Review: PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET SCHOOL'S PERFORMANCE OF “FANFARE” Online

Pacific Northwest Ballet School's annual "Spring Fling", including an archival video from 2018 of students performing Jerome Robbins' "Fanfare", is online now until May 3rd. As a pandemic silver lining, the event is free for everyone. Simply click on the link on the PNB homepage and get ready not only to watch that video but also bonus videos from the PNB Orchestra. In addition, you'll find craft projects, a virtual art gallery, and more.

The one-act ballet by Robbins, one of my own all-time favorites, is set to "Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra" by Benjamin Britten, performed in the video by the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra and narrated by Timothy McCuen Piggee as the Major Domo. The dancers portray the instruments of the orchestra with choreography that is often delightfully comic. Hearing the youthful giggles and enthusiastic cheers from an audience of young people added to my pleasure. Even more important, the student dancers acquitted themselves very well indeed, a testament to the fact that the PNB School is ranked as one of the best in the country if not the world. The most recent time that I reviewed a performance of "Fanfare" was in May of 2018 during the New York City Ballet's celebration at the Koch Theater in Lincoln Center of the 100th anniversary of Robbins' birth. The professional dancers in NYCB were magnificent, of course, but the PNB kids definitely displayed both superb technique and admirable stage presence.

I strongly recommend setting aside a little time to watch the video before access ends on May 3rd. You'll be glad you did!

Photo © Lindsay Thomas