PNB School & Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra's Collaboration

Forty or so lanky teenagers sat on the very lip of the stage peering over the edge to see forty or so young musicians playing a rousing rendition of John Philip Sousa's Stars and Stripes from our vast orchestra pit. Awed expressions could be seen on the young dancers' faces as timpanis pounded alongside the triumphant notes from the brass. Challenging passages for flute and oboe were met with brio. At the conclusion, the dancers offered wild applause for their talented peers.


This is the first time that the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra will play for PNB's Annual School Performance and hopefully not the last. You could feel the pride and excitement as these accomplished young artists prepared to share strengths in Saturday's performances.

There is a freshness to the sound of this remarkable ensemble. They struggle with reserve but make up for it in gusto. They sometimes feel individual strength over esprit de corps, and yet they feed off of each other absolutely affecting every corner of the massive McCaw Hall.

Eventually we began rehearsals of the men's regiment from Stars and Stripes and later Chaconne. There were a few discussions about tempi and a few missteps, but the possibility of greatness was hovering nearby. The presence of the orchestra breathed new life into the dancers who have spent months preparing with piano and cd.

To see this impressive level of musicianship from 15 to 19 year olds matched by our 15 to 19 year old ballet students is one of the more inspiring moments I've witnessed in a long time. If you are able to attend one of the performances on Saturday, be sure to make the trip to the edge of the orchestra pit to see this talented crew preparing.

This is not the first time that these two groups have met. Our Professional Division students attended a SYSO performance of a Mahler Symphony at Benaroya Hall in May. About three weeks ago we brought dancers and musicians together in our Studio C at the Phelps Center to watch a run-through of Chaconne. After the rehearsal the assembled teens spent almost an hour comparing notes about the rewards and pressures of being accomplished artists at such a young age. There was an unspoken mutual respect for one another. The extraordinary achievements were understood and shared.


With several hundred students performing on the stage and in the pit, youth power will be filling the theater. I saw an electric new creation by Kiyon Gaines earlier in the day to a commissioned score by young composer Aaron Severini. I have also watched as each class from Level I through Level VIII prepares their school dances. The combination of talent, energy and enthusiasm will be phenomenal. This performance is ours to witness and theirs to enjoy. The future of dance and music looks to be in very capable hands and feet and that fact will be on proud display at McCaw Hall tomorrow. Catch it if you can. You won't regret it. Tickets are still available for the evening performance through PNB.org and at the PNB Box Office. - Peter Boal, PNB Artistic Director

Director's Notes from Artistic Director Peter Boal

By now you've probably heard the old story about me and Coppélia. To do it justice, I'll have to go back to 1948, when the New York City Ballet was born. That same year, my grandfather accepted a position working for the United Nations, causing my grandparents to relocate to New York. Watching the nascent ballet troupe, they developed an appreciation for the choreography of George Balanchine. My mother was introduced to ballet and developed a love for it. Later, my father became an equally ardent admirer. My parents were subscribers to the New York City Ballet before I was born. When my sister and I were old enough, we were encouraged to join this family tradition and began attending. I'm sure my parents were merely planning to develop our appreciation for the art form, not to put us into tights. But, during one of our trips to the ballet, we were treated to Coppélia, and somewhere in the middle of Act I, I turned to my parents and said, “That's what I want to do. I want to dance.”

So it began. I was nine and can't say I fully understood what I was in for. I did try to politely thank the School of American Ballet for an interesting introductory year, while also letting them know I would be quitting. Natasha Gleboff, executive director of the school, informed my parents that quitting was not an option. I continued. About eight years later, I found myself in the corps de ballet of Coppélia, with no regrets. Later came Franz and now a stint as Dr. Coppelius.
Balanchine, the groundbreaker and innovator who brought us The Four Temperaments and Serenade, was less known for his few story ballets. His The Nutcracker is well-known and often imitated, but Coppélia has hardly been seen outside of New York. For this creation, he called on longtime friend Alexandra Danilova, and the two recreated and reconstructed from memories of productions they had grown up with.

With the delightful composition of Léo Delibes as the guide, the tale is told. Delibes makes you want to dance. His music is not complicated, just infectious, joyous. It works its way under the soles of your feet. Balanchine said there was no finer composer for ballet. Delibes was Tchaikovsky’s predecessor and inspiration. Our orchestra, under the baton of three conductors during the run of Coppélia, will bring the score to new heights.

