Choreography and Production Licensing Information

John Paul Bishop

Artistic Director, Ballet Master, Choreographer, Dancer

John Paul Bishop

Dancer, choreographer and director, John Bishop has long been associated with prominent dance companies and schools in the US and abroad and has worked with some of the most notable artists in the world of dance. He began studying classical ballet and piano at the age of 8 and began his professional career at 16 with the Milwaukee Ballet Company. He has since performed with over twenty professional companies including American Ballet Theatre, New Jersey Ballet and major companies from New York to Japan. He has worked with such dance luminaries as George Balanchine, Mikhail Barishnikov, Andre Eglevsky and many others. As a principal dancer he has performed an array of roles in both classical and contemporary repertoire including Albrecht in Giselle, Prince Ziegfried in Swan Lake, Basil in Don Quixote, Franz in Coppelia, Prince in Sleeping Beauty, Oberon in A Midsummer Nights Dream and Bryaxis in Daphnis and Chloe. After a long professional career as a dancer, Mr. Bishop has transitioned into a well-respected choreographer creating over fifty original ballets. In his fifteen-year tenure at Northwest Ballet Theater, he has staged full-length ballets including Coppelia, La Fille Mal-Gardee, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Cinderella, Don Quixote, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Dracula and The Nutcracker. Some of his classical one-act ballets include Paquita, Graduation Ball, The Firebird, Petrushka, Spectre de la Rose, Beethoven's 7th Symphony, Four Seasons and Daphnis et Chloe. In 2004, he and six of his dancers competed in the St. Petersburg International Ballet Competition in Russia where he received the Award for Best Choreography and his dancers placed highly in the competition. Former students of Mr. Bishop's now dance with prestigious dance programs and companies in The United States and overseas. He has also trained several professional figure skaters, including Shizuka Arakawa, gold medalist at the 2006 Olympics in Turin. Mr. Bishop's ballet productions for NBT have also attracted students and professional dancers from Washington to Russia. In March, 2013, NBT received the Mayor’s Arts Award and premiered his original ballet of Dracula in Bellingham, Washington.

So much more than sugar plumsWe all know how frantic this time of year can be. Time seems to just fly by. You rush around to get it all done, and then you’re left saying “It doesn’t feel like Christmas!” Well, one thing you must rush to do this weekend is to see The Nutcracker at the Mount Baker Theatre, a magical holiday tradition that is brought to life by the Northwest Ballet Theater, under the artistic direction of John Bishop and choreographed by Miye Bishop… From the adorable pink mice and toy soldiers, charming snowflakes, fairies and flowers, to the delightful Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, this large cast of talented dancers will enchant everyone. Bring your younger children to see this lavish production. You’ll find them twirling in the aisles! .~ Entertainment News Northwest

World Premiere: October 12, 2013Mount Baker Theater

Original ballet makes stunning debutThe legend comes to life in this delightfully original take on Dracula by Northwest Ballet Theater. Brilliantly choreographed by NBT’s artistic director John Bishop, and magnetically tethered to Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel of the same name, this show is killer and those classicist vampire fans among us will find nothing to gripe about. Mr. Bishop’s choreography is visual dessert. Fast, slow, moving, stopping, everything is symmetrical. White and black fabric floats and spins, turns and glides, flies. It’s in-sync, electric, cream and ink swaying and swooping and spinning and falling over and over. Everything you’d want in a ballet, here it is.~ Entertainment News Northwest (October 14, 2013).

Click YouTube link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_nmzUriyDQ

AladdinPremiered: May 16, 2007 McIntyre HallMusic: C. Debussy, M. RavelChoreography/Staging: John Bishop

