Welcome to our our forum dedicated to the 2002 London season of Pacific Northwest Ballet. This promises to be one of the most significant visits by a ballet company to London this year. <P>I am pleased that they have gone for a recent full length work rather then one of the classics we see so frequently in London. The Mixed Bill looks very interesting with a famous Nacho Duato work, another take on 'Fearful Symmetries' plus a Balanchine and the aerial acrobatics of The Corsaire pdd.<P><BR> <BR><small>Alexandra Dickson and Timothy Lynch in Jardi Tancat; image by Angela Sterling<BR>This is one of the pieces that PNB are bringing to Sadler's Wells</small><P>Press release<P><BR><B>IT'S SHOWTIME!<BR>SEATTLE SHOWCASE OF MIXED WORKS <BR>FROM JAZZY RAZZMATAZZ TO PURE NEO-CLASSICISM</B><P>PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET<BR>SADLER'S WELLS, LONDON<BR>2-6 July 2002<P>For its return visit to London, Seattle's acclaimed Pacific Northwest Ballet is bringing a truly mixed bill of fare for the 4th of July week. The week-long season is a varied showcase for the wide range of PNB's talents and techniques and includes a full-length tribute to the father of Broadway, Jerome Kern, plus works by Marius Petipa, George Balanchine, Peter Martins and Nacho Duato.<P>Silver Lining (2 July and and two performances on 6 July), choreographed by Kent Stowell, is an exuberant look at America's theatrical heritage, swinging from sassy Vaudeville and boogie-woogie Cotton Club to the glamour of the Ziegfeld Follies and the sophisticated routines of Astaire and Rogers. <P>The rest of the season is a mixed bill programme (3, 4 and 5 July). The ballets of 'Mr B' have a special place in PNB's repertoire as Artistic Directors, Kent Stowell and Francia Russell were both New York City Ballet dancers under his direction and Russell mounts his pieces for companies all over the world. Both of them danced key roles in 'Balanchine's Divertimento No. 15 to Mozart's Divertimento in B-flat major (K.287) which has been in PNB's repertoire since 1991. <P>Jardi Tancat (Catalan for 'Closed Garden') is the very first ballet Spanish choreographer Nacho Duato created in 1983 when he was with Nederlands Dans Theatre. Infused with Duato's distinctive Mediterranean flavour, the ballet is based on Catalonian folk tales collected and sung by Maria del Mar Bonet. <P>Peter Martins, Balanchine's successor at New York City Ballet, choreographed Fearful Symmetries to John Adams' composition of the same name in 1990. A large one-act ballet for 23 dancers, it is bathed in dramatic and ever-changing hues of red and blue and matches the music's racing pulse in striking combinations. PNB first danced the work in March 2001.<P>Finally, a gala item of breathtaking virtuosity in the Russian tradition - the spectacular pas de trois from Le Corsaire, after Marius Petipa to music by Riccardo Drigo. <P>Sadler's Wells Box Office<BR>Tel. 020 7863 8000 or online <A HREF="http://www.sadlerswells.com/whats_on/spring2002/pacific.asp" TARGET=_blank>http://www.sadlerswells.com/whats_on/spring2002/pacific.asp</A> <P>Tickets from £10 to £41<P><A HREF="http://www.criticaldance.com/ubb/Forum13/HTML/000604.html" TARGET=_blank><B>For the full Press Release click here</B></A><P><p>[This message has been edited by Stuart Sweeney (edited June 23, 2002).]

<P>Today we unveil our <A HREF="http://www.criticaldance.com/PNB" TARGET=_blank><B>Pacific Northwest Ballet in London 2002 Special page</B></A>. Our deepest thanks to Marie for designing this page, which looks very good to me, but tell us what you think.<P>We have three articles initially that you will find there:<P>"Pacific Northwest Ballet in London - Programme Preview"<P>"Olivier Wevers - An Artist For All The Right Reasons"<P>"A brief look back to earlier visits of Pacific Northwest Ballet to the UK"<P>together with links to all the web pages that you are likely to need in connection with the visit. Over the next fortnight we will be publishing more articles every few days, so do look back for new goodies. Then we change up a couple of gears for the actual visit with a wealth of material from our London team and the chance to add your comments about the actual performances.<P><B>If you haven't booked your tickets yet,</B> then get on the phone/e-booking to <A HREF="http://www.sadlerswells.com/whats_on/spring2002/pacific.asp" TARGET=_blank><B>Sadler's Wells</B></A> to make sure you get the best seats in any price category.<P>With a mix of fun:<P> <P>and emotional intensity:<P> <P>it promises to be a rich week.<P> <P><p>[This message has been edited by Stuart Sweeney (edited June 16, 2002).]

I am envious of Londoners. You get to see so much of this company within a short time frame. Note also that these performances will be the last for ballerina Julie Tobiason, who has been exceptional for PNB.

Please note the time of Azlan's posting above - guess who was staying up to watch USA vs Mexico!

Who was he supporting? I am very much looking forward to PNB coming, remembering as I do the surprise of the strength of SFB last year.

Just to flag up a key, but often neglected aspect of such visits. <P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>The Pacific Northwest Ballet London tour underwriter is The James D. & Sherry Raisbeck Foundation International Touring Fund. The tour is also sponsored by Citigroup Private Bank and participating sponsors Cell Therapeutics, Inc. and Northern Trust.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>It's as well to remember that the ticket sales cover only a part of the tour expenses.<P><B>A big thank you on behalf of UK ballet fans to all the sponsors for making this season possible.</B> <P><p>[This message has been edited by Stuart Sweeney (edited June 23, 2002).]