N.Y. dancer is in lead for Pacific Northwest Ballet post

By Paul de Barros
Seattle Times staff reporter

Peter Boal is the leading candidate for the PNB post.

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The hunt may be over for a new artistic director of Pacific Northwest Ballet.

The search committee for the Seattle dance company announced yesterday it had chosen a "lead candidate" for the post.

He is Peter Boal, a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet.

Boal's ultimate selection still depends on a final recommendation from the search committee and approval of the board of trustees. That announcement will be made on or before Jan. 1, 2005. Boal returns to Seattle the third week of October for the final selection phase.

Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) artistic directors Kent Stowell and Francia Russell, who have directed the company and its school since 1977, announced last year they would retire at the end of the 2004-2005 season. The company began the search for a new artistic director in January.

PNB Executive Director D. David Brown was optimistic about Boal's confirmation, but he would not speculate on the odds.

"What are the odds that Mount St. Helens isn't going to reward us with a show?" he said. "We would like to think we are on a positive path, one that, with some further contact, would confirm our mutual interest and arrive at a positive result."

Boal was selected from a group of nearly 50 applicants, narrowed down to five semifinalists. As part of the hiring process, he made a two-day visit to PNB that included working with dancers in the studio. His return visit will include further discussions with the search committee and the board and another encounter with dancers.

Boal, 39, joined New York City in 1983, became a soloist in 1987 and in 1989 was promoted to principal. He has appeared in ballets by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins and others. His television appearances include "Balanchine in America" and "The Balanchine Celebration."

Boal founded and directs Peter Boal and Company, a group of four New York City Ballet dancers that commission new choreography and revivals. In 2000, he received a New York Dance and Performance Award (Bessie) for his solo performance in Molissa Fenley's "State of Darkness."

PNB was founded in 1972.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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