Magic carpet rideAladdin rubs the right lampby Christopher KeyThere are probably a lot of jocks out there who would sneer at the idea of ballet being an athletic event. There are probably an equal number of ballet dancers who could seriously kick their butts and do it with grace and artistry. If there are any doubts in your mind, go see Northwest Ballet’s production of Aladdin, playing this weekend at McIntyre Hall in Mt. Vernon.If there is anyone out there unfamiliar with the tale from One Thousand and One Nights (aka Arabian Nights), go look it up on Wikipedia. I’d rather devote the space to singing the praises of Northwest Ballet and the extraordinary cast of dancers they bring to the stage.As a director of musicals, I have a passing familiarity with choreography. Meaning I recruit a choreographer to deal with that because my familiarity with the art is passing, indeed. I have, however, witnessed how many hours it takes to choreograph a two-minute number. The work involved in choreographing a major ballet like Aladdin is mind-boggling. Northwest Ballet Artistic Director John Bishop seems to be able to toss it off as easily as I mix metaphors. I hope he’s as in awe of my skills as I am of his.Aladdin is all about magic, so it makes sense that Bishop recruited the multi-talented Sterling Dietz to play the evil Genie of the Ring. I’ve sung Sterling’s praises before and this production only adds to his luster. He also supervised the spectacular special effects that will leave you gasping. Words fail me when I try to describe how enchanting Miye Bishop is, not just in this role, but in every production I have seen. She truly owns the role of Jasmine with her ethereal beauty. Seth Weatherby plays the title role with enormous energy and admirable athleticism. He is small in stature, but lifts, tosses, and carries Bishop around with seeming ease. Click here for YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdirkUjUoZc

The Little MermaidPremiere: May 2, 2009Music: B. Britten, M. RavelChoreography: John Bishop

Another winner from Northwest BalletLittle Mermaid enchantsby Christopher Key

At the entrance to Copenhagen harbor, a statue of a mermaid looks out to sea, pining for her lost love. Her legend is one of Hans Christian Andersen’s most beloved fairy tales and Northwest Ballet is bringing the fable to vibrant life this weekend and next in Mt. Vernon and Bellingham.

Artistic Director John Bishop has done his usual masterful job choreographing The Little Mermaid, set to music by Ottorino Respighi and Benjamin Britten. Very briefly, the title character saves the life of a captain following a shipwreck. The captain doesn’t remember her in his delirium and believes a human girl saved him. The two humans fall in love and are engaged to be married.Meanwhile, the mermaid asks a sea witch to transform her into a human so that she can pursue her lost love on land. The transformation comes at the expense of the mermaid’s voice so she can’t explain to her captain what actually happened. Her sisters suggest she kill him, but her love is such that the sacrifices her own life instead. Powerful stuff and Bishop’s ballet tells the story with heartbreaking sympathy.Dancing the title role is the lovely and graceful Amber Johnson. She’s been dancing since age three, but has also studied gymnastics. Her amazing athleticism is demonstrated in spectacular leaps during the second act. She also has a gift for physical comedy as seen when the mermaid tries to gain her land legs.Bishop may have given up his career as a professional dancer some years back, but you’d never guess. He plays the Sea Captain with great exuberance, leaping and spinning like someone half his age. He also brings great sensitivity to the role and it’s easy to see why he had such a stellar career as a dancer before transitioning to choreography. The ’second career’ is equally stellar.Mija Bishop is powerful and imperious as Ursula, the Sea Witch, and one has to suspect a certain amount of inherited talent. Physically diminutive, her confident stage presence makes her seem much larger and more threatening as the villainess of the piece. She completely owns the stage when she is on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skRl4-zaDkk

Emerald Bay Premiered: June 4, 2010Music: S. DaviesChoreography/Staging: John Bishop

Ballet illuminates historyStunning production from local companyby Christopher KeyThis City of Subdued Excitement is, in many ways, a model of multi-cultural acceptance and understanding. Not perfect, by any means, but light-years ahead of many American communities. Northwest Ballet has brought forth a production that sheds some light on a shameful part of our history and will help us move forward with passion and compassion.Emerald Bay is set during the time of the Chinese Exclusion Act 125 years ago and brings us a retelling of Romeo and Juliet in terms that both Shakespeare and modern audiences can relate to.One of the things that makes the ballet so powerful is the inclusion of actual historical characters. It was Yu’s suggestion to include Goon Dip, a merchant who struggled to bridge the cultural gaps of the time. That opened the way to including Fairhaven founder Dirty Dan Harris and Mark Twain, who was in town on the lecture circuit.The love story centers on Julie O’Connor, an Irish-American girl who falls in love with Li Puo, captain of a Chinese trading ship. This horrifies both of their families and tensions in the community, already high, explode into violence. Christina Stockdale is a principal dancer with Ballet Bellevue and will be familiar to local audiences, having performed in the Northwest Ballet productions of The Nutcracker and Dracula. Her heart-wrenching performance in Emerald Bay will leave you limp. Artistic Director Bishop keeps threatening to retire as a dancer and we can all be thankful that his threats have proved empty so far. He plays Gurn O’Connor, Julie’s violently racist brother, with the verve of a much younger man. Her Chinese paramour is portrayed by Shuai Chen, a member of Ballet San Jose. He is the hero of a backstage drama that took place when a dancer from China was denied an exit visa just two weeks before the scheduled premiere at Meany Hall in Seattle. That was the performance I attended on May 15 and there was no doubt that a week of 18-hour rehearsal days paid off. Chen looked as though he had been part of the troupe from the beginning and that speaks wonders for his professionalism and dedication. Not to mention that of the rest of the company who obviously supported him every step of the way.

