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Pacific Northwest Ballet: Leaping Out of the Hinterlands
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16507 |
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Section : |
THE ARTS
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11 / 1989 |
1,334 Words |
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Jessica Maxwell
Jessica Maxwell is a free-lance writer specializing in the
arts. She lives in Seattle. |
The Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) has definitely dispelled any lingering notions that Seattle is a cultural backwater. With its presentation of eight ballets at Washington, D.C.'s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts from September 26 through October 1, the PNB has become a dance force to be reckoned with.
Endowing its versatile performance with a fresh approach, this lively troupe has developed a reputation for sophistication of style and vigorous footwork, backed by a sparkling orchestra. The PNB's artistic directors, Francia Russell and Kent Stowell, hold back little when it comes to creating an atmosphere in which their dancers can shine. This husband-and-wife team has built a firm, twelve-year foundation centering on the Pacific Northwest Ballet School, which contributes regularly to the PNB's stable of vibrant, sleek, and energetic dancers.
The success of this community-based system is evident in the couples who are among the principal dancers, like former New York City Ballet artist Colleen Neary and Danish-trained Thordal Christensen, and French dancers Sylvie Guillaumin and Michel Mesnier. The directors' uncommon vision and unswerving dedication is finally paying off, allowing the PNB to leap boldly out of the watery hinterlands of western Washington and land squarely in the spotlight of national recognition.
Love Relationship
The PNB's Kennedy Center performances showed reminders of the time when both directors were soloists with the New York City Ballet, but this troupe is no Balanchine satellite. The first program
... (1998 of 8059 Characters)
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