We Value
Community engagement;
Excellence in dance and education;
Collaboration with our partners;
Lifelong learning in the arts.
PNB Community Education programs are committed to serving ALL members of the community. We believe every child and adult has the ability and merit to dance. Programming is inclusive regardless of race, national origin, disability status, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, or gender.
Each year, PNB reaches nearly 20,000 community members, including students, teachers, and families through in-school programming, visits to PNB studios, specially-priced student matinees, and community partnerships.
I.D.E.A. Statement
At the heart of PNB Community Education is the understanding that every student comes to our programs inherently creative – bringing rich personal and cultural resources as they imagine, express, move, and dance. Programming is inclusive, not only regardless of race, national origin, disability status, sexual orientation, and gender identity- but with respect and celebration of all the identities that students bring. PNB Community Education programs strive to celebrate, affirm, and amplify the creativity and possibilities in every student.
Research shows that access to arts education for Seattle youth at public schools is inequitable and can be predicted by race and socioeconomic status. PNB Community Education is proud to partner with local school districts like Seattle Public Schools, Highline School District, and Bellevue School District to help narrow this opportunity gap- because all students have the right to arts education.
PNB Community Education programming values and works towards
- a creative process and classroom culture which empowers students and youth as creative agents
- building community, connection, and collaboration within classroom communities
- student-centered, inclusive, and culturally responsive curriculum
- movement and the arts as fundamental parts of basic education and the human experience
Our programming reflects our values
- DISCOVER DANCE and DANCE TO LEARN programs bring high-quality dance education to a given grade level of public school students at their school, including all students.
- In 2019, 66% of DISCOVER DANCE and DANCE TO LEARN students reported as Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian, and/or Multiracial.
- Teaching artists select and develop curriculum, resources, and music to be responsive to students and school communities.
- Program materials are provided in 12 languages; based on student needs and teacher requests.
- Low- and no-cost opportunities to visit PNB virtually and in-person include behind-the-scenes studio Fieldtrips and dedicated Student Matinee performances of mainstage productions at McCaw Hall.
- PNB’s special education & adaptive dance curricula increase access to dance education for students with disabilities. Teaching artists, in collaboration with school and district staff, identify and facilitate individualized supports for students.
- Live-captioning and/or ASL interpretation is available at DISCOVER DANCE Community Performances at McCaw Hall.
- Community Education staff and teaching artists participate in ongoing training and professional development in anti-racist & culturally responsive practices.
In partnership,
Shannon Barnes
PNB Director of Community Education
Staff
Shannon Barnes
Director of Community Education // PNB Teaching Artist
Shannon Barnes (she/her) has over 20-years of experience in dance education as both an arts administrator and dance teaching artist. Working with Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Community Education Programs since 2002, her work with PNB includes standards-based curriculum design, arts integration, teaching extensively in public schools, program assessment and evaluation, and professional development for classroom teachers and arts educators. Shannon is committed to making dance accessible to a broad range of people. In addition to her work at PNB, Shannon’s experience includes creating inclusive dance opportunities for people with and without disabilities, an internship with Candoco- a London-based inclusive dance company, and working as a dance specialist in primary schools in Bath, England. Shannon is the 2018 Dance Educators Association of Washington Dance Educator of the Year and serves as faculty and curriculum director for the Washington State Teaching Artist Training Lab, adjunct faculty at Cornish College of the Arts, and a guest instructor for Seattle University. Shannon holds a B.A. in Dance and Psychology from the University of Washington and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Dance in Community from Laban, London.
Ann Marie Caldwell
Community Education Programs Manager // TAT Lab Coordinator // PNB Teaching Artist
Ann Marie Caldwell (she/her) is passionate about how dance education can build community and be a powerful tool for self-expression and creativity. A teaching artist since 2004, Ann Marie has had the honor of teaching youth in a variety of subjects, like creative movement, choreography, improv, creative drama, visual art, and arts integration. Ann Marie graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a degree in theatre before completing the Teaching Artist Apprenticeship at Seattle Children’s Theatre. She has taken classes with the Creative Dance Center and graduated from the Washington State Teaching Artist Training Lab (TAT Lab) as part of the 2011-2012 cohort. Ann Marie participated in the National Seminar for Teaching Artists at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2013. Ann Marie is delighted to have joined PNB in 2011.
