Pacific Northwest Ballet Brings Balanchine and ROMEO ET JULIETTE to New York City Center, Now thru 2/16

New York City Center will present Pacific Northwest Ballet in its first full-company performance in NYC since 1996, tonight, February 13-16, 2013. PNB, celebrating its 40th Anniversary season, will present two programs featuring a mixed repertoire of Balanchine ballets and Jean-Christophe Maillot's full-length Roméo et Juliette. The troupe will be accompanied by the PNB Orchestra, led by Music Director and Principal Conductor Emil de Cou.

Balanchine Mixed Bill
Wednesday, February 13 at 7:30 p.m.

The works of George Balanchine are central to the history of Pacific Northwest Ballet, which has 38 of his ballets in its repertory. The three works selected for City Center span the first 30 years of Balanchine's choreography: Concerto Barocco (1941) and Agon (1957) staged by Francia Russell, and Apollo (1928) staged by PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal.

Ms. Russell worked closely with Balanchine as a dancer in numerous works, including Concerto Barocco and Agon, the latter in which she was a member of the original corps de ballet and later performed in the First Pas de Trois, re-choreographed for her by Balanchine. Ms. Russell's staging of Agon is unique in that it predates later changes Balanchine made to the ballet. She also worked as a ballet master for Balanchine. Mr. Boal first performed Apollo with New York City Ballet in 1989 and later danced it for his retirement performance in 2005.

Concerto Barocco
Choreography: George Balanchine © New York City Ballet
Music: Johann Sebastian Bach (Double Violin Concerto in D minor, BWV 1043)
Staging: Francia Russell
Conductor: Allan Dameron

Laura Gilbreath
Lindsi Dec
Karel Cruz

Chelsea Adomaitis, Jessika Anspach, Amanda Clark, Emma Love, Elle Macy, Margaret Mullin, Elizabeth Murphy, Leah O'Connor

Apollo
Choreography: George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust.
Music: Igor Stravinsky (Apollon Musagète, 1927-1928)
Staging: Peter Boal
Conductor Emil de Cou

Apollo - Seth Orza
Terpsichore - Carla Körbes
Calliope - Maria Chapman
Polyhymnia - Lesley Rausch

Agon
Choreography: George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust.
Music: Igor Stravinsky (1953-1956)
Staging: Francia Russell
Conductor Emil de Cou

Lesley Rausch - Batkhurel Bold
Kylee Kitchens - Elizabeth Murphy - Jonathan Porretta
Andrew Bartee - Maria Chapman - Jerome Tisserand
Chelsea Adomaitis - Jessika Anspach - Emma Love - Leah O'Connor

Roméo et Juliette
Friday, February 15 at 8 p.m. Saturday, February 16 at 2 & 8 p.m.

Roméo et Juliette (1996) Pacific Northwest Ballet was the first American ballet company to perform choreographer Jean-Christophe Maillot's contemporary interpretation of Shakespeare's great love story. In an unconventional version of the classic tragedy, Maillot (artistic director of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo) has taken inspiration from Prokofiev's classic score, structuring the action in a manner akin to cinematic narrative.

Roméo et Juliette
Music: Sergei Prokofiev (Op. 64, 1935-1936)
Choreography: Jean-Christophe Maillot
Staging: Gaby Baars, Bernice Coppieters, and Giovanna Lorenzoni
Conductor: Emil de Cou

Juliet - Carla Körbes (Feb. 15, 16 eve), Kaori Nakamura (Feb. 16 mat)
Romeo - Seth Orza (Feb. 15, 16 eve), James Moore (Feb. 16 mat)
Friar Laurence - Karel Cruz
Mercutio - Jonathan Porretta (Feb. 15, 16 eve), Ezra Thomson (Feb. 16 mat)
Tybalt - Batkhurel Bold
Lady Capulet - Laura Gilbreath (Feb. 15 eve), Maria Chapman (Feb. 16 mat), Lindsi Dec (Feb. 16 eve)
The Nurse - Rachel Foster (Feb. 15, 16 mat), Carrie Imler (Feb. 16 eve)
Benvolio - Benjamin Griffiths (Feb. 15, 16 eve), Kyle Davis (Feb. 16 mat)
Paris - Joshua Grant (Feb. 15, 16 eve), William Lin-Yee (Feb. 16 mat)
Rosaline - Maria Chapman (Feb 15), Kylee Kitchens (Feb. 16 mat), Lesley Rausch (Feb. 16 eve)

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 in Seattle and on tour. The company has toured to Europe, Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada, and throughout the United States, with celebrated appearances in New York City and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.pnb.org.

New York City Center (Arlene Shuler, President & CEO) has played a defining role in the cultural life of the city for nearly 70 years. It was Manhattan's first performing arts center, dedicated by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia in 1943 with a mission to make the best in music, theater and dance accessible to all audiences. Today, City Center is home to many distinguished companies, including City Center's Principal Dance Company, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; American Ballet Theatre, New York City Opera, and Manhattan Theatre Club; a roster of renowned national and international visiting artists; and its own critically acclaimed and popular programs. The Tony-honored Encores! musical theater series has been hailed as "one of the very best reasons to be alive in New York." Dance has been integral to the theater's mission from the start, and dance programs, including the annual Fall for Dance Festival, remain central to City Center's identity. City Center is dedicated to providing educational opportunities to New York City students and teachers with programs such as Encores! In Schools and the Young People's Dance Series. Last year, City Center completed an extensive renovation to revitalize and modernize its historic theater.

Pacific Northwest Ballet will run tonight, February 13-16 (no performance February 14) according to the following schedule: PROGRAM I (Balanchine mixed bill): Wednesday, February 13 at 7:30 p.m. and PROGRAM II (Roméo et Juliette): Friday, February 15 at 8 p.m., Saturday, February 16 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Tickets range from $35 - $120 and are available online at www.NYCityCenter.org, by calling CityTix at (212) 581-1212, or at the City Center Box Office at 131 W. 55th St. (between 6th & 7th Aves).

Artists, program and ticket prices are subject to change.

Pictured: PNB Company dancers in Roméo et Juliette. Photo © Angela Sterling.