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NOELANI PANTASTICO |
My last few weeks at PNB were exciting and emotional, as expected. What’s so incredible about the past season is the rep that the dancers acquired, and the people that came along with it. I’ve never had a season so demanding and fulfilling. To end the 2007-2008 season we had a gala performance called 8 Encores. It’s quite a ride to put together an evening full of works from the past season, but what a great way to celebrate works new to PNB, and its dancers. Heck, what a great way to celebrate the dancers! Anyhow, it was nice for me to be able to look back and see har far we’ve come.
PNB dancers in rehearsal for Ulysses Dove’s Vespers.
In my very last week of work I was fortunate enough to perform at the Kennedy Center, and be a part of “Ballet Across America”. I realized during class the first day that my journey with PNB had come full circle. The very room where I had my last class with Peter Boal in the Kennedy Center, was the very same room where I did my first audition for PNB, when I was 13. I began and ended my journey with PNB in that studio. Strange!! The wrting was literally on the wall in the studio!
Septime Webre, Director of Washington Ballet taught our last class. Pictured are dancers from Kansas City Ballet, Washington Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet.
Another season has come and gone at Pacific Northwest Ballet. What’s hard to believe is that I won’t be returning. It’s difficult to speak openly about my new venture in Monte-Carlo, because I find that people don’t quite understand what’s really going on, or they question my move. Most think something went wrong, be it my marriage or work at PNB. That’s not the case at all, and I guess I should just set the record straight. To put it simply, I want to try something new, and I have been fortunate enough to find new inspiration. I think there is a time in every person’s life where you have to make bold moves. I truly believe that you can’t get anywhere unless risks are taken. It was Mark Twain who said, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” That said, I do still want to reflect on my years at PNB. I think what stands out the most in my mind is the sense of belonging and community that I had at PNB. Great things happen with team work and support. And quite honestly, one can’t do it alone. There was always a wonderful, collective energy from my colleagues. The picture below is one of the many group shots taken in one of my last weeks of work at PNB. Although it’s a scan of the photo, Angela Sterling should be credited for capturing a moment that we’ll never get back. Thank you Angela, and of course, thank you PNB.
