Ballet Talk with Pacific Northwest Ballet

Enjoy Doug Fullington's pre-show Ballet Talk for PNB's IN THE UPPER ROOM program. Doug talks through IN THE UPPER ROOM's triple-bill production including the premiere of AfterTime, a new work by PNB Company dancers Amanda Morgan and Christopher D'Ariano; Dani Rowe's intimate trio The Window; and Twyla Tharp's ballet blockbuster, the mesmerizing In the Upper Room. Fullington talks through each work and the collaborations that brought each to life, including that all three pieces on the program feature custom-composed scores from Fiona Stocks-Lions and Thomas Nickell (AfterTime), Shannon Rugani (The Window), and Philip Glass (In the Upper Room). 

Recorded live in the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall in Marion Oliver McCaw Hall in Seattle, WA in November, 2025.

The first rep of Pacific Northwest Ballet's 2025/26 season marked the return of George Balanchine’s Jewels to the stage after an eight-year hiatus. This trio of ballets features glittering scenic and costume design by Jérôme Kaplan and a perfect assortment of quintessential choreography by George Balanchine. Emeralds evokes French elegance, Rubies brings the glamor and jazz of America, and Diamonds recalls the grandeur of Balanchine’s native St. Petersburg. Doug Fullington takes you through the history of George Balanchine's Jewels, his musical collaborators (Gabriel Fauré, Igor Stravinsky, and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky), the original NYCB dancers and their relationships with PNB, and more! 

 

Recorded live in the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall in Marion Oliver McCaw Hall in Seattle in October, 2025.

Listen along as dance historian Doug Fullington takes the Ballet Talk audience through the three works featured in Pacific Northwest Ballet's final performances of the 2024/25 Season. Twyla Tharp’s American masterpiece Nine Sinatra Songs is still sharp 40 years after its premiere. In it, Tharp effortlessly floats between dance genres, set to the familiar strains of Frank Sinatra hits. Two pieces from innovative choreographers Rena Butler and PNB’s own Kiyon Ross round out the program. Kiyon Ross' ...throes of increasing wonder and Rena Butler's world premiere work for PNB cracks finish off this triple-bill of three entertaining dance works. 

Recorded live in the Nesholm Famliy Lecture Hall inside Marion Oliver McCaw Hall in June, 2025.

 

Enjoy this episode featuring Pacific Northwest Ballet Associate Artistic Director Kiyon Ross in conversation with choreographer Rena Butler ahead of the world premiere of her new work for PNB, Cracks. The two speak on Rena's upbringing in Chicago, her journey from dancer to choreographer, insights into her detailed choreographic process, and her current cultural inspirations. 

This episode was recorded live in the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall in Marion Oliver McCaw Hall in Seattle, WA on May 29, 2025. 

Jean-Christophe Maillot’s contemporary version of Roméo et Juliette requires that dancers tap into unique skills of storytelling. Converge Media host Trae Holiday moderated this conversation with PNB dancers performing iconic roles for the first time. Listen to Angelica Generosa (Juliet), Dylan Wald (Romeo), Luther DeMyer (Friar Laurence), and Kuu Sakuragi (Mercutio) talk through how they got their starts in ballet, their insights into their characters, and more!

 

Recorded in the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at Seattle Center's McCaw Hall in Seattle, Washington in April, 2025. 

Listen as guest Ballet Talk lecturer Anne Searcy takes an introductory tour through PNB's fifth repertory program of the 2024/25 Season, Jean-Christophe Maillot's Romeo et Juliette. Anne Searcy is an Associate Professor of Music History at the University of Washington. Searcy covers the basic story itself, puts the original Shakespeare play in historical context, and gives a brief history of the various versions of the ballet including the version from Jean-Christophe Maillot and Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo that PNB performs. She also gives an overview of the character-based musical themes in Sergei Prokofiev's orchestral score and outlines how these themes work to tell the story of the ballet through the music. 

 

Learn more about Anne Searcy and her work here: https://music.washington.edu/people/anne-searcy.

Recorded in the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at Seattle Center's McCaw Hall in Seattle, Washington in April, 2025. 

Listen to local Seattle arts journalist Marcie Sillman in conversation with PNB Company dancer Price Suddarth and collaborators on his new ballet Dawn Patrol. Hear from Price, choreographic assistant Emma Love Suddarth, scenic designer Chrisoula Kapelonis, composer Alfonso Peduto, lighting designer Reed Nakayama, and costume designer Mark Zappone. The collaborators talk through the inspiration for Dawn Patrol, the collaborative creative process between each other and the dancers at Pacific Northwest Ballet, and answer audience questions. Price Suddarth's Dawn Patrol premiered on March 14, 2025 at Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle.

Recorded in the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at Seattle Center's McCaw Hall in Seattle, Washington in March, 2025.

Enjoy Doug Fullington's pre-show Ballet Talk for PNB's EMERGENCE program. Doug talks through EMERGENCE's quadruple-bill production including the premiere of Dawn Patrol, a new work by PNB Company dancer Price Suddarth; Jerome Robbins' intimate Afternoon of a Faun; Marco Goecke's solo work Mopey; and another audience favorite of Crystal Pite's, the mesmerizing Emergence.

Recorded live in the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall in Marion Oliver McCaw Hall in Seattle, WA on March 15, 2025.

Join dance historian and The Sleeping Beauty stager Doug Fullington as he introduces Pacific Northwest Ballet's brand new production of The Sleeping Beauty in this Ballet Talk episode. Fullington covers the history of the ballet's original choreography by Marius Petipa and score by Peter Tchaikovsky, the process of restaging an 1890 ballet for modern audiences, this new productions talented collaborators (including Preston Singletary, Paul Tazewell, and Basil Twist), and answers audience questions. 

Recorded live in the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall in Marion Oliver McCaw Hall in Seattle, WA on February 9, 2025.

Dance historian Doug Fullington gives an ALL BALANCHINE overview. He covers the brief histories of George Balanchine and his legacy, including the founding of New York City Ballet, staging Balanchine ballets and the George Balanchine Trust, and Balanchine's collaborators on the three works in PNB's ALL BALANCHINE program. This triple bill features Square Dance (1957), Prodigal Son (1929), and Stravinsky Violin Concerto (1972). 

Recorded live in the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at Seattle Center's McCaw Hall in Seattle, Washington in November 2024.