My Blog

Good Times - That’s All She Wrote?

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:25:18 -0700

In an earlier post I mentioned never blogging on my site anymore, and I guess what I want to say is, never say never. Yes, I will be blogging less here and more on The Winger, but always check back here for albums or my inner-ramblings on dance & life. Here is an album from some of my years at PNB (click on the picture below). Enjoy!

Good Times - Thanks

Sun, 8 Jun 2008 09:08:19 -0700

Today is my last performance with Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, Washington. I do have one more week with five other PNB dancers, where we will be performing Nacho Duato’s, Jardi Tancat at the Kennedy Center - so I’m not quite done yet! This morning I was reflecting back on my eleven years with Pacific Northwest Ballet, and I felt so grateful for my time here. When I was a ripe thirteen, my life was changed as I was accepted into the PNB summer program. Little did I know what was in store :) I’ve worked with some really amazing choreographers and learned so much about dance & myself in the process. But what I realized this morning was that all of this career stuff wouldn’t have been possible if I didn’t have the support of those around me. Yes, it was up to me how things panned out, but my friends & colleagues created the wonderful atmosphere, which was conducive to my life. Thank you to Kent & Francia for believing in me from the beginning, to Peter for opening my eyes & broadening my horizons, to the PNB Wardrobe & Costume Shop for always making me look so good (and so much more), to the staff, Marketing department & Angela Sterling, who inspired me daily & helped to create & visualize PNB Unleashed, thanks to the Production department & Rico Chiarelli (I’ll always feel like you are watching everyone of my performances), to the Artistic staff at PNB - Otto, Anne, and Paul, you rock! And my most gracious thanks to the dancers of Pacific Northwest Ballet. I Love you guys. Keep in touch, xoxo.

“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”

Good Times - Let’s Catch Up!

Sat, 3 May 2008 13:15:48 -0700

Yikes! It’s been two months since our last encounter! Thanks for coming back to check on me :) Well, as you may know, my husband and I are headed for Monte-Carlo in the coming months! I won’t speak of that now because I want to catch you up on my happenings at PNB during the last few months, and some more recent events!
The last you heard from me I had just finished up with Romeo et Juliette. It was a moment in my career that I still think about & one that I did not want to end. At the time I worried about the next rep program & wondered if I’d be as fulfilled. As it turned out, that time in the studio & on stage was equally original. My brain was opened up once again by William Forsythe’s choreography in One Flat Thing, reproduced. His choreography not only pushes the envelope, but also pushes the dancers. There were moments of improv, and I found that the only way the improv worked (or works in any piece for that matter) was to let go of my ego. I have mentioned “letting go of ego” before, but more recently I had thought about this on a larger scale. I suggest reading a book by Eckhart Tolle. It’s called “A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose”. In one of the chapters, he talks about ego -- recognizing it, and letting it go (It’s hard trying to explain this in a nutshell). Anyway, it’s amazing how much ego plays a role in our lives. The thoughts that you are having right now involve your ego! Okay, I’m getting off track... check out the book if you get a chance. Back to Rep IV... Vespers & Sense of Doubt were also on the program. My choreography in both these ballets had a similar attack, but were so completely different on the surface. Of the three ballets that I danced on the program, Vespers was the hardest, physically speaking.
Shortly after Rep IV, we started Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I have to say, this is one of my favorite Balanchine ballets. The story along with the choreography is smart, funny, beautiful, and charming. At PNB, the air was stirring in anticipation of dancers premiering in new roles. It is always exciting to watch your colleagues inhabit something new. The adrenalin & eagerness made for electrifying events, and all debuts were successful in my book.
Next on the program was PNB’s Laugh Out Loud Festival. Susan Stroman & Chris Wheeldon were in town for their ballets, Take Five, More or Less... & Variations Serieuses. Its inspiring working first-hand with choreographers. You really see that persons talent & imagery during a creation and/or rehearsal process. Maybe this seems apparent already, but the reason I mention it is because the atmosphere is different with a choreographer. The process becomes focused & it’s quite captivating. These moments in the studio are precious & unnerving to me all at once!
The day after the festival I was off to Monaco to visit les Ballets de Monte Carlo! This trip was memorable, to say the least. I clutched my French phrase book close to me while in transit, and I felt like I was on another planet for the first few days. The jet lag and language barrier sent me into a much-anticipated culture shock! The experience was really great for me though. The ripeness of it all is titillating. The room for personal growth is vast & my eyes were the size of grapefruits during my visit! The company was incredible & so nice. I was lucky enough to see performances of Les Imprevus At L’atelier. They had a really neat Black & White theme for the young choreographers. White floor one night, black floor the next. I attended all shows but the first night (I hadn’t arrived yet). It was neat to see the progression of the dancers & the choreography, even if it was unintentional. I was also amazed by the movement quality of all of the artists.
After I returned, there was a quick road trip to San Francisco with my husband where we were fortunate enough to see SFB. Unfortunately, we were only able to see one of the three programs of the New Works Festival. If you get a chance, you should check out their website. It has streaming video. Very cool. Plus, you’ll be able to see a tidbit of what I saw in Program C. I really enjoyed the ballet Double Evil by Jorma Elo. Here is a link - SFB.
Well, I hope that catches you up for the moment. I wish I could write a more in-depth account of everything, but it would be colossal. I wanted to let you all know that at the end of my season (early June) I will be ending my blog for my website. Starting today though, I have become a contributor for “The Winger”, for those of you who’d like to keep tabs on me :) Okay, that’s all for now - check back soon! Xoxo Noe