Olivia Evans
Community Education Programs Coordinator // PNB Teaching Artist
Olivia Evans (she/her) is a dancer, choreographer, educator, and administrator. Olivia grew up training primarily in classical ballet, but most recently graduated from the Alonzo King LINES Ballet Training Program in May 2023. Olivia has been creating her own work since 2019. Most recently, she co-choreographed an award-winning dance film, “Intimité Révélée”, in collaboration with Ballet22 and the San Francisco Dance Film Festival. She has presented live works in collaboration with ZK Gallery, Mark Foehringer Dance Project, and the LINES Training Program, and her independent films have been screened in California, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Australia. Pulling from her background as a trained student and multimedia artist, Olivia has worked on developing a teaching practice that is rooted in unique artistic expression. She believes that everyone is inherently creative, and that every voice is an empowering contributor to the ever-evolving arts community and the world around it. In the past year, Olivia worked as a Teaching Artist with the LINES Community and Teens Programs, led a 6-month residency with SF Arts Education Project, and recently attended the Summer Dance Institute for Teachers at Creative Dance Center. She has worked with hundreds of PreK-12 students in schools and studios across San Francisco, and is thrilled to be moving her educational and artistic practices up to Seattle.
Isadora Kolmorgan
Community Education Engagement Coordinator // PNB Teaching Artist
Isadora (she/her) is an advocate of movement practices as it is where joy has always shined through for her. In her formative years, she danced on company in Denver, CO with studios such as Michelle Latimer Dance Academy, Rocky Mountain Dance Academy, & Millers Dance Studio, often traveling outside of her Oregon Native roots for instruction in the ballet, musical theatre, lyrical, jazz, contemporary and modern, dance genres. After living abroad in the Philippines to study ballet at Silliman University, she later returned to Oregon where she again studied various dance genres, participating in the productions of Ballet Fantastique. It was ballet, however, that continued to steal her heart, and so she returned to Denver, Colorado At the National Ballet Academy of Denver, Isadora trained in the pre-professional program and obtained a certificate of completion- Assisted by scholarships, She then co-founded a dance studio on the Oregon Coast for the community youth in her home state; while performing in works, and productions, by Jessica Jaye Mackinson, founder of Fermata Ballet Collective. She has then taught at Alonzo King Lines Ballet in community programs, and Teens at Lines, Bay Area Conservatory, Miss Tilly’s Ballet. As well as numerous other places in the Bay Area. She has also taught at the Joffrey Ballet in community engagement and at the academy, and guest taught at other studios in IL. She is more than thrilled to be home on the west coast and join PNB. She loves to continue to grow, learn from students and peers. The joy of seeing students light up when dancing is one of the most spectacular things to witness, and that’s why she loves teaching!
Community Education Teaching Artists
Adriana Wright
Adriana Wright (she/her) was born in Southern California and grew up in Tijuana, Mexico. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Cornish College of the Arts with a BFA in Dance in 2013 and from the Washington Teaching Artist Training Lab in 2015. She has worked with Iyun Ashani Harrison, Mary Sheldon Scott, Anna Conner, Ktisk Contemporary Dance, Alyza DelPan-Monley, Alicia Mullikin, Noelle Price and other artists in Seattle, San Diego, and México. Her choreographic work has been presented through On the Boards NorthWest New Works, Velocity Dance Center’s Bridge Project, Cornish College of the Arts, Southwestern Community College where she also received the Outstanding Dancer/Choreographer Scholarship, as well as around Seattle, San Diego, and México. Adriana works as a Teaching Artist in the greater Seattle area where she teaches creative movement, choreography, creative drama, musical theater, and wellness workshops in public schools. Adriana is also the Education Partnership Manager for Seattle Theater Group’s Education and Community Engagement Department. She served on the board of Dance Educators Association of Washington as the Director of Advocacy and is now serving on the board of Inspire Washington. adrianamovementartist.com (headshot photo credit: Devin Muñoz)
Marika Lang
Marika Lang (she/her) is a dance educator of over a decade with a deep passion for using movement, music, and inclusive practices to provide young children with the social-emotional tools critical to their brain development. Marika holds a B.A. in Dance and Business from the University of Oregon and a certification in Ann Green-Gilbert’s nationally renowned Brain-Compatible Dance Teaching Method – all of which inform her work as a community educator. She has taught dance in studio settings, after school programs, and temporary housing shelters, focusing her primary instruction in Seattle Public pre-k classrooms and as an outreach educator at Creative Dance Center. In addition to this work, she is currently teaching her own classes through Seattle Parks and Recreation community centers across the Greater Seattle Area and is proud to have recently joined Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Community Education Department as a Teaching Artist.
