Pacific Northwest Ballet has undergone a lot of changes since I last saw the company. There have been marriages and births and several notable retirements, especially that of acknowledged star, Carla Körbes. I wondered how the company would look and how it would respond to the challenges of the post-Körbes era. Have no fear, dance fans. It turns out that plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose at PNB. If there’s no surefire, bankable star without Körbes then there is more time to reflect on some of the company's other wonderful dancers. What remains the same is that these dancers move with wondrous clarity and indefatigable energy.
Opening with David Dawson’s A Million Kisses to My Skin, I had the exhilarating experience of feeling that I was simultaneously at a concert and a ballet performance. This happens considerably less often than you would think. The music is typically secondary to the dancing because very few companies can afford to maintain a truly great orchestra. Pianist Allan Dameron led Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra in a lively, nuanced performance of Bach’s Concerto No. 1 in D minor that far exceeded expectations. Dawson’s choreography is challenging and fun to watch. He has dancers frequently going in two directions at once by coming down in plié and pushing backward while reaching forward with the arms. The effect is to stretch out the limbs and create a long, extended look. PNB’s dancers tend to do this naturally so the whole ballet played to their technical strengths. Batkhurel Bold made a strong impression here. At first glance he looks more like an action hero than a ballet dancer. He’s powerfully built, almost burly, but in motion he is full of a taut grace that came across as surprisingly suave. Angelica Generosa, a last minute replacement for Elle Macy, has to be considered one of the prime beneficiaries of the changes at PNB. Not gifted with high extension or beautifully arched feet, Generosa is more of a compact, explosive dancer. She makes the most of her ability by moving with lively passion and sharing her buoyant joy. She really stuck her balances and was an audience favorite.
The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, set to the final movement of Schubert’s 9th Symphony, is William Forsythe at his most classical. For this piece he pared down the choreography to fairly small steps subject to constant and rapid changes of direction set on five dancers. It never stopped moving and was endlessly inventive within that tight framework. Forsythe kept changing the pairings and trios with quicksilver brightness. I don’t often comment on dance costumes but Stephen Galloway’s designs lent an irreverent and festive air. The men were in 20’s style bathing costumes while the women wore spunky green deco-style disc shaped tutus. Generosa again was radiant alongside Margaret Mullin and Elizabeth Murphy.