Momotaro
Director and Choreographer: Jessica Lang
Creative Associate and Dramaturg: Kanji Segawa
Music: Saburo Moroi, Kazuko Yamada, Takashi Yoshimatsu, and Traditional Folk Music
Taiko Music Composer: Ringtaro Tateishi
Set Design Concept: Jessica Lang and Kanji Segawa
Set Design Illustrator: Yuki Takahashi
Scenic Coordinator: Yuki Izumihara
Costume Designer: Meleta Buckstaff
Lighting Designer: Reed Nakayama
Narrator: Brad Lo Walker
Pianist: Don Vollema
Featuring The School of Taiko (Artistic Director: Ringtaro Tateishi)
Length: 52 minutes, no intermission
Number of Dancers: 56
Commissioned by Pacific Northwest Ballet, Artistic Director Peter Boal
World Premiere March 21, 2026 at McCaw Hall, Seattle, WA.
"At the top of her professional game, Lang has created over 100 repertory pieces for companies worldwide, including repeat works for American Ballet Theatre and San Francisco Opera. She’s been lauded for her impeccable craftsmanship, her strong sense of visual design and the bold new challenges she takes on year after year. In her current three-year contract as PNB’s resident choreographer (2025-2027), Lang’s essential task is creating and setting works for the mainstage season of the professional company. Indeed, the long-awaited finale of PNB’s 2025-2026 season is an “All Lang” program running May 29-June 7...."
- Jean Lenihan, The Seattle Times, March 20, 2026
"Who doesn’t crave a story where goodness and kindness beat the forces of venality?"
- Marcie Sillman, And another thing!, March 23, 2026
"Segawa and Lang’s adaptation carries a feminine sensibility: emphasizing compassion over confrontation...The final bows are met with enthusiastic applause and cheering as cherry blossom-like petals fall, festooning the stage in a final celebratory image — like the final page of a picture book before it’s closed with a contented smile... Momotaro blossoms in the imagination — a hero’s journey brought vividly to life with color, dance and music — an apt offering for a cherry blossom afternoon in Seattle."
- Nahline Gouin, International Examiner, March 24, 2026
"Princesses, swans, sylphs, and fairy godmothers represent only a narrow slice of the stories dance can tell, and this production is a compelling reminder of the rich possibilities ballet holds for storytelling across cultures."
- Jolene Pollich, The Daily, March 30, 2026
"Momotaro’ ballet is a perfect first show for young kids..."
-Casey Funke, Seattle's Child, March 29, 2026
Performance History:
Pacific Northwest Ballet School
March 21-28, 2026 in Seattle, WA