Michaela Summers
Originally from Los Angeles and now based in Seattle, Michaela Summers is delighted to be part of Pacific Northwest Ballet's Community Education Department. Michaela holds an M.A. in Dance Education from the University of Northern Colorado and a B.A. in Theater Arts from Azusa Pacific University. Before relocating to Seattle, she spent eight years as the Performing Arts Teacher at Echo Horizon School in Culver City, California, teaching creative movement to students in pre-k through sixth grade. Throughout her career, Michaela has taught in public, independent, and charter schools, dance studios, community programs, and summer camps, working with children, families, and learners with diverse abilities and backgrounds. She is passionate about creating welcoming spaces where every student feels seen, supported, and empowered to express themselves through movement. Grounded in brain-compatible dance education, culturally responsive teaching, and arts integration, Michaela's teaching philosophy encourages creativity, confidence, and curiosity while celebrating the joy of movement. She especially loves introducing young children and their caregivers to dance, fostering meaningful connections through shared movement experiences and imaginative play.
Miranda Chantelois
Miranda Chantelois (she/her) received the bulk of her dance training at Cornish College of the Arts where she performed in works by local and nationally-renowned artists including Kyle Abraham, Sidra Bell, Amy O’Neal, Jason Ohlberg, and Deborah Wolf. She has since pursued a versatile professional career in arts education, performance (including Marlo Martin’s company, badmarmarDANCE), dance criticism, arts administration, and child advocacy, specializing in dance education for preschool-aged children and dancers of all ages with varying support needs. Over the course of her ten year career, Miranda has certified in Autism Movement Therapy®, Pilates Mat, Progressing Ballet Technique®, Youth Mental Health First Aid, and Youth Protection Advocates in Dance®, receiving additional training in physically adaptive dance, Dance for PD®, and Brain-Compatible Dance Education from programs around the country. Miranda holds a Master’s degree in early childhood education and will pursue a second graduate degree teaching K-8 teaching in 2024. A firm believer that dance is for everybody, Miranda is committed to uplifting the voices of disabled adults and to empowering neurodiverse children to embrace their authentic, lived identities in the dance classroom and beyond.
Suzanne Singla
Suzanne Singla (she/her) trained with Columbia Dance Ensemble in Vancouver, Oregon Ballet Theatre School and Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, where she received a Certificate of Dance. She performed with dance ensembles in Oregon, New York and South Africa. Her teaching credits include faculty positions at Connecticut Dance Theatre, School at Steps, and Ballet Hispanico. Suzanne joined the Community Education and PNBS faculty in 2004 and served as Children’s Division Coordinator from 2005–2009. She is also a certified STOTT Pilates instructor.
Community Education Accompanists
Aria Storm
For 25 years, Aria Storm has dedicated her life to the art of dance accompaniment. As a composer, pianist, vocalist and percussionist, Aria's true passion lies in being the living music that drives and inspires dancers. Her extensive career spans ballet, modern, African dance, community outreach and elite intensives. A UCLA graduate with a BA in the Composition and Theory of Music, Aria balances her rich musical life with simple joys: daily dog walks at Golden Gardens and a good game of Scrabble with her husband.
