Pacific Northwest Ballet Announces 2021-2022 Season of Live Performances
Seattle, WA. The Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) is planning to have live onstage performances starting in September. The company is currently wrapping up a first-ever digital season. Elle Macy and Dylan Wald, (seen above) were featured in PNB’s digital offerings this season.
Artistic Director Peter Boal is announcing the line-up for 2021-2022 which includes the works of Alejandro Cerrudo and Twyla Tharp, PNB premieres by Alonzo King and Justin Peck and a world premiere by Robyn Mineko Williams. Other highlights will be the return of classic story ballets Swan Lake and Roméo et Juliette, as well as works by Ulysses Dove, Jessica Lang, and Crystal Pite. (And George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®.)
PNB will continue to offer its digital subscription as well. During the past pandemic year the company’s offerings, like Curious Kingdom, seen above, were viewed by ballet fans in every state and 34 countries.
Full-season subscribers will have access to the digital season as part of their subscription.
PNB Box Office is now taking orders for subscription renewals and digital-season subscriptions. Click here for info. (New subscriptions, Nutcracker and season single tickets to go on sale later this summer.)
Full-season subscriptions start at $190.
Four-show partial-season subscriptions (February – June performances) start at $130.
Digital season subscriptions available for $249.
(Free with full-season season subscriptions; $150 with partial-season seated subscriptions.) September 2021 – June 2022, Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer Street at Seattle Center, Seattle, Washington
Below is a list of the 2021-22 offerings From PNB:
PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET’S 2021-22 SEASON LINE-UP (Programming and schedule subject to change.)
Rep 1 – SINGULARLY CERRUDO
September 24 – 26, 2021
The creative power of PNB’s Resident Choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo is on full display in this triple bill. Breathe in the moving tranquility of Silent Ghost, take a tantalizing look at spectacular teamwork in an excerpt from One Thousand Pieces, and journey through the unexpected twists and turns of Little mortal jump.
Silent Ghost
Music: Dustin Hamman, King Creosote & Jon Hopkins, Ólafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm
Choreography: Alejandro Cerrudo
One Thousand Pieces (Excerpt)
Music: Philip Glass
Choreography: Alejandro Cerrudo
Little mortal jump
Music: Beirut, Andrew Bird’s Bowl of Fire, Alexandre Desplat, Philip Glass, Hans Otte, Max Richter, Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan
Choreography: Alejandro Cerrudo
Rep 2 – BEYOND BALLET
November 5 – 7, 2021
Three unique voices of three internationally-acclaimed choreographers: the combination of Ulysses Dove’s mournful Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven, Jessica Lang’s haunting Ghost Variations, and the PNB premiere of Alonzo King’s The Personal Element promises unmatched emotion, expression, and musicality.
Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven
Music: Arvo Pärt
Choreography: Ulysses Dove
Ghost Variations
Music: Clara Schumann and Robert Schumann
Choreography: Jessica Lang
The Personal Element (PNB Premiere)
Music: Jason Moran
Choreography: Alonzo King
George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®
November 20 – December 28, 2021 (NOTE: Not part of the 2021-22 Subscription season.)
Celebrate the holidays with renewed gusto! With its classic score, thrilling dancing, resplendent costumes, and magical scenery, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®is the perfect centerpiece for any holiday celebration. Cheers!
Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreography: George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust
Costume & Scenic Design: Ian Falconer
Roméo et Juliette
February 4 – 13, 2022
Presented during PNB’s 2020-21 digital season, but nothing compares to the in-person experience: Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette will sweep audiences to Verona through powerful choreography, Prokofiev’s rich score, the flush of first love, and the drama of Shakespeare’s classic story.
Music: Sergei Prokofiev
Choreography: Jean-Christophe Maillot
Rep 4 – PLOT POINTS
March 18 – 27, 2022
Bold experimentation is the theme for this set of trailblazing pieces. PNB audiences will remember the power of Crystal Pite’s Plot Point; the arresting complexity of Justin Peck’s The Times Are Racing and a world premiere by Robin Mineko Williams (The Trees The Trees) are sure to make a similar impression.
The Times Are Racing (PNB Premiere)
Music: Dan Deacon
Choreography: Justin Peck
World Premiere
Choreography: Robin Mineko Williams
Plot Point
Music: Bernard Herrmann
Choreography: Crystal Pite
Beauty and the Beast
March 20 – 27, 2022 (NOTE: Not part of the 2021-22 Subscription season.)
Featuring students of Pacific Northwest Ballet School.
Based on the beloved fairy tale, this narrated, one-hour performance is the perfect introduction to ballet for young theatre-goers. Performed by the accomplished students of PNB School, Bruce Wells’ Beauty and the Beast will take the audience on a journey to a magical world of adventure, unlikely friendships, and true love.
