Starting Ballet as an Adult: It’s Never Too Late
By PNB School Assistant Principal Deborah Kenner, PhD Being a beginner in any activity as an adult can feel daunting—especially when it comes to ballet. Many of us grow up thinking that certain pursuits, like dance, are best begun in childhood. As we get older, it’s easy to assume that the window of opportunity has […]
PNB School Faculty Spotlight: Kurt Froman
Today, we are featuring PNB School Men’s Division Coordinator Kurt Froman! Kurt Froman (he/him), born in Fort Worth, TX, joined Pacific Northwest Ballet School’s faculty in 2024. His professional dance career began in New York after he was awarded the first Rudolf Nureyev Scholarship, allowing him to study at the School of American Ballet. After six […]
PNB School Welcomes New Managing Director, Lauri-Michelle Houk
Pacific Northwest Ballet School has welcomed Lauri-Michelle Houk back to Seattle as the School’s new Managing Director. Coming most recently from San Diego where she served as Founder, Director, and CEO of the San Elijo Dance and Music Academy, Houk is also a former soloist with Pacific Northwest Ballet (1987– 1995) and faculty member with the PNB […]
Jérôme Kaplan at PNB
Costume and set designer Jérôme Kaplan is internationally renowned and a PNB favorite. The 2025/26 Season features his stunning designs in two ballets, Jewels and Giselle. Read on to learn more about Kaplan and his work at PNB! Jérôme Kaplan was born in Paris, France in 1964. As a child, Kaplan loved to create imaginary cities and places […]
Celebrating Jessica Lang, PNB’s Resident Choreographer
As PNB’s current season draws to a close, we are looking ahead to the 2025/26 Season. This will mark Jessica Lang’s second year as PNB’s Resident Choreographer! PNB will celebrate Lang with our ALL LANG program in May of 2026, as well as her new ballet for children Momotaro. Keep reading to learn more about Jessica Lang, her choreographic process, […]
A Sensory Prelude to a Larger Mexican Tale | Kyle Davis & Sarah-Gabrielle Ryan NEXT STEP 2025
By Leah Terada Ballet has always been more than movement; it is memory, mood, metaphor. But in Pas de Deux from an Unnamed Story, choreographers Sarah-Gabrielle Ryan and Kyle Davis invite audiences to go even further. They ask us to taste and smell, to feel, and to remember. Set in 1800s Veracruz, Mexico, this duet, premiering June 13th as part […]
PNB School Retirements: Denise Bolstad and Abbie Siegel
PNB School director Peter Boal recently announced the retirements of esteemed PNB School faculty members Denise Bolstad and Abbie Siegel. “Denise Bolstad, PNB School Managing Director, will retire at the conclusion of Summer Course, and Abbie Siegel, PNB School Principal, will retire from her position after School Performance. It is hard to imagine PNB School […]
A Day in the Life of a Professional Division Student: Operating Puppets in The Sleeping Beauty
PNB’s world-premiere production of The Sleeping Beauty is a reimagining of the classic tale. The performance is full of innovative and exciting elements, like Preston Singletary’s Indigenous Northwest Coast-influenced set designs, Paul Tazewell’s stunning costumes, and puppets designed by Basil Twist! The Sleeping Beauty is PNB’s largest production ever, and PNB School’s Professional Division students (PDs) are operating many of these […]
10 Fast Facts about The Sleeping Beauty Costumes
With 184 roles and 80 costume designs, The Sleeping Beauty is PNB’s largest production ever. Work on the production began in October 2023, 15 months in advance of opening night. Over 90 artisans, craftspeople, drapers, stitchers, first hands, dyers, and milliners have contributed to the costume build, including costume designer Paul Tazewell, who also designed costumes for the […]
Diving Deeper with New Works: A Conversation with Resident Choreographer Jessica Lang
Pacific Northwest Ballet’s New Works Initiative has been an important part of realizing the Company’s artistic vision since 2005. It has facilitated the creation and acquisition of nearly 150 new works. Countless choreographers, including Donald Byrd, Edwaard Liang, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Robyn Mineko Williams, Justin Peck, Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon, and Twyla Tharp have created new ballets […]