PNB School's "Momotaro": a Gift of Culture and Joy for the Entire Family
- Mar 24
- 4 min read
George Balanchine, forever a champion of including children in his ballets, once said, “Their taste of art should be developed from early childhood. They should learn to love the beautiful and impractical as well as the useful and practical…Developing these qualities in our children is the first step to promoting peace in the world–by giving them standards of what is most important in human life.”
Each March, Pacific Northwest Ballet School presents an hour-long, narrated Family Matinee that serves as a perfect introduction to the art form. These ballets usually cycle through the favorite Bruce Wells ballets: Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Hansel and Gretel, and perhaps an occasional Pinocchio. Two years ago, the school presented a new Family Matinee: the Seattle premiere of Harold and the Purple Crayon by Robyn Mineko Williams and Terence Marling. But this year, Seattle is in for a treat.
PNB’s resident choreographer, Jessica Lang, has created a work based on the Japanese folk tale of Momotaro. This hour long program is not only a thoughtful story of courage, but transcends the expectations of a Family Matinee in its cultural significance and quality of execution. With costumes and lighting by PNB’s own Meleta Buckstaff and Reed Nakayama, and scenic design by Pacific Northwest Ballet soloist Yuki Takahashi, Momotaro is a homegrown initiative that brims with vision. It is carried by Brad Lo Walker’s narration and by the tapestry of a score that includes everything from a traditional folk song, to playful piano, heavenly orchestration, and taiko drumming (all works composed by Japanese artists).
In the shadow of a bold mountain with cherry blossoms in full bloom, a story of bravery unfolds. Kanji Segawa’s adaptation of the ancient tale weaves a lesson of forgiveness into Momotaro, for it is not only a tale of good versus evil, but an example of remorse and making things right once more.
With its range of students from a young corps de ballet of peaches in the most charming choreography, to the Professional Division students taking center stage, Momotaro is, from its first glimpse, a calling card for Pacific Northwest Ballet School.
There are moments in Momotaro where you forget you’re watching a student performance. Lang knows the quality of beauty that children deserve and takes no shortcuts in presenting them a fully-realized work of art. From the ethereal water fairies taking on a nearly Serenade hue beneath Reed Nakayama’s transcendent lighting, to the spirited choreography for Momotaro himself, Lang’s crafting of Momotaro is thoughtful in every step. It may be a ballet intended for children, but there is something for everyone to enjoy in its rich character.
Momotaro himself is brought to life by the airborne Christopher Karhunen, whose lightfooted ease and clarity are a joy to behold. Along his journey, he meets the spirited characters of Dog (Evelyn Pak), Monkey (Landon Spurbeck), and Pheasant (Tess Fein), all memorable visions themselves. Lang’s physical characterization of these characters is a delight that would let any child fall in love with the power of movement.
Momotaro is also diverse in its physical vocabulary, with the ogres bringing a chilling force of grounded command as they share the stage with the mighty beat provided by the School of TAIKO. This powerful section not only highlights the diversity and quality of training found at PNB School, but is filled with glimmers of global traditional dances placed in equality beside Lang’s most ethereal ballet form. Such a conception, to let taiko drumming enter the world of ballet, to let tutus coexist with cultural gestures, is one of the many ways that PNB continues to open doors to the art form.
After its first performance, one thing was clear: Momotaro is a triumph of cultural exchange and of expanding ballet's scope. In the ballet’s final moments, as the cast moves through traditional stepping to the rhythm of taiko drumming while immersing us in the rich nature of the Japanese language, the magnitude of cultural appreciation found within Momotaro far surpasses any expectations for a children’s ballet. What a gift to the region, and to each audience member, young and old, to so beautifully acknowledge culture at a time when doing so feels more pertinent than ever.
Momotaro is a deeply moving and inspiring ballet for the entire family. On a larger scale, Pacific Northwest Ballet is doing remarkable things for the world of art and beyond, and they are overdue for recognition of this work. Momotaro is the kind of initiative moving ballet in the right direction, and an incredibly valuable addition to PNB’s Family Matinee Series. A most sincere bravo!
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