Pacific Northwest Ballet, one of the largest and most highly regarded ballet companies in the United States, was founded in 1972. In July 2005, Peter Boal became artistic director, succeeding Kent Stowell and Francia Russell, artistic directors since 1977. The company of nearly 50 dancers presents more than 100 performances each year of full-length and mixed repertory ballets at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall in Seattle and on tour. Pacific Northwest Ballet has toured to Europe, Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada and throughout the United States. The company will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2022 with performances at The Music Center as well as Lincoln Center in New York City.
Pacific Northwest Ballet’s performances at The Music Center, featuring the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra, will entail a distinct presentation showcasing a host of contemporary works including Little mortal jump, a complex work by the company’s resident choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo. The 26-minute work is a bubbling blend of different styles and genres that distills into a fluid, cohesive whole. The dance fuses the technicality of movement, the theatricality of the stage and the dark humor inherent in relationships. The program continues with Plot Point, a haunting piece inspired by film noir by Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite, which presents each performer shadowed by a counterpart dancer. The concept piece features dancers whose configurations and gestures sketch out the essential plot points of a narrative as their corresponding characters embody the emotional tone and tension of those moments. The performances will be capped with Twyla Tharp’s Waiting at the Station, a piece the incomparable choreographer developed for the company in 2013 as its first-ever artist-in-residence. Set in 1940s New Orleans with a score by R&B artist Allen Toussaint, the work’s “scale, humanity and impetus sweep” (New York Times) the audience into this narrative ballet that follows a man attempting to connect with his son one final time. Additional public events involving the company will be announced at a later date.
At the current time, The Music Center requires all members of the public who attend performances and events inside The Music Center’s four theatres to show proof of full vaccination for COVID-19 or a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of attendance (including children under 12). This applies to performances and events presented by TMC Arts and any organizations that present in The Music Center’s theatres with the exception of The Music Center’s resident companies, which have their own vaccination policies. As directed by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, all current visitors to The Music Center’s indoor venues must wear a face covering, whether fully vaccinated or not. These policies could change and will be adapted to current conditions when the Dance at The Music Center season begins on March 11, 2022.
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