Good Times - Carpe Diem

Sun, 9 Mar 2008 15:58:55 -0700

Here is some of my latest news...

PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET ANNOUNCES CHANGES IN COMPANY LINE-UP

SEATTLE, WA - Pacific Northwest Ballet Artistic Director Peter Boal has announced several changes in the Company line-up. In addition to the previously announced departure of principal dancer Casey Herd (moving to Amsterdam to join the Dutch National Ballet), principal dancer Noelani Pantastico will be leaving Seattle to accept a position with Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo. Both Herd and Pantastico will stay with PNB through the end of the 2007-08 season.

"We are all saddened by the imminent departures of Noelani and Casey," said Boal in his announcement. "They both are performing beautifully. I appreciate their excitement over this new chapter in their careers, but know that they will be missed in our studios and on our stage. Transitions are difficult and it is with some sorrow mixed with best wishes that we bid farewell to our dancers. Their final performances will be savored, and our Eight Encores performance in June will be one to remember."

"My journey as a professional dancer began at 16 when I auditioned for Pacific Northwest Ballet in 1996," said Pantastico. "I have been blessed to work in one of the best companies in the US. When I think back on my aspirations of dancing for PNB, I never imagined I would leave. Now, at 27, I am at a point in my career where I feel the need to spread my wings and experience another dance world. I am fortunate enough to be able to start over and still have a long career ahead of me. I have so much more to learn about myself as well as the ballet
world. Kent Stowell, Francia Russell and Peter Boal have greatly impacted my career and molded me in the process. They have all made me see that the possibilities in dance are endless. In addition, the dancers at PNB, as well as Seattle audiences, have helped me become the person I am by giving me the wonderful gift of support over the years."

Added Boal, "Watching Noe grow and develop as an artist has been one of the great rewards of my time at PNB, and I will continue to applaud her successes."

Check back soon for a new blog entry!

