If you have a child at home who loves music, kings and queens, fairies or forest creatures, be sure to see Pacific Northwest Ballet’s performance of George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream this weekend.
I invited my fiancé’s 13-year-old daughter to be my date for opening night. We dressed up and headed to Queen Anne for dinner and a night of watching magic come alive onstage.
This full-length ballet is based on William Shakespeare’s comedy about the king and queen of the fairies, as well as two sets of mortal lovers who have comedic misunderstandings and spats throughout the performance.
We especially enjoyed the character Puck (performed by Kiyon Gaines opening night) who causes mischief using a flower pierced by Cupid’s arrow to make people fall in love with the first person they see. The audience was howling with laughter at Puck’s antics.
Act II was my fiancé’s daughter’s favorite portion of the ballet because of the wedding festivities and the superb pas de deux performed by Kaori Nakamura (who will retire from PNB this year) and Seth Orza. She was in awe of the magical sets throughout, including gigantic pink flowers framing the stage, thick fog and a creepy spider web complete with a spider. The costumes are charming and beautiful, just how you would envision them to look if you read the story.
Pacific Northwest Ballet School students also perform in the production and they are magnificent. They add a unique element to the ballet and kids watching the show will truly enjoy seeing their peers dance.
Since the ballet is two hours and 15 minutes in length, I personally recommend it for kids who can sit quietly through a long show. My second grader has been to many dance performances, but he tends to get antsy around the two-hour mark.
Also, I highly suggest attending a matinee performance. There are fun children’s activities in the lobby one hour prior to the performance including making magic wands at a craft table and the presentation of the story by a teaching artist with visuals, costume examples and dance movement. During intermission, there is the craft table but not the additional activities.
If you plan on taking your kids to the ballet, here are some tips: Prior to going, read and explain the story to your child so they understand and look forward to seeing it. Eat a hearty meal beforehand so your little one isn’t hungry during the first act. Get a treat at intermission (or pack your own snacks). Plan extra time for traffic and arrive early so you have time to walk around McCaw Hall; kids love the cool water feature right outside.
There’s only one more week to enjoy this enchanting ballet.
Photo credits: Corps de ballet dancer Ezra Thomson as Bottom and principal dancer Lesley Rausch as Titania. Soloists Benjamin Griffiths as Oberon and Kiyon Gaines as Puck. Photos © Angela Sterling.