CINDERELLAIn 2003, NBT premiered this classic tale with choreography by John Bishop set to Prokoviev’s incomparable score. Mija Bishop, who danced the lead role of Cinderella in that production, takes the helm as choreographer in this year’s remake. Although earlier versions of Cinderella were performed in Russia in December of 1893, and then later revised in 1945, the version that is preserved in most ballet companies of the present day is the 1948 version that was first performed by the Sadler Wells Ballet a the Royal Opera House in London. Serge Prokofiev’s score combined with Sir Frederick Ashton’s choreography gave the ballet popularity and prominence similar to the great Tchaikovsky ballets: Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. Swept away!Classic ballet enchants audienceby Judith Owens-LancasterNorthwest Ballet Theater has a history with Cinderella. In 2003, NBT brought this timeless fairy tale to life with sumptuous spectacle, majestic music and breathtaking choreography. Sure we know the story, but it is all brand new set to music and made magical and beautiful through dance. Miye Bishop floats, that’s the only way I can describe her weightless incredible dancing. Talented Seattle dancer Joshua Deininger is her perfect tall, dark and handsome Prince Charming who possesses great poise and musicality. There are all levels of talent in this huge company and all ages from about four years old to senior citizens! Kira Cardoza is a lovely Fairy Godmother and the Evil Stepmother is believably portrayed by Ryann Lewis. I must confess my favorites were the stepsisters, Mija Bishop and Natasha Keeley, who not only are superb dancers but superb actors/comediennes as well. Artistic Director John Bishop formed Northwest Ballet Theater in 1999 and has established this company as one of Washington’s leading ballet troupes. All accomplished dancers, principals, soloists, and the corps de ballet, they never fail to entertain and delight their audience with stunning technical ability and touching artistry. Bishop and NBT deservedly received the Mayor’s Arts Award this year.

COPPELIAAll dolled upCharming comedy by NW Ballet Theaterby John FrenchLike all good opera, musical theatre and drama nothing beats a beautiful love story for a subject and ballet is no different. Northwest Ballet Theater’s production of Coppelia fits the bill perfectly.Swanilda, as danced by Mija Bishop, is both energetic and utterly coquettish. Her facial expressions and mannerisms completely fit the part. A lesson that should be learned by many in ballet (and opera singers) is that good acting is as essential to a role such as this as ballet (or singing) skills.Dancing Franz is Seth Weatherby, which stunned your humble reviewer who discovered that Seth is relatively new to ballet (about three years). He danced with a command of the role that one would expect from someone more seasoned. For those of you who feel that manly men do not dance I would dare you to spend ten minutes on stage following Mr. Weatherby. You may hurt yourself. Mr. Weatherby and Ms. Bishop are perfectly in tune with each other both physically and dramatically for their respective roles. Of special mention here, I also wish to single out Angus McLane, a theater veteran who although in a non-dancing role was at times hilarious, touching and demonic in his portrayal of Dr. Coppelius. Also of note is the Coppelia doll played by Victoria Clawson, with her perfectly porcelain features. Once again, good acting makes good theater.

Click for YouTube linkhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzqIyGVMKoc

The FirebirdPremiered: May 13, 2005, Mount Baker TheaterMusic: I. StravinskyChoreography: M. FokineStaging: John Bishop

Ballet SynopsisPrince Ivan is hunting in the forest and encounters the legendary magic Firebird. The Prince is captivated by the Firebird's beauty and captures her. The firebird struggles to get free, but cannot escape Ivan's grip. The Prince takes pity on the Firebird and sets her free. In gratitude, the Firebird gives the Prince one of her feathers, telling him, all he need do, is wave the feather and she will come to his aid.

As the Prince continues through the forest, he discovers thirteen beautiful dancing princesses. The thirteenth princess, Princess Tsarevna, is especially beautiful, and Prince Ivan falls instantly in love with her. They explain to Ivan that he is in the enchanted forest of the evil sorcerer, Katsche�, and they are all his prisoners. As Katsche�'s spell calls them back to his castle, they beg Prince Ivan not to follow them, or to enter the castle, warning him that Katsche�'s evil powers will turn him into stone.

