TALES FROM PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET...from Dianne's point of view.....

     This group of tales takes place in Seattle, WA....at PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET.....where I was piano soloist for about 25 years (can it be that long?).  I am now retired from that institution, and have no more responsibilities there.  For some reason, that doesn't seem possible, but it is.  There are aspects of my job that I miss, but not the long hours of rehearsals!  I do miss some of the people. 
       When I first arrived in Seattle, and saw the place where PNB rehearsed (they performed in the Opera House at that time), I was aghast!  (It was a gym, actually, and not very nice.)  What had I done?!  I asked myself that question....and wondered if I  made a huge mistake in moving to Seattle!  Of course, it was a lovely city (but I had been living in London, which is a fantastic place).  Seattle is located on the Pacific Coast...and has many panoramic views from many vantage points.  And the Space Needle as well!  I love this city...but at that time, was not so sure....and had many questions.
      Of course, I immediately liked Kent Stowell and Francia Russell, whom I had met previously, and who were the Co-Directors of the Organization.   They were former dancers with the NYCB and I was from there as well.  (It seems that everyone connected with the NYCB knows each other in some way.  And furthermore, are connected by Facebook!)  In addition, I know many people from the Zurich Company (many who had danced with NYCB)...so a huge famial group indeed! 
      On the first day of my employment there, I was asked to play class, which I did.  However, since I was engaged to be their piano soloist (which requires a great deal of practicing outside the company rehearsals), I asked to be excused from playing class, as I needed to practice in the morning....(when class was held.)   Francia thought that was a reasonable request, (Kent didn't understand but he went along with Francia).  So that day I found out who really ran the company! 
My first rehearsal was FOUR TEMPERAMENTS with  Francia, which I had performed in NYCB.  So that was no problem for me!  Francia (who rehearsed all the Balanchine repertoire) was delighted to have a pianist like me, who could play all of it...and she would not have to use a tape any longer!  From then on, we worked together nearly every day...as there was much Balanchine in the company.  I enjoyed all of that very much....Francia and I got along very well...and became good friends.  The dancers were excellent, I thought.  I particularly remember Michael Auer, Debbie Hadley, Patricia Barker, (who at that time, was a soloist), Maya Rosal, Ben Houk and Wade Walthall.  
      Kent did not rehearse as much as Francia...and he almost never rehearsed the Balanchine rep....except the stage rehearsals.  He was occupied rehearsing his own ballets and choreographing new ones.  (There were many of those).  I remember the amount of work it took to create CARMINA BURANA (which is still in the repertoire).  It was very successful, and to this day...I find myself humming certain melodies.  (I should say here that Michael JACKSON, who was a good friend of mine, used the first section of Carmina in certain introductions to many of his concerts).  
      There was another pianist there who rehearsed the company...(named Joan)...very nice person....although not really a soloist....but a good pianist.  She did play several of the solo piano ballets, but gradually those were all assigned to me as well as all new ballets done by guest choreographers....such as John Clifford, with whom I often worked there as well as NYCB...where I first met him.  He was a most talented dancer, and soon became a principal soloist.  Also he was a very quick study...and so could be just 'thrown into' a major role at a moment's notice.  When he left to form his own company in Los Angeles, I thought the company had lost a terrific dancer.  But he wanted to spread his wings, and so Mr. Balanchine helped him get started there....and backed him 100%.  John has never forgotten Mr. B's assistance, and frequently speaks of that.  Oddly enough, I am contact with John via Facebook, and enjoy his posts and those of his ballets.  (A very good friend of mine...Marilee Stiles Stern....also went to LA to join John's Company.)  John has sent me several of my solos with Seattle Symphony, and piano solos....as I played all of his works at PNB.  (He is very thoughtful.)  The Ravel Concerto in G Major...is one of those works...and is one of my favorite concertos.  Also some Satie pieces....one of which just came on the radio here...(who says there is no synchronicity in life??!)
      One of the works choreographed by Kent was a two-piano work of Rachmaninoff (very difficult for the pianists).  I did enjoy performing this work with my duo partner, Allan Dameron, on stage with the dancers!  One incident which occured during a performance of this work, caused me great panic....as the light above MY piano (not Allan's) went off in the middle of the last movement.  Because the stage lights were on...I could see the music.  But I knew the movement (and the ballet) would soon end...and all the stage lights would dim and then just go off!  So I carefully placed my left hand on the keys (lower on the keyboard)..to be able to end the piece without error and played only with my right hand for about two bars before that.  Then the lights dimmed, and gradually I could no longer see the music or the keyboard!  Rico Chiarelli (our lighting designer par excellence) saw the impending catastrophe coming, and ran up to the stage to see if anything could be done about MY piano light.  No such luck!!  But thank goodness I had the foresight to put my hand on the keys for the ending chords!  And so everything finished nicely!  Rico was so apologetic for this...although it really wasn't his fault.  However, after the show, he installed not one, but two lights above my piano.  Then there would be a backup light!!!  (In case one went out!)  I never hesitate to remind him about this incident...in case he should forget!  All these years later, we still laugh about it!!  During this ballet, the dancers would dance over to my piano, and sing a little ditty....that ended in..."Minnie ha ha...Hi Aunt DD"....It was all I could do NOT to laugh at this during the performance.  
      There have been so many incidents over the years....humorous and otherwise, it is difficult to select just a few. However, I do recall a trip to Ellensburg, WA, for some performances there.  There was a bus for the company, however, my friend Wade, with whom I had become friendly, decided he wanted to drive and persuaded me to come with him.  Instead of going on Snoqualmie Pass (which would have been sensible and safe)...he wanted to go via CHINOOK PASS...which, unknown to us, was very curvy and closed early in the season.  (VERY EARLY, as we were to learn).  So in his Mazda RX 7 we started out.  Very soon after we entered the Pass, it began snowing.  And continued....and continued!!! Until there was so much snow, the car was having problems.  And then the chains, which he put on, got wound around the axle!!!  Then we were really stuck.  Wade could not get the chains unwound, plus he had NO winter gloves.  Talk about being unprepared!  We waited in the car on the side of the road...and finally a truck came by...and the driver assisted him with the chains.  Also gave us directions on how to exit the pass as soon as possible.  That kind man told that the pass had  CLOSED...and we shouldn't be driving in it!  Ha!  (I certainly knew that..).  Anyway finally we made our way downhill to the end of the pass....and entered Ellensberg.  Upon arriving at the hotel, we saw Kent and Francia waiting OUTSIDE for us...they were very worried and had called the state patrol.  I was so glad to see them....!!!  and thankful to have arrived safely.  Let me tell you, that was one horror-filled trip....and I was quite furious with Wade for not knowing better!!!!