Music: Léo Delibes
Concept and Choreography: Bruce Wells
Swan Lake
April 15 – 24, 2022
PNB’s return to the stage wouldn’t be complete without Swan Lake. Every element of this production is carefully crafted to keep the audience on the edge of their seat, from the masterful choreography, to the stunning sets and costumes, to the undeniably iconic score. And most captivating of all: the story at the ballet’s heart – a classic tale of good versus evil, temptation, tragedy, and love of the highest order.
Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreography: Kent Stowell
Staging: Francia Russell (after Petipa and Ivanov)
REP 6 – ALL THARP
June 3 – 12, 2022
PNB’s final rep of the season is all about the legendary dancer, director, and choreographer Twyla Tharp. From the echo of her own Quaker roots in Sweet Fields, to the haunting Scottish clan in Brief Fling, to the all-out joy of New Orleans that runs through Waiting at the Station, Tharp draws inspiration from around the globe and yet her style remains quintessentially her own.
Brief Fling
Music: Michel Colombier and Percy Grainger
Choreography: Twyla Tharp
Sweet Fields (PNB Premiere)
Music: 18th- and 19th-century American hymns and Shaker songs
Choreography: Twyla Tharp
Waiting at the Station
Music: Allen Toussaint
Choreography: Twyla Tharp
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
The Pacific Northwest Ballet Box Office is now taking orders for subscription renewals and digital-season subscriptions to PNB’s 2021-22 season. Full-season [seated] subscriptions start at $190 for seats to all six programs. Four-show partial-season subscriptions, with seats to the February – June performances, start at $130.
Full-season subscriptions include access to six digital performances as well. Partial-season subscribers may purchase digital access for $150. A digital-only subscription is available for $249.
Subscribers should be receiving detailed renewal information via email, and may contact the PNB Box Office by calling 206.441.2424 or online at PNB.org.
New subscriptions and single tickets to season performances as well as tickets to George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker will be available for purchase from the PNB Box Office beginning later this summer, date TBA.
- A. Q.s
What safety protocols will be in place at McCaw Hall?
The 2021/22 season will be our first in-person season since the COVID pandemic began. The safety of our artists, audiences, and staff is our first priority. This far in advance, it is difficult to predict exactly what safety procedures may look like over the course of the next year. Masks will be required for attending Pacific Northwest Ballet performances, and we will follow public health and safety mandates. Up-to-date safety procedures will be sent regularly via email and available at any time on PNB.org. By purchasing an in-person ticket or subscription to our 2021/22 Season patrons agree to abide by all safety requirements at McCaw Hall.
Can subscribers sit in their same seats this season?
We hope to return subscribers to their seats by February 2022. Because Reps 1 and 2 are the first performances back in McCaw Hall and have shorter performance runs, seating will be socially distanced and the best available in subscribers’ seating section (or a comparable section). Seating will follow public health and safety mandates and be at the discretion of the Box Office.
How will capacity requirements at McCaw Hall affect the ability to attend a performance? McCaw Hall capacity will follow public health and safety mandates and may affect where patrons sit or the day they attend. Subscribers have priority access to available seating. Single tickets (non-subscription ticket purchases) will be based on availability, and will go on sale at a later date.
What will food and beverage service look like?
Prelude, McCaw Hall’s full service restaurant, will not be open in the fall. Spectra, McCaw Hall’s concessionaire, is planning for grab-and-go pre-packaged food and beverage options.
Will vaccinations against COVID-19 be mandatory to attend?
PNB encourages all audience members to be vaccinated. We will be following public health and safety mandates regarding mandatory vaccine and/or rapid testing to attend performances at McCaw Hall.
Will the Digital Season match the content seen by those attending in-person performances at McCaw Hall? We are working closely with our partners with the goal of translating as much of the in-person performance experience to the digital version as possible.
How long will digital ticketholders have access to the performance?
Subscribers will have access to their digital content for five days after the link is made available. The content will come offline at midnight on the fifth day after it is released. For example, a performance released on a Thursday will be available until midnight on the evening of the following Monday.
Why are digital performances limited in time?
Generally speaking, PNB does not own the creative rights to the content we perform. This applies to both choreography as well as music performed by the PNB Orchestra. Our digital release windows are arranged with the permission of the owners of this content, and PNB is committed to honor these terms.
Will subscribers get their same seat(s) for Reps 1 and 2?
Reps 1 and 2 will be one-week runs with only four performances each. The PNB Box Office will assign subscribers the best seats available in their section or a comparable section, following all public health and safety mandates.
Seating will happen at a later date closer to the performance when we know more about crowd size requirements. (We hope to return subscribers to their usual seats by February 2022.)
Will subscribers have access to a digital viewing if they can’t use their in-person ticket? Full-Season subscribers will automatically receive access to the Digital Season. Mini-season subscribers and single ticket holders may exchange their performance ticket into digital if they wish.
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Pacific Northwest Ballet’s 2021-2022 season is proudly sponsored by ArtsFund and Microsoft. Special thanks also to 4Culture, National Endowment for the Arts, The Shubert Foundation, City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, and The Wallace Foundation.
