For my birthday Jason gave me a streaming subscription to the Pacific Northwest Ballet Company’s season! Having heard him talk about their performances since he moved there, I was excited to see some beyond the Sendak “Nutcracker” I knew so well from living with Rachel during the Christmas season.

Tonight was the first performance of my package. Amy, Jason, and Justin video-called me as they finished their Indian food and after catching up a bit we settled in to watch “Rep 2” together (albeit a few states apart).

It was a good program. The last piece, a world premiere called “Ghost Variations,” choreographed by Jessica Lang was my favorite. The costumes, music, choreography, and shadow play were all terrific. Yes, shadow play! It had several moments where the dancer on stage was being matched by the shadowed projection of another dancer behind the screen. I want to see more pieces that play with that concept!

There was also an excerpt from Twila Tharp’s “Waterbabies Bagatelle” that was a fun bit, a video-recorded performance by four cellists somewhere near the water in Seattle, and a few other pieces.

It was so nice to get a taste of the arts again, even if it was through a screen. It was also fun to connect with Jason and company. It would have been nice to see it with them next to me in person, but I wasn’t totally alone:

They were not as into it as Amy’s cat apparently was: