In addition to its regular subscription season, Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) offers a Family Matinee Series each March, and in 2026, the Family Matinee will feature a ballet adaptation of the popular Japanese folk story Momotaro (The Peach Boy).
Led by Rehearsal Director Nancy Crowley, the Family Matinee program has enlisted Jessica Lang, Resident Choreographer for PNB, and her spouse Kanji Segawa, Creative Associate and Story Adapter, to develop this premiere of Japan’s oldest folk tale. PNB hopes to introduce ballet to new young audiences by staging the adventures of Momotaro as he makes friends with animals, seeks his fortunes, and staves off the threat of ogres.
The idea to adapt Momotaro originated with Segawa. “Peter Boal asked my participation in making something for the Seattle community that reflects upon Japanese culture,” he recalled. The story of Momotaro came to mind immediately.
Segawa said his biggest challenge has been to make the storyline clear while maintaining the authenticity of Japanese expression. “I included in the narration Japanese language that brings sound effects to the audience,” he said.
Lang views Segawa as the ideal co-creator of this adaptation. “Born and raised in Japan, Kanji guides all of us, myself, the creative team, and the dancers, on the authentic qualities of the story we need to stay true to as it relates to the Japanese culture,” she said. “Kanji has choreographed and directed several story ballets for children, and he has a true gift to work with young dancers for a young audience.”
With the large local Japanese community in mind, Lang aimed to create a ballet that both supports the tale of this adventurous boy and also resonates with the community. “The story is charming and provides a great canvas to showcase the PNB School students, while also introducing young audiences to storytelling through dance,” she said. Lang is also enthusiastic about sharing this story with all communities who are unfamiliar with it.
Segawa is confident that Lang’s ballet supports his story adaptation. “Jessica’s strength is to be able to make any dancer shine, understanding a wide range of movement vocabulary no matter the genre of dance,” he said.
For Lang, choreographing Momotaro is a key part of her residency at PNB. “My primary responsibilities are creating new ballets, re-staging past works, and creating work for PNB School students,” Lang said. “I am also responsible for thinking about the trajectory of the dancers in the company and school, helping to give them ballets that will challenge and develop them as artists.”
Staging ballets is Lang’s passion, but she also appreciates the relationships that are formed during the artistic process. “I love working with the dancers and the creative teams on the development of new works and how much trust and care there is between us,” she shared. “I feel like I’m coming home when I come to PNB.”
Lang and Segawa have been working together since 1999, the beginning of their professional careers, including on Ghost Variations (2020) and Black Wave (2024) for PNB. “Kanji has witnessed every creation I have done, and we have grown together through every challenge and triumph,” Lang reported. Over the years, Lang says that their collaborative working style hasn’t changed, but that they have each grown alongside each other in regard to mastering their own crafts.
After Momotaro, the duo have big plans for the rest of the year. “We just came from Vienna State Ballet where we created a very special piece for the historical Opernball,” Segawa said.
His next collaboration with Lang is to stage ZigZag for PNB’s All Lang triple bill in May, and then he’ll head to the National Ballet of Japan to supervise Lang’s 2014 ballet Escaping the Weight of Darkness.
Momotaro runs March 21 and 28, with Community Day also on March 28, at McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer Street, Seattle.