The Prince follows the princesses anyway, and as he enters the castle, he is immediately captured by Katsche�'s servants. Katschei appears and tries to turn the Prince into stone, but in the struggle, the Prince remembers what the Firebird told him and he waves her magic feather. The Firebird suddenly appears and casts a spell on Katscheï and his servants, forcing them to a dance to exhaustion. As Katscheï and his servants collapse from dancing, the Firebird lulls them to all into a deep sleep. She then destroys them, freeing the prisoners of the castle and the enchanted forest. The Prince and Princess Tsarevna are married in a great celebration.

Petrushka Music: I. StravinskyChoreography: M. FokineStaging: John Bishop

The meeting of Diaghilev and Stravinsky was inspired by a performance of the latter playing his piano version of Fireworks in 1909. Diaghilev commissioned him to write The Firebird, and although Stravinsky was 27 and unknown at this time, he still possessed the chutzpah to verbalize his reluctance to compose within constraints or to collaborate with set designer Alexandre Benois and choreographer Mikhail Fokine.The Firebird, of course, was a huge success. But it was their second collaboration – Petrushka – that brought the pair its first multimedia success and freed Stravinsky to put his own stamp on Parisian musical life.

Le Spectre de la RoseMusic:Choreography: M. FokineStaging: John Bishop

Le Spectre de la Rose, choreographed by Michel Fokine, was first presented in 1911. It tells the story of a young girl, who returning from her first ball, falls asleep and dreams that the rose she holds in her hand is dancing with her. Fokine believed dance only had meaning when each movement contained drama and expression. Le Spectre de la Rose reflects this attention to the portrayal of emotion through dance. The ballet was given its U.S. premiere in 1916 at the Metropolitan Opera House.

GISELLENBT Premiere May 15, 2004

McIntyre HallMusic: A. Adam

Choreography; J. CoralliThe role of Giselle is one of the most famous

Romantic ballet roles, and was created and first performed by Italian ballerina Carlotte Grisi in June 1841. The character is a sweet, innocent, beautiful

young peasant girl with a great love for dancing, but is forbidden to dance by her mother in fear of

Giselle's health for the girl has a weak heart. Giselle finds herself caught up in a love triangle, which takes a tragic turn after she discovers that her lover 'Loys' is really Duke Albrecht in disguise and is engaged to another woman. Devastated, she goes mad and dies of a broken heart. But even after her death, Giselle's love is undiminished. Summoned from her grave to

join the Wilis, Giselle refuses to take revenge on Albrecht and instead, protects him, defending him

until dawn and saving his life. Giselle's love has transcended death.

Giselle: Mija BishopAlbrecht: Evegeny Luskin

Myrtha: Katrina ShullPeasant Pas: Miye Bishop, Eric Esteb

Scenes from Act I Scenes from Act II

Don Quixote is a famous ballet based on the epic masterpiece by Miguel de Cervantes. The most successful choreography for the ballet was created by Marius Petipa at the height of his career. As the ballet begins, an aging nobleman named Don Quixote becomes obsessed with stories of ancient rivalry. Appearing a little silly, he uses his imagination and pretends to be a brave night. He imagines that he sets out to rescue the lady of his dreams, named Dulcinea. He transforms his servant, Sancho Panza, into a trusty squire and off they go. Don Quixote leads a charge against imaginary enemies, which he sees everywhere. He proceeds to fight invisible rivals, puppets, and windmills. The role of Don Quixote, the title character in the ballet, is usually portrayed by an older dancer. Don Quixote and Sancho Panza are not heavily involved in the storyline. The ballet's best dance is a wonderful wedding pas de duex performed by Kitri and Basilio. These roles have been regarded as the most challenging of any classical ballet.

Les Sylphides is a short, non-narrative ‘ballet blanc’. Original choreography was by Michael Fokine with music by Frederic Chopin and orchestrated by Alexander Glazunov. Glazunov had already set some of the music in 1892 as a purely orchestral suite, under the title Chopiniana, Op. 46. In that form it was introduced to the public in December 1893, conducted by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The ballet, often described as a "romantic reverie",was indeed the first ballet ever to be simply that. Les Sylphides has no plot, but instead consists of many white-clad sylphs dancing in the moonlight with the poet or young man dressed in white tights and a black top.

Sleeping BeautyMusic: P. I. TchaikovskyChoregraphy: M. PetipaStaging: John Bishop

The ballet's premiere received more favorable accolades than Swan Lake from the press, but Tchaikovsky never had the luxury of being able to witness his work become an instant success in theatres outside of Russia. He died in 1893. By 1903, The Sleeping Beauty was the second most popular ballet in the repertory of the Imperial Ballet, having been performed 200 times in only 10 years.

Swan Lake

Music: P.I. TchaikovskyChoreography: M. PetipaStaging: John Bishop

The Russian ballet patriarch Fyodor Lopukhov has called Swan Lake a "national ballet" because of its swans, which he argues originate from Russian lyrically romantic sources, while many of the movements of the corps de ballet originated from Slavonic ring-dances. According to Lopukhov, "both the plot of Swan Lake, the image of the Swan and the very idea of a faithful love are essentially Russian“

A Midsummer Night’s DreamMusic: F. Mendelssohn Choreography/Staging: John Bishop

Set to Felix Mendelssohn’s lush score, this enchanting ballet brings William Shakespeare’s classic comedy to life. The hilarious tale follows the adventures and misadventures of a group of mortals and immortals in their quest for love.

This ballet also incorporates about 20 young children as small fairies and a young boy as the Changeling Child. NBT will perform again in June 2014

Treasures of Aaron coplandMusic: A. Copland

Choreography/Staging: John Bishop

When the Northwest Ballet Theatre brings classics to the stage, they do so in a big way. Elaborate sets, live music and contributions from a plethora of dancers and community members are par for the course. We caught up with Artistic Director John Bishop to see what’s happening with the dance company this weekend. Trust us, it’s a lot.~ Cascadia Weekly.

CW: How many people are involved with putting this on? JB: Counting artistic staff, cast, crew, volunteers and contributors, I count about 150 on this weekend’s production. It also requires an incredible amount of time and energy over the course of six months to bring the production to the stage.

CW: The Starry Night Orchestra is back for this show. Is it important to have live music for a ballet? JB: The orchestra really makes such a difference. In the overall ballet design of things, it provides the soul for the production. This is now the second time for Bellingham to have a full-length classical ballet with orchestra. In this way, NBT wants to serve this community by celebrating the marriage of ballet and live music.

CW: You’re also presenting “The Treasures of Aaron Copland” this weekend. How did that come about?JB: The collaboration first came about when I was asked by another ballet company in Bellevue to work with their dancers on a production this spring. It was a very diverse program, which included “Treasures,” which I choreographed. The three-part medley to Billy the Kid, Rodeo, and The Red Pony was set to Western themes from the American vernacular.

GRADUATION BALLMusic: J. StraussChoreography: D. LichineStaging: John Bishop

The ballet, in one act, is set in a fashionable Viennese finishing school for girls during the 1840s. The headmistress has invited the cadets of the city's military academy to attend a ball celebrating the graduation of the senior class. The senior and junior girls have planned a series of divertissements as the evening's entertainment and are greatly excited by the event. Flirtations, exuberant dances, and a secret romance ensue.

PAQUITAMusic: L. MinkusChoreography: M. PetipaStaging: John Bishop

The Paquita grand pas classique was featured in the farewell gala of Enrico Cechetti in 1902, where all of the leading ballerinas of the Mariinsky Theatre participated by performing their favorite solos from various ballets. Thus, the tradition of including an entire suite of solos for various ballerinas began, a tradition which is still in place today.

Beethoven’s 7th Symphony

Choreography: John Bishop

By the time Beethoven composed his Seventh Symphony in 1811-12, deafness had put an end to his virtuoso concert career (although he continued to improvise in private for friends). For nearly two decades he had lived in Vienna, surviving two occupations by the French, and had become one of the city's best-known personalities. A number of his compositions were notorious for sparking controversy, to be sure, but the Seventh presents a happy example of an indisputable masterpiece which was greeted with widespread public acclaim from its premiere.

As a ballet in four movements, this ‘dance symphony’ as it has been called, creates four different dynamic interludes in one 40 minute piece.

The piece can be enjoyed without elaborate costumes or set pieces. Simple color changes on the cyc provide ample background B7S since the four movements must intertwine and keep the attention on the dancers formations and choreographic elements without distractions like scene changes.

The choreography ranges from neo-classical to modern in style and although the piece is without story or plot it, each movement has a ‘theme’ within itself that allows the dancers to express simple ‘messages’ to the audience.