10 Fun Facts for The Nutcracker’s 10th Anniversary!
George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® celebrates its 10th anniversary at PNB this year! The Northwest’s favorite holiday tradition, this ballet has been delighting balletomanes and first-time showgoers for a decade. Celebrate with us by diving deep into the production with 10 fun facts! 1. The approximate number of Nutcracker performances a founding member of the PNB Orchestra could have […]
What to Watch for: Jewels
Jewels, a trio of works by ballet great George Balanchine, is a perfect beginner ballet. Each piece on the program highlights a different school of dance, showing the breadth and depth of Balanchine’s choreography and the art form itself. Whether you’re preparing for your first time seeing Jewels, or your 50th, here’s what to watch […]
Jérôme Kaplan at PNB
Costume and set designer Jérôme Kaplan is internationally renowned and a PNB favorite. The 2025/26 Season features his stunning designs in two ballets, Jewels and Giselle. Read on to learn more about Kaplan and his work at PNB! Jérôme Kaplan was born in Paris, France in 1964. As a child, Kaplan loved to create imaginary cities and places […]
Celebrating Jessica Lang, PNB’s Resident Choreographer
As PNB’s current season draws to a close, we are looking ahead to the 2025/26 Season. This will mark Jessica Lang’s second year as PNB’s Resident Choreographer! PNB will celebrate Lang with our ALL LANG program in May of 2026, as well as her new ballet for children Momotaro. Keep reading to learn more about Jessica Lang, her choreographic process, […]
A Sensory Prelude to a Larger Mexican Tale | Kyle Davis & Sarah-Gabrielle Ryan NEXT STEP 2025
By Leah Terada Ballet has always been more than movement; it is memory, mood, metaphor. But in Pas de Deux from an Unnamed Story, choreographers Sarah-Gabrielle Ryan and Kyle Davis invite audiences to go even further. They ask us to taste and smell, to feel, and to remember. Set in 1800s Veracruz, Mexico, this duet, premiering June 13th as part […]
5 Reasons Why Roméo et Juliette is a Must-See
Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette is a beautiful retelling of the classic story. The power of the Shakespeare play is only made more poignant through the power of dance and live music, as young love blooms, grows, and overwhelms before your eyes. Keep reading to learn why this ballet is a must-see. In Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette, […]
A Dancer’s Perspective – Kyle Davis on The Sleeping Beauty
Dear PNB Family and Friends, On the eve of Pacific Northwest Ballet opening our new production of The Sleeping Beauty, I am feeling reflective. Over the course of my seventeen seasons with PNB I have seen so many exquisite artists step onto the McCaw Hall stage to perform iconic roles in this everlasting classic. My first Sleeping Beauty with […]
A Day in the Life of a Professional Division Student: Operating Puppets in The Sleeping Beauty
PNB’s world-premiere production of The Sleeping Beauty is a reimagining of the classic tale. The performance is full of innovative and exciting elements, like Preston Singletary’s Indigenous Northwest Coast-influenced set designs, Paul Tazewell’s stunning costumes, and puppets designed by Basil Twist! The Sleeping Beauty is PNB’s largest production ever, and PNB School’s Professional Division students (PDs) are operating many of these […]
10 Fast Facts about The Sleeping Beauty Costumes
With 184 roles and 80 costume designs, The Sleeping Beauty is PNB’s largest production ever. Work on the production began in October 2023, 15 months in advance of opening night. Over 90 artisans, craftspeople, drapers, stitchers, first hands, dyers, and milliners have contributed to the costume build, including costume designer Paul Tazewell, who also designed costumes for the […]
5 Reasons Why The Nutcracker is a Holiday Favorite
George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker© at Pacific Northwest Ballet is the Northwest’s favorite festive tradition! But what makes this ballet so beloved? Read on to learn five reasons why The Nutcracker is a holiday favorite! The Nutcracker, written in 1891, was composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s final ballet. The score was immediately popular, praised for its charming melodies and rich details. Tchaikovsky himself was especially delighted with his use of the celesta, a newly invented keyboard instrument; you […]