Ballet gala starts the season on strong footing

If Pacific Northwest Ballet's appearance Saturday night at McCaw Hall is any indication, the company is on a roll, with a solid new repertory and dancing that is bold and telling yet refined.

DANCE REVIEW

PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET

WHEN: Saturday night

WHERE: McCaw Hall

Suitable to a gala, the evening was a potpourri of works that will be performed during the ensemble's subscription season, which opens Thursday night at McCaw: a little bit of this, a little bit of that, plus Balanchine in one of his most imperial moods -- "Theme and Variations."

Peter Boal, entering his second season as PNB's artistic director, delayed his onstage speech until after Jerome Robbins' "Circus Polka," to give the opening gesture to the 48 girls from the PNB School their moment in the sun. Who could compete with those adorable girls -- dressed in blue, green and pink, with ribbons tying their hair in ponytails -- presenting themselves on stage? With flair, Jonathan Porretta was the ringmaster, pretending the girls were so many circus animals.

In his curtain speech, Boal did something I can't recall anyone from the company doing before: that is, announcing the promotion of two dancers from soloists to principals: Casey Herd and Carla Korbes. Very nice.

Three new works were seen in excerpted form, with the complete ballets to be performed later in the season.

The first was a pas de deux from Robert Joffrey's "Remembrances," which he choreographed in 1973. Until now there was not a single Joffrey piece in PNB's repertory. Boal has corrected that oversight. The central part of the dreamy pas de deux is set to "Traume," from Richard Wagner's "Wesendock" song cycle, for which soprano Jane Eaglen was recruited in an example of luxury casting. Good thing she lives in Seattle. Just as her singing was wonderfully voluptuous, the dancing of the two lovers, Kaori Nakamura and Jeffrey Stanton, was perfumed with long-limbed lyricism and softly rounded phrases. This is the kind of romanticism that makes one swoon. The complete work will be danced in April.

Highlights from the company's production of "Swan Lake," choreographed by Kent Stowell, after Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, brought two generations of PNB dancers together. Korbes and Herd danced the "White Swan" pas de deux and Patricia Barker, the "White Swan" variation. Korbes came to Seattle with Boal from New York, where they were both members of New York City Ballet. She has consistently received good notices here and elsewhere, notably at the East Coast dance festival Jacob's Pillow. The reasons were in evidence Saturday. Rarely is a dancer so able to capture the essence of stillness on stage. Her arms, unlike many dancers', possess a life of their own, and her back is equally expressive. Indeed, her entire body was remarkably limpid, helping illuminate the role as well as being a thing of beauty itself. Not surprisingly, Herd was her attentive Prince. Barker, in her last season with PNB, danced with her usual aplomb.

Porretta danced the "Jester" variations. It is a role designed for him because it requires a bravura technique and expansive personality. Those Porretta has.

Noelani Pantastico and Le Yin danced the "Black Swan" pas de deux. Pantastico is a dancer of many gifts, which she invested in the role. What was seemingly inexplicable was her inability to finish the famous 32 fouettes. I don't know what happened: possibly she lost her concentration because of premature applause or ran out of steam. If it is any comfort to her, she is not the first dancer to discover grief in those fouettes, including the great Margot Fonteyn.

Balanchine's "La Sonnambula," choreographed in 1946, will enter the company's repertory in March. The pas de deux was danced Saturday by Louise Nadeau and Olivier Wevers. Nadeau danced the Sleepwalker, a seemingly impossible role, with uncommon spontaneity and warmth. Wevers, not surprisingly, was her able partner.

Paul Gibson has a new work that will be premiered in April. A short glimpse was offered Saturday, and it was enticing, with Pantastico in the solo role, which she danced with abandon.

Two sets of principals were used in "Theme": Carrie Imler and Batkhurel Bold and Barker and Stanko Milov. Imler is a first-class dancer, and she demonstrated the reasons why. Barker, yet again, danced with such command and authority, and beauty, I might add, it seemed astonishing, although it shouldn't. When she leaves PNB at the end of the season, she will be missed. Milov was her agreeable and supportive partner.

The orchestra, conducted surely and effectively by Stewart Kershaw, played well. What was curious were the violin solos in "Swan Lake" and "Theme." The first was so flawed it was distracting, while the second was confident and handsome.

P-I dance critic R.M. Campbell can be reached at 206-448-8396 or rmcampbell@seattlepi.com.

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