Blake Cisneros
Blake Cisneros has been teaching and performing Afro-Caribbean drum and dance for 28 years. He has studied intensively with drummers and dancers from Cuba, Haiti, West Africa, and Brazil. Blake has experience working with youth and adults of all ages and backgrounds as a drum and dance teacher and group facilitator. He has led classes in Washington, Oregon, California, Texas, New Mexico, New England, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Cuba. He has helped facilitate drum programs for Oprah Winfrey, DEAF NATION, Outdoors for All, Power of Hope, YMCA, Hawaii Public Schools, Seattle Public Schools, Oregon Public Schools, Arts in Education NM, Western Washington University, REI, Bellevue College, North Seattle College, University of Washington, and X8 Interactive Drumming. Blake incorporates his knowledge of ethnomusicology into the lessons and creates a safe and joyful atmosphere of learning. He also seeks to instill the value of drumming for healing and health, and encourages the therapeutic uses of the drum. He is honored to share with others this beautiful journey of rhythm and movement.
Devin Bews
Devin Bews (he/him) grew up in Anacortes, WA, and began drumming in the 7th grade. He earned his BA in Jazz Music Performance from Cornish College of the Arts, where he deepened his skills in improvisation, musicianship, and ensemble work. In addition to jazz, Devin has taught himself music production and electronic techniques, creating and performing ambient textures, lofi hip-hop beats, and using creative rhythmic patterns across instruments and genres to accompany dance. Since 2016, Devin has accompanied live classes in PNB’s DISCOVER DANCE program. He values the way the program invites children to connect with movement, rhythm, and expression on a deep, sensory level. For Devin, DISCOVER DANCE isn’t just about dance; it’s about the kind of creative grounding that can shape a young person’s self-awareness, confidence, and joy. He’s proud to be part of a team that brings high-quality, inclusive arts education to public schools throughout the Seattle area.
Evan Captain
Evan Captain (he/him) grew up attending PNB performances, inspired at an early age to play music for dancers. Largely self-taught as a pianist and drummer, he independently studied with perennial mentorship from Paul Tillotson, honoring the jazz legacy of Gene Harris. Today, Evan’s piano trio holds monthly residencies at Hotel Sorrento, and The Pink Door. His B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from Quest University Canada focused on using musical collaboration as a vehicle to foster community. He quickly returned to Seattle to reconnect with his hometown, supporting many rising folk and rock artists as a session and gigging musician. He was featured as a support pianist in the Emmy Award-winning series Sessions In Place during the pandemic lockdowns of 2020. Since graduating, Evan has honed his skills as an accompanist for dancers at Evergreen City Ballet, Spectrum Dance, and the PNB School and PNB Community Education programs. As a piano teacher, his curriculum focuses on keeping music fun and playful. He loves the passion and creativity of young artists, and strives to garner each new idea to fruition through rhythmic and nuanced interpretation.
Joe Eck
Joe Eck (he/him) has been an active member of Seattle’s vibrant music scene since relocating from Minneapolis in 2010. He is frequently performing locally, touring, and recording with a wide range of genres and artists including Witch Ripper, GoodCo, Bootleg Sunshine, Evan Captain Trio, Julian Priester, Jim Knapp, A Cedar Suede, Geoff Ott, Matt Bayles, Seattle Children’s Theater, as well as contributing to many other recording projects and performances.
Rocky Martin
Since moving to Seattle in 2021 via NYC and Chicago, Rocky (he/they) is a drummer, bandleader, visual artist, and land steward, among other pursuits. They are grateful to give back to youth through dance, as martial arts and movement practice has also been a central focus of their work. Working energy through the body and sharing music, culture, and history is critically important in today's age, and Pacific Northwest Ballet is a beacon of that mission. Rocky is currently producing and starring in a film, preparing to record an album of their own music in 2027, and presenting a visual art installation at the Coliseum of Art in downtown Seattle.
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PNB Community Education Programs are Supported By
ArtsWA, Byron & Alice Lockwood Foundation, City of Bellevue, Collaborative for Communication Access via Captioning, Grousemont Foundation, Harvest Foundation, Lane Powell, National Endowment for the Arts, Providence St. Joseph Health, Anonymous Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation, and generous individuals.
Live Event Captioning supported by CCACaptioning.org (Collaborative for Communication Access via Captioning). One in 5 persons, all ages, everywhere, on average, has a hearing loss.