
Remember the ocean? Remember simple pleasures like gathering with friends on the beach? Or even just standing by yourself near the edge of the water and feeling small compared to the enormity of the universe?
We barely do either. But thankfully Lucien Postlewaite, the award-winning dancer, has chosen to share with you this morning an absolutely breathing work he performed at the edge of the ocean last summer.
"I hope you're all staying happy and healthy while we're sheltered in place," Lucien says in his message, before introducing the piece, which is called "Continuum" and was choreographed by Garrett Smith.
"It's filmed outside, on a beautiful stage facing the sea," Lucien says, "and I just cannot wait until we can dance outside again."
The dancers in this piece are Lucien Postlewaite and Christoper D'Ariano. The music is by Peter Gregson. The piece was commissioned by the Fire Island Dance Festival.
You can find out more about Lucien—and watch more of his performances—here and here.
Want to see him in the rehearsal hall at PNB working on Don Quixote? Of course you do. The other principal dancer here is Kaori Nakamura.
Lucien is from Santa Cruz, California. He trained on scholarship at the School of American Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. He joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as an apprentice in 2003, was promoted to corps de ballet in 2004, soloist in 2007, and principal in 2008. He was a 2008 recipient of a Princess Grace Award. In 2012, Lucien joined Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, and in 2017, he re-joined to PNB as a principal dancer.
He has been a member of Olivier Wevers’ ensemble, Whim W’Him. As a guest artist, he also has performed Petipa’s Paquita and Wevers’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Reiko Yamamoto Ballet Company in Japan, and Balanchine’s Tarantella with Los Angeles Ballet.
You can follow him on Twitter or Facebook, but his best pictures and videos are on Instagram.
Thank you so much for sharing your work with us, Lucien.
And for reminding us of the expansiveness of the ocean.
Have a good Friday, everyone.
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Previously in this series: