conversation with two PNB dancers dancing the titular role in George Balanchine's Prodigal Son for the first time. Jonathan Batista and Kuu Sakuragi talk through their personal histories with Prodigal Son, their experiences through the rehearsal process, and answer audience questions. Recorded in the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at Seattle Center's McCaw Hall in Seattle, Washington in November, 2024.
Nov 05, 2024•55 min•Ep. 61
In observance of Hispanic Heritage Month, and in partnership with Casa Latina Seattle, El Centro de La Raza, Joyas Mestizas, KEXP, and Union Cultural Center, in October 2023 PNB hosted Baila Conmigo, a community open house. Held at PNB’s Seattle Center studios, this free, public event featured dance performances by PNB Company dancers and local dance group Joyas Mestizas, a kids’ movement class led by Mestre Silvinho, and a panel discussion moderated by Movimento Afrolatino Seattle founder Monic...
Oct 01, 2024•51 min•Ep. 58
Doug Fullington introduces PNB's 2024/25 Season with our first performances of the year, THE TIMES ARE RACING. This program includes Edwaard Liang's The Veil Between Worlds, Jessica Lang's Black Wave, and Justin Peck's The Times Are Racing. Doug talks through these three works, the role of rehearsal directors in the ballet creation process, Jessica Lang's appointment as PNB's latest Resident Choreographer, recently promoted soloist dancer Luther DeMyer, and more! Recorded in the Nesholm Family L...
Sep 20, 2024•30 min•Ep. 57
Listen and learn more about PNB's new Resident Choreographer Jessica Lang! Artistic director Peter Boal interviewed Lang ahead of the premiere of her new work Black Wave in PNB's first performances of the 2024/25 Season. The two cover Jessica's background dancing and choreographing career, the role of a resident choreographer, her experiences so far with PNB, and answers questions from the audience. Recorded in the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at Seattle Center's McCaw Hall in Seattle, Washington...
Sep 19, 2024•53 min•Ep. 59
Listen and enjoy Doug Fullington's pre-performance Ballet Talk on George Balanchine's Coppélia. Fullington recaps this comedic ballet, its history, and more! Recorded live in the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall in McCaw Hall in Seattle, WA in June, 2024.
Jun 08, 2024•28 min•Ep. 60
Join Doug Fullington as he interviews PNB's retiring rehearsal director Otto Neubert and PNB School students performing in our final production of the 2023/24 Season, Coppélia. Listen to Otto as he recounts his incredible career from dancing to rehearsal directing, how dance steps and roles are passed dancer to dancer, and Otto's advice to dancers of all ages. This episode was recorded live in the Nesholm Lecture Hall in Marion Oliver McCaw Hall in Seattle, WA in June, 2024.
Jun 04, 2024•56 min•Ep. 56
Join dance historian Doug Fullington as he takes us through the three works of Pacific Northwest Ballet's THE SEASONS' CANON. On stage this rep are Twyla Tharp's Sweet Fields™, Jessica Lang's stunning solo The Calling, and Crystal Pite's mesmerizing work for 54 dancers, The Seasons' Canon. Doug Fullington is the founder and director of The Tudor Choir who sing the Shaker hymns featured in Sweet Fields, as well as the music for The Calling. Recorded in the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at Seattle C...
Apr 17, 2024•27 min•Ep. 54
Pacific Northwest Ballet Artistic Director Peter Boal and retiring PNB Principal dancer James Yoichi Moore talk about the ins and outs of James' career as a dancer. They cover his journey as a dancer pre-PNB, his on and off stage collaborators (Noelani Pantastico, Twyla Tharp, Seattle Dance Collective, etc.), his advice for young dancers, and more! Tune in to this conversation for a brief summary of James' contributions to PNB including some rapid-fire questions from Peter and the audience. This...
Apr 16, 2024•56 min•Ep. 53
Doug Fullington talks PNB audience members through the exciting double-bill program consisting of Matthew Neenan's Bacchus and Alejandro Cerrudo's One Thousand Pieces. Doug covers the music of Oliver Davis and Philip Glass, the costuming, and how dancing in water works in the Cerrudo work. Tune in for this behind the scenes look at Rep 4 of PNB's 2023/24 Season! Recorded in the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at Seattle Center's McCaw Hall in Seattle, Washington in March 2024.
Mar 28, 2024•30 min•Ep. 55
PNB's music director and principal conductor Emil de Cou moderates this Dress Rehearsal Conversation with four members of the PNB Orchestra. Michael Jinsoo Lim (Concertmaster, violin), Jennifer Caine Provine (Associate Concertmaster, violin), Alexander Grimes (viola), and Page Smith (cello) talk with Emil and answer questions from our audience members about playing Philip Glass' music in Alejandro Cerrudo's One Thousand Pieces, film scores, their histories with the PNB Orchestra, and so much mor...
Mar 28, 2024•57 min•Ep. 52
Pacific Northwest Ballet welcomes a new host of our pre-show Ballet Talk series, Dr. Anne Searcy ! Anne is an Assistant Professor of Music History at the University of Washington. Listen along as Anne walks our audience through the history of Tchaikovsky's "undanceable" Swan Lake score, the origin of Swan Lake's infamous 32 fouette turns that end Act III of the ballet, and a quick plot summary including deciphering ballet pantomime. Recorded in the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall in Seattle Center's...
