Apr 26

A Miracle Unfolds at PNB: The Seasons' Canon Round Two

Some pieces of art are so uniquely moving and inspiring that they deserve two reviews, and Pacific Northwest Ballet’s The Seasons’ Canon is the first program to reach that status. I was lucky enough to see this remarkable piece three times during its run, and yet it still wasn’t enough. I left the theater full to the brim with an overwhelm of emotion and beauty, and also a wondering of how our world existed before this piece. That may sound hyperbolic, but it was clear that others in the audience, as well as the dancers onstage, felt its profound, life-changing effect.

Last week, as I sat in McCaw Hall with tears dripping from my chin, in awe of the beauty before me, I realized how much our society needs experiences like this. To be so overcome by beauty and creative genius that for a moment, all is well in our world. As I sat there, hearing sniffles all around, there was no question in my mind: our society has a great lack of sensory input that makes us feel something at such a magnitude. We lack experiences that are so purely beautiful that they bring us to tears, and move us more than we can find the words to describe.

During the second weekend of performances, I saw two other casts who are due an endless amount of applause for their work. Christian Poppe filled in for Noah Martzall in Sweet Fields, and entered the stage as if the choreography was a meditative practice.. His eyes seemed to look far past the stage, and he moved with great purpose and steadfast intention. Joh Morrill and Emerson Boll were a delight to watch in Twyla Tharp’s playful choreography, and seemed especially dedicated to the vision of the piece. A belated shout out is also due to Juliet Prine for her joyous, detailed performance on opening night.

Leah Terada stole the air in the room during her performance of The Calling. It felt like we were encroaching on an intimate moment, viewing this dancer all alone on stage, surrounded by darkness. Getting to see different dancers take on this solo is like hearing the same story told by different tongues, each one has a uniquely personal voice, and on Friday night, Leah’s tale was unquestionably her own.

Cecelia Illiesiu and PNB dancers in The Seasons' Canon ANGELA STERLING

It always amazes me how seeing different dancers in the same choreography can make you interpret something completely differently, or move you in a very different way. Seeing Cecelia Illiesiu as the “octopus mother” during the second weekend of The Seasons’ Canon made me understand that section of the piece all anew. The way that her limbs shook with their last moments of life was an especially haunting image that stayed with me long after she walked away as a silhouette into the shifting green light.

The summer 1 pas de deuxs continue to amaze me with their unending power and complexity. During Friday’s performance, Elle Macy and Miles Pertl consumed space and time, and made me forget everything about life other than what lay before me. They were in the cast that I first saw in 2022, and yet, I was blown away all over again. Their combined strength and urgency, high flung limbs, wild abandon, and carefully carved forms left me breathless.

Seeing Summer 3 again also left me with a new interpretation. Sarah-Gabrielle Ryan took something as simple as running and turned it into a full story. Although I originally saw this section as prey and predator, the nuance of Ryan’s detailed work in this section also seemed to hint at something much more human than animals hunting prey.

In the large group sections, some forms stand out due to the particularly extraordinary way that they move through this choreography, owning every second of it with great intention. Even amid over fifty other dancers, Dylan Wald, Elle Macy, James Kirby Rogers, and Sarah-Gabielle Ryan are never hard to find. Elizabeth Murphy, Angelica Generosa, Kuu Sakuragi, and Leah Terada also deserve acknowledgement for their outstanding performances in this piece.

This is truly a work of art which demonstrates the remarkable nature of Pacific Northwest Ballet, and it is a testament to the strength, devotion, unity, diligence, and exceptional talent of this company. Again and again I am blown away by their versatility. Just over two months ago they were performing sold out performances of Swan Lake, and now, here they came together in a very different form, glowing with unrestrained life.

I think I could watch The Seasons’ Canon every week and still find new delights within it each time. That is the brilliance of Crystal Pite, and of the dancers who tackle this work with such tenacity and passion every time they take the stage. The Seasons’ Canon feels like much more than a ballet, it feels bigger than the dance world, and it seems to contain something vastly important on a greater scale. Sitting there in the dark theater, I was overcome by the experience of witnessing brilliance alongside so many equally-touched humans. It’s quite a miracle that McCaw Hall didn’t flood during this rep, because I heard many tears being shed, and it was clear how deeply people were moved by the work before them. When snow began to fall in the Winter section, sighs fell from lips all around, shoulders relaxed, and for a few precious moments, we were children again, watching snow fall and being reminded of every miraculous thing in our world. That is the gift of this piece, it reminds us of what a wonder it is to be alive.

I love watching the news of a powerful ballet spread like wildfire. On opening night, the house was packed with energy, but nowhere near sold out. When I went to get rush tickets for the last show, the line stretched long, and there were only a handful of seats left. A palpable buzz filled the air, coming both from those who were returning to see it once more, and those who were catching the last performance after hearing wonderful things about it. Every show caused the entire house to leap to their feet before the curtain could even fall, and it seemed there could never be enough applause to truly acknowledge the miracle we had just experienced.

If you didn’t get a chance to see this life-changing program, PNB is offering a digital stream which includes Sweet Fields and The Calling filmed on opening night, and The Seasons’ Canon which was captured on opening night in November 2022. For $72.50, you will receive a link to see both this rep, and Coppelia, which will be streamed June 13-17th.