Zoe Meadows-Sahr
Announcing Jessica Lang as PNB’s Next Resident Choreographer
PNB is excited to announce Jessica Lang will be PNB’s next Resident Choreographer. Lang’s journey with PNB began in 2015 with The Calling, and a prolific partnership quickly formed. In 2016, Lang partnered with PNB to create Her Door to the Sky, which was commissioned in part by Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and performed by the company internationally. Lang returned to PNB with Ghost Variations in 2020, and again for Let Me Mingle Tears With Thee in 2023. Her role as PNB’s Resident Choreographer will last for three seasons, starting with the upcoming 2024/25 season.
Jessica Lang’s choreographic work at PNB
Jessica Lang has worked with numerous dance companies worldwide, and PNB holds a special place in her heart. “Every level of this company focuses on producing the very best quality and excellence. It is evident in everything they do… One moment [the dancers] can perform classics and the next they can be sliding in socks – all the while remaining true to artistic integrity. They are not imitating styles; they are invested. They are capable of the extreme and everything in between.”
“Typically when I create, I reflect the dancer in front of me. With PNB, I do not have to stay within a boundary. I have the artistic and physical freedom to create in any direction. I get to have the greatest humans in front of me, ready to be dared, and I can simply make whatever I imagine since everything is possible.”
PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal states, “Jessica will commence her residency in August with a new creation for our first program of the 2024-25 season. This will be her fourth new work for the Company. PNB will then have five works by Jessica in active rep and we look forward to adding several more during her residency.”
Boal continues, “Jessica is a true collaborator – working side by side with dancers, designers, rehearsal directors and staff to achieve artistic excellence and to ensure a rewarding process for all involved. I’m so excited for Jessica to become our Resident Choreographer and to continue an already winning partnership for PNB.”
As part of her three-year residency, Lang will create two world premieres for PNB among other projects. In addition, she will participate in multiple conversations with PNB audience members about her creative process and choreographic work.
You can celebrate Jessica Lang’s choreographic residency with us at our upcoming show The Seasons’ Canon, which runs April 12 – 21, 2024. Jessica Lang’s stunning solo work The Calling is a part of this powerful program, which also includes Twyla Tharp’s Sweet Fields and Crystal Pite’s The Seasons’ Canon. Join us for this trio of works created by three exemplary female choreographers.