Feb 14, 2024•30 min•Ep. 51
PNB's associate artistic director Kiyon Ross moderates this Dress Rehearsal Conversation with two PNB Principal dancers. Lucien Postlewaite and James Kirby Rogers talk with Kiyon and answer questions from our audience members about playing Prince Siegfried in Kent Stowell's Swan Lake, their interpretations of key moments of the ballet, recurring themes in romantic ballet, and so much more. This episode was recorded live in the Nesholm Lecture Hall in Marion Oliver McCaw Hall in Seattle, WA in Fe...
Feb 09, 2024•59 min•Ep. 50
Join dance historian Doug Fullington as he takes us through the three works of Pacific Northwest Ballet's second production of the 2023/24 season, LOVE & LOSS. This trio of works created for PNB shines a light on some of the stunning world premieres that our New Works Initiative has created in recent years. Donald Byrd’s haunting Love and Loss premiered in 2019, Alexei Ratmansky’s stunning tribute to his homeland of Ukraine, Wartime Elegy, followed in 2022, and and the newest new work at PNB...
Nov 14, 2023•33 min•Ep. 49
PNB artistic director Peter Boal moderates this Dress Rehearsal Conversation with choreographers Donald Byrd and Dani Rowe. Both Byrd and Rowe have works featured in the second rep of PNB's 2023/24 season, LOVE & LOSS. Both works were made for PNB through PNB's New Works Initiative. Donald Byrd's Love and Loss premiered in 2019, and Dani Rowe's The Window premiered in the LOVE & LOSS program in 2023. This episode was recorded live in the Nesholm Lecture Hall in Marion Oliver McCaw Hall i...
Nov 10, 2023•54 min•Ep. 48
Welcome to PNB's 2023/24 Season opener, PETITE MORT. We’ve packed as much whimsy, artistry, and drama as possible into our 2023/24 season opener. Built on a foundation of music from Mozart to Beethoven, this triple bill looks at the world of dance through unique shifts in perspective. Jiří Kylián’s Petite Mort and Sechs Tänze return after a long hiatus, along with Alexander Ekman’s delightful Cacti. Host Doug Fullington talks through the origins of each of the three works, including the featured...
Oct 03, 2023•26 min•Ep. 47
Join Doug Fullington introducing the final program of PNB's 50th Anniversary Season, WORLDS TO COME. Recorded live in the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall in McCaw Hall in Seattle, Doug takes us through the three works that make up the program. Works include the onstage premiere of Edwaard Liang's The Veil Between Worlds, featuring music composed by Oliver Davis, which first premiered during PNB's digital-only season in 2020. Two world premieres round out this triple-bill: Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's Khe...
Jun 12, 2023•30 min•Ep. 46
Enjoy this Dress Rehearsal Conversation for the closing rep of PNB's 50th Anniversary season, WORLDS TO COME. This conversation between choreographers Edwaard Liang, Kiyon Ross, and composer Oliver Davis was co-moderated by PNB's music director and principal conductor Emil de Cou and conductor and PNB company pianist Josh Archibald-Seiffer. The group focused on the inspiration and collaboration in composing new music for Liang's The Veil Between Worlds with music by Oliver Davis and Ross' ...thr...
Jun 05, 2023•55 min•Ep. 45
In Doug Fullington's pre-performance talk for George Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream, he outlines the plot of the ballet (based on the Shakespeare play of the same name), details the 1997 PNB-specific redesign of the ballet, and the international touring history of the ballet at PNB. Fullington also answers questions from the audience including details about working with The Balanchine Trust and approaching redesigns of works by George Balanchine as well as classical choreographers. This ...
Apr 25, 2023•32 min•Ep. 44
Doug Fullington takes our audience through ballet's preeminent ghost story, Giselle. Fullington talks about the origins of the ballet including the history of the spectral maidens, the Wilis, Giselle's pantomime and classic choreography, Jerome Kaplan’s costumes and sets, and Adolphe Adam's score. Recorded live in the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall in Marion Oliver McCaw Hall in Seattle, WA on February 3, 2023.
Feb 13, 2023•30 min•Ep. 43
In observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, PNB hosted a Community Open House in partnership with Holocaust Center for Humanity, the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, Mary Schwartz Summit, the Stroum Jewish Community Center, Temple Beth Am, and Temple De Hirsch Sinai. This free event featured a panel discussion moderated by PNB faculty member Miriam Landis, with the intention to bring history to life in a way that celebrates hope, inclusion, and resilience. Our sincere gratitud...
Jan 31, 2023•39 min•Ep. 42
Join Doug Fullington introducing our second program of the 2022-2023 Season. Recorded live in the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall in McCaw Hall in Seattle, Doug takes us through the three works that will be on this program. Works include Catching Feelings, a world premiere from Dwight Rhoden, George Balanchine's Duo Concerto and closing with the North American premiere of Crystal Pite's The Seasons' Canon.
Nov 15, 2022•29 min•Ep. 41
This episode of PNB's Conversation Series features choreographer Crystal Pite. She and PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal talk about community and mentorship of young dancers and choreographers, insight into Pite's creation process and collaborators on her work The Seasons' Canon, and her creation timeline for new works on her own company Kidd Pivot. This episode was recorded live in the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall inside McCaw Hall in Seattle, Washington on November 3, 2022.
Nov 04, 2022•55 min•Ep. 40
