Emerald Bay Ballet

Northwest Ballet Theater’s Emerald Bay is a romantic ballet set in Bellingham Bay and the Puget Sound region in 1885. At this time, not long after the Chinese Exclusion Act, Chinese immigrants were driven from the area. A modern variant on Shakespeare’s classic tale Romeo and Juliet, Emerald Bay recounts the tragic love story of a Chinese Sea Captain Li Puo and his lover Julie O’Connor, a young woman of Scots-Irish ancestry. Prominent historical figures in the ballet include Dirty Dan Harris, Goon Dip, and Mark Twain. The ballet also includes representative dancers and character actors from the region’s diverse communities. It features original choreography by artistic director John Bishop, who recently directed Northwest Ballet’s Aladdin and The Little Mermaid. Emerald Bay will premiere at the University of Washington’s Meany Hall in Seattle on May 15, 2011, McIntrye Hall in Mt. Vernon on June 4 & 5, 2011, and Mt. Baker Theatre in Bellingham on June 11, 12, & 13, 2011