Pacific Northwest Ballet Returns To NYC For The Joyce Theater Annual Gala

The Joyce Theater Foundation (Linda Shelton, Executive Director) is pleased to announce the long-awaited return of Pacific Northwest Ballet, the company's first NYC season in four years. Presenting two distinct mixed programs, the heralded company, under the direction of former New York City Ballet Principal dancer Peter Boal, will play Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater (20 Lincoln Center Plaza) June 23-28, with a special gala performance on June 25. All performances will be accompanied by the PNB Orchestra under the music direction of Principal Conductor Emil de Cou. Tickets for both the Pacific Northwest Ballet season and the gala performance can be purchased at www.Joyce.org, or by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800. For more information, please visit www.Joyce.org.

"I am honored to have been a part of Peter Boal's artistic history going back to 2003 when The Joyce presented his first endeavor as an artistic director following his superlative career at New York City Ballet where he was deservedly cherished by audiences," said The Joyce Theater's Executive Director Linda Shelton. "I have long admired Peter's vision and am thrilled to be presenting the incredible artists of Pacific Northwest Ballet this season at Lincoln Center."

"How proud we are to have Pacific Northwest Ballet presented by The Joyce at the David H. Koch Theater this June," said Peter Boal. "Our first program is a nod to the founding choreographers of New York City Ballet, George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, as we take the stage in their artistic home with three iconic works. The second program offers pieces created within the last decade by Benjamin Millepied, Crystal Pite, and Twyla Tharp-three choreographers who continue to shape and redefine ballet as we know it. Together these two programs offer the best of PNB, with roots in the tradition and neo-classicism of the 20th century and an eye to the innovation and experimentation of today."

The Joyce Theater returns to Lincoln Center to present one of the country's most prestigious ballet companies kicking-off summer 2020 with remarkable grace and panache. The anticipated return of Pacific Northwest Ballet, led since 2005 by former NYCB principal dancer Peter Boal, will feature two unique programs from the company's extensive repertory. Program A pays homage to two legendary choreographers, George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. Audiences will be treated to a double dose of Balanchine, with Agon opening the evening and his glittering tribute to his youth in St. Petersburg, Diamonds, closing the program. Opus 19/The Dreamer, originally choreographed for Mikhail Baryshnikov and Patricia McBride by Jerome Robbins, and which received its PNB premiere in 2017, will round out the first of two programs.

The second program from PNB focuses on more contemporary works, featuring ballets created by Benjamin Millepied, Crystal Pite, and Twyla Tharp. Appassionata, Millepied's tempestuous and tender work for three couples, is juxtaposed with Pite's Plot Point, a chilling exploration of the cinematic score of Psycho through movement. Completing Program B is Twyla Tharp's Waiting at the Station, which received its world premiere in 2013 with PNB. Set to songs by R&B legend Allen Toussaint, Tharp's narrative ballet follows a man in 1940s New Orleans as he attempts to connect with his son and pass on his steps before he must surrender to the three gilded Fates that seek him out.

The Joyce Theater Foundation's Annual Gala, set for June 25, will feature special performances of both Diamonds and the official New York premiere of Waiting at the Station. This benefit for New York's leading presenter of dance returns to the David H. Koch Theater for the 2020 celebration, continuing the organization's ongoing presence at Lincoln Center, following past engagements such as The Joffrey Ballet's homecoming season in 2016, the 50th Anniversary Tour of Twyla Tharp, and The Royal Ballet.