Bringing this production of Coppélia to PNB has been a long and rewarding process. I started talking about it six years ago. An important gift from Glenn Kawasaki four years ago moved the idea from dream to possibility. Subsequent gifts from Dan & Pam Baty, Sharon Richardson, Patty Edwards. Marcella McCaffrey, and Bruce & Jolene McCaw, partnered with more than one hundred participants in a year-long “book drive,” raised 1.3 million dollars. (The names of these New Works patrons can be found on the spines of books in Dr. Coppelius’ workshop.) Significant help also came in the form of a co-production with San Francisco Ballet. With financing in place, I engaged internationally acclaimed scenic and costume designer Roberta Guidi di Bagno. Roberta has guided us through the creation of three acts, a few dozen props, and nearly 150 costumes. Each carries a whimsy and an effervescence that will delight. Her sense of color palette is sublime, and she has been an absolute joy to work with over the past two years.

Judith Fugate has staged almost the entire work for PNB. I remember Judy as both a technically pure and wickedly funny Swanilda. Critics described Danilova’s portrayal in the same way. Judy is selfless as a coach, offering insight and encouragement. Garielle Whittle taught our third act corps de ballet of students. Balanchine offered these ten-to-fourteen year-old future ballerinas elegant choreography, never playing to their cuteness, but rather showcasing them with quality.

If ever there was an opportunity for all of us to be united in one production, it is now. There is no corner of our institution that has not contributed to making Coppélia happen. Both our scenic and costume shops have devoted most of the year to building this production. All counted, close to one hundred individuals have painted, hammered, stitched, and beaded. Marketers, fundraisers, dancers, and musicians join students and stage hands to present this new creation. You are a part of it, too. We are all proud to unveil a wondrous new addition to our repertory. Thank you all for being a part of this dream. Enjoy Coppélia!

Principal Dancer Jeff Stanton on Coppélia

Working on Coppélia is a bit nostalgic for me, as it appears to be a marker of time in my life as a dancer. For starters, as a young child I remember listening to the album of Coppélia that my Mother had. I remember the pictures of dancers on the album almost exactly. Aside from the Nutcracker, Coppélia is one of the first ballets I remember seeing. I am not sure which ballet company it was, but it was in San Jose, CA. I mostly remember the Mazurka with the energetic dancers in their boots.

In 1982, at the age of 12, I had taken some ballet classes to complement my tap and jazz training and decided to attend a summer dance workshop at a local ballet studio. Wearing my very eighties dance attire I found myself in a serious ballet class given by teachers from the San Francisco Ballet School. Those from my hometown were all so happy to see a boy who danced. The director of the school asked me if I would be in their upcoming production of Coppélia. I said yes, as long as I didn’t have to wear tights, and she agreed. The choreography was by this little, old, and vivacious Russian woman who we called Madame Valentina Belova (another story in itself: click here for more info on Madame Valentina). I was to be a puppet in the toy shop and the costume people made a costume for me with pants. However, somehow I ended up in tights for a waltz section. I remember being so embarrassed by how skinny my legs looked. Toothpicks with knee joints!

Fast forward 15 years to 1997. As a principal dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet, I was cast to dance the role of Franz in Kent Stowell’s production of Coppélia with Patricia Barker as my Swanilda. I really enjoyed dancing that role with the light hearted, comic mime to tell the story. I studied performance tapes of former PNB principal dancers Michael Auer and Benjamin Houk dancing the role of Franz to pick up effective nuances for the story telling. I remember the choreography for the male variation in the third act being suited to my abilities. I also remember stunning performances by Alexandra Dickson and Melanie Skinner in the Prayer and Dawn variations. Julie Tobiason was the perfect Swanilda and Uko Gorter amazed me with his heartfelt and humorous interpretation of Dr. Coppelius.

Now, 13 years later, I’ve been cast as Dr. Coppelius in PNB’s upcoming revival of George Balanchine’s production of Coppélia. For me, dancing the role of Dr. Coppelius has been an opportunity to do more of what I’ve always enjoyed. And that’s acting as a character while telling a story through mime. In Coppélia, Dr. Coppelius reveals more depth than most character roles. He’s old, lives alone and makes toys. His pride and joy is his doll named Coppélia. Just that much information itself gives an actor so much to work with.

Judith Fugate has been setting Coppélia on PNB and has been wonderful. It’s clear that she loves her work as a stager. There are four men cast as Dr. Coppelius. Judy has given us all the information we need and has let each of us run with our own interpretations of the role. Each one of us really comes across as Dr. Coppelius in our own way. It’s interesting to see. I find it helpful to watch others to see how things read from an audience perspective. But, in the end, I’ve found that I have to remain true to my own interpretation of the role and not let someone else’s interpretation influence me.

My Swanilda and Franz are Mara Vinson and James Moore. I adore the two of them and am happy to be part of a cast with them. They both are so professional and committed to their work. I have a lot of respect for them. I’m sure they will both dance their roles beautifully.

The costume shop has been working incredibly hard on the new costumes. They really amaze me with their talents. The set team has done an amazing job. It’s a real team effort to put together a new production and everyone involved is excited to see it come to life. The whole process up until now has been such a joy as I’m sure the performances will be too.