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Pacific Northwest Ballet

Inaugural Gala, ‘Fanfare of Feathers’:   excerpts from ‘Swan Lake,’ ‘Nutcracker,’ Sleeping Beauty,’ ‘Golden Cockerel,’ and ‘Silver Lining’

by Francis Timlin

September 20, 2003 – Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, Seattle

The program, much like the cuisine, was comprised of hors d'oeuvres designed to tantalize the audience into returning over the course of the season. The "overture" was the opening music of “Swan Lake,” Act III, followed by the waltz of the six princesses. This provided a foretaste of the Paul Tazewell costume designs; in this case, antique gold lace and brocade with gold trim. The set (which remained for the entire evening) was a part of the Ming Cho Lee Act III set -- a border of columns set slightly off center.

A series of pas de deux and solo turns followed, beginning with the “Firebird” Pas de Deux in which Patricia Barker and Jeffrey Stanton displayed their polished partnering skills. This was immediately followed (without curtain) by Louise Nadeau and Christophe Maraval in the White Swan Pas de Deux. It was good to see these two performers back on stage in lead roles following periods of rehabilitation for both.

Ariana Lallone performed one of her signature turns as the Peacock in “Nutcracker,” and the Cygnets were well matched in the ensuing “Swan Lake,” Act II Pas de Quatre.   Jodie Thomas and Le Yin performed admirably in an abbreviated version (first and last sections only -- no variations) of the Blue Bird Pas de Deux from “The Sleeping Beauty.”

The big surprise of the evening, however, was the Black Swan Pas de Deux. I had been puzzling over the listing of two couples, Carrie Imler and Batkhurel Bold and Kaori Nakamura and Olivier Wevers. Were they going to perform it twice? Or, somehow come up with a tag-team version?

I understand that none of the performers knew exactly what to expect until the previous day. What happened was this: Imler and Bold performed the opening waltz sequence, both displaying their remarkable elevation. At the "adagio" point in the score, Nakamura and Wevers entered, Imler and Bold exited. Nakamura and Wevers completed a smoldering adagio. Bold then returned for the male variation and Imler for the female variation. For the coda, it was Nakamura   and Wevers, with Nakamura executing the 32 fouettés with a double on every fourth turn. Imler   and Bold returned for a dual final tableau. Perhaps it "should not" have worked, but in the context of the occasion, it worked very well, indeed.

Rimsky-Korsakov's Overture to “The Golden Cockerel” provided cover for the full company’s   costume change for the evening's finale from “Silver Lining.” It was genuinely thrilling to see the entire company onstage in unison, with feather boas complementing the evening's feather motif.

Casting:

For a report on Pacific Northwest Ballet's Panel Discussion: 'Dancing Odette/Odile:   Ballet’s Great Dual Role’ click here.

For a report of Pacific Northwest Ballet's "Swan Lake" Preview Rehearsal, click here.

Edited by Jeff.

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