Good Times - Roméo et Juliette

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 10:50:17 -0800

It’s been six days since the last show of Roméo et Juliette and I have slowly morphed from Juliette back into Noelani. Since the beginning of PNB’s season I have been preparing for this ballet on many levels, so the idea of letting it go makes me sad. It’s something I’ve dedicated a lot of time & energy into and to see it fade off into the past makes me feel as though I’m losing a part of myself.
In August of 2007, Bernice Coppieters & Gaby Baars came to PNB to set the roles of Roméo and Juliette on the dancers. Other main characters like Lady Capulet, the Nurse, Tybalt, and some of the street scenes were also mapped out. At the time, Lucien & I were gearing up to perform the balcony pas de deux for PNB’s opening gala, but I also learned the majority of the ballet in those 3 weeks. I was of course awestruck by Bernice, Gaby, and this version of Roméo et Juliette. I tried my best to file away all of the knowledge that they had handed to me (particularly this new idea of port de bras that Bernice coached me on). I did a lot of thinking at the time, and quickly realized that if I was going to take this character of Juliette anywhere, I had to watch Bernice very closely (even in class), and really listen to everything she had to say. I found that when I was getting a correction, I would try to apply it while listening, but this got in the way. It’s a common thing that dancers do. So, I found that if I really just stood and listened to what she was saying, I received more information and could digest it and apply it sooner. I think listening is a skill that everyone in the world can work on. The better you listen, the more knowledge you have. “Knowledge is Power”. So, I took listening to a new level for myself.
January came, and so did preparations for R&J. I spent some time during our layoff in the studio with one of my Roméo’s, James Moore. We spent a couple days going over what we knew, and I started to recount the information passed on to me by Bernice & Gaby. The company then started back on January 8th, and we were lucky enough to meet and work with Giovanna Lorenzoni (ballet mistress & assistant to Jean-Christophe Maillot, Choreographer of R&J and Director of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo). She, like the others from Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, was luminescent. Gaby followed a week later, and the coaching at the PNB studios flourished. I remember ending everyday buzzing, and I’d wake the next morning that way. I was addicted to the energy in the studio.
Before I knew it, it was the week of this PNB premiere & Jean-Christophe Maillot was at PNB. I was nervous when he watched class so I went and introduced myself in order to be able to function normally. I was struck because I don’t usually get nervous when people are watching. That day, we ran the ballet for him so he could get an idea of what needed work. I remember feeling physically ill during the rehearsal (stress). By the end of the day though, I was calm and able to keep my thoughts collected. Like with Bernice, I tried to listen to Jean-Christophe as though he were giving me top-secret information. There were still so many details to apply to the choreography, and he opened my eyes to possibilities that I hadn’t yet seen. During the course of this week I felt an overpowering magnetism between Jean-Christophe and the dancers. I even felt myself wanting to stay and be a part of scenes that I wasn’t in. I wanted to take in all that I could from watching him work. His vision & direction were clear and intentioned, and it reverberated through the dancers and into the depths of the theater. I know that I am not alone in saying that it was a truly magical event.
There are times when I feel I enjoy the rehearsal period more than the actual performances. In this instance, I enjoyed both thoroughly. One thing I loved so much about this process was that in the beginning, there was a clear objective to keep the steps from going stale. It’s very easy as a dancer to become repetitive with choreography - there is a need to feel comfortable with the steps, and it’s what we’ve been trained to do since we were young. So, to turn off this way of thinking is a stretch. I remember Bernice saying that we shouldn’t ever let the steps or the acting become second nature. Each action should create a real reaction. When I started to think in this way, it was as though time slowed down. I was able to connect intentions to steps (or steps to intentions). This allowed me to never become complacent, and every rehearsal & performance felt different and exciting. I hope to grasp this logic further & incorporate it into my dancing all the time. I had the opportunity to dance with two Roméos - James Moore & Lucien Postlewaite. Week one was with Lucien & week two with James. Both Roméo’s were amazing & each had something different to offer. Each had their own approach to Roméo and I loved this because it made my reactions to each of them different but still genuine. As the shows progressed, the story felt more and more real, and it was hard to snap back into reality after each performance ended. I could feel that my two Roméos were in the story as much as I was, and I’m so grateful for the amazing journey I went on with both of them.
The emotional state that this ballet put me in made my sleeping patterns take a back seat, and as you can imagine this started to take a toll on my body (especially my poor knees). There were plenty of times when I doubted myself through the shows. My friends, family, and colleagues were my supportive system through this, and I’m not so sure I would have been able to get through the run without them. There was one instance where I was discussing my knee problems to a fellow dancer, and she simply said, “I’m not giving that any energy.” Unbeknownst to her, it was the best advice I received through it all. I then continued through the run erasing any bad thoughts and not giving “energy” to physical or emotional upsets that arose.
There is so much more that I want to say about Roméo et Juliette, but for now I must let it go and move on to PNB’s next incredible rep program. Thank you to those who have written in to me with their thoughts and comments. Also, thanks also needs to be given to all who sent prayers and support my way. It really helped me through!! Check back soon! xo Noe