Faculty & Staff

Faculty

Abbie Siegel

Marisa Albee joined PNB as an apprentice in 1989, became a full Company member in 1990 and was promoted to Soloist in 1994. She was born in Brooklyn and studied at the School of American Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet School’s Summer Course. Prior to joining the faculty at PNBS she taught at the Washington Academy of Performing Arts.

Elaine Bauer was a principal dancer with Boston Ballet and received her BA in Dance from Butler University. During her 20 year performing career she toured internationally with Rudolph Nureyev. Ms. Bauer went on to serve as ballet mistress for Boston Ballet and taught at Boston Ballet School, Boston Conservatory, Ballet Austin, Milwaukee Ballet, Butler University, and locally at Cornish and the Washington Academy of Performing Arts.

Kelly Boal trained at the School of American Ballet and joined New York City Ballet in 1984, earning a promotion to soloist in 1989. She left NYCB in 1993 to pursue guesting opportunities that included performances with Dutch National Ballet and Ballet Manila and participating in the Gala des Etoiles in Montreal, Canada. She taught at School of American Ballet and has served PNBS as a part-time faculty member for two years.

Peter Boal serves as Artistic Director of Pacific Northwest Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Mr. Boal assumed the directorship of Pacific Northwest Ballet in 2005 following a successful career with New York City Ballet as a principal dancer, and as a faculty member at The School of American Ballet. He received his dance training from SAB under the directorship of George Balanchine. Mr. Boal was a faculty member at The School of American Ballet since 1997, teaching technique, variations, men’s and women’s classes and partnering. He was a guest teacher at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Royal Danish Ballet School.

Megan Becker has a master's degree from The New School and is both a professional choreographer and performer. She danced with Katy Hagelin Dance Project, Couer D' Alene Summer Theater, and Ballet Spokane, and has taught dance at Gonzaga University, the American Dance Institute, and numerous studios throughout the country. She has choreographed for Taproot Theater Company, Seattle Pacific University, and Ballet Spokane, among others. Ms. Becker joined the PNB School Children’s Division faculty in the Fall of 2011.

Kayti Bouljon joined the PNBS Children's Division faculty in the Spring of 2005. A native of Illinois, she studied at Kate Carol and Company Dance, Gus Giordano Dance Center in Chicago, and graduated from the University of Washington with a BA in Dance. In addition to teaching for PNBS, she is a member of the PNB Outreach faculty and is the manager of PNB’s Education and Community Programs.

Tatiana Cater studied ballet, Russian ethnic dance, character dance and historical dance at the Moscow State Institute of Culture. She toured Russia, Austria, and Germany as a dancer, performing in 1992 as solo dancer with the Russian International Ballet Collective in Benidorm Palace, Spain, where she appeared on national television. Ms. Cater taught ballet at the Sunrise Dance School in Russia, and has taught for Olympic Ballet since 1995. She has taught character at PNB School's Summer Course for 3 years, and joined the year-round faculty in 2010.

Michele Curtis trained on scholarship with the Joffrey Ballet School, Pacific Northwest Ballet School and Merce Cunningham Dance. She received a BA in Dance from UCLA. Ms. Curtis has performed with various dance companies including Connecticut Ballet, Mark Morris Dance Group and Donald Byrd/The Group. She served on the faculty of Connecticut Ballet and worked as a freelance teacher at various studios in New York, Connecticut and throughout the Northwest. Ms. Curtis joined the PNBS faculty in Spring of 2006.

Alexandra Dickson joined PNB in 1990, danced with Ballet British Columbia from 1992 to 1995 and returned to PNB as a Soloist in 1995. Ms. Dickson was trained at the Goh Ballet Academy in Vancouver, B.C. and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. She joined the faculty in 2003 and served as PNBConditioning Manager from 2004 until 2007.

Juanita Franke received her early training from the Royal Academy of Dance. She received her BA at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina where she danced and choreographed for the Appalachian Dance Ensemble.  Her work was selected for the North Carolina Dance Festival showcase.  She has most recently taught at the Kehl School of Dance in Madison, Wisconsin, where she created a creative movement program for dancers aged 2-3, and choreographed for the Verona Youth Ballet. 

Susan Gorter studied at the School of the Pennsylvania Ballet and performed as an apprentice with Pennsylvania Ballet. She danced with the Basel Ballet in Switzerland and taught for the Basel Ballet School. Ms. Gorter joined the PNBS faculty in 2001.

Dana Hanson began her training on Vashon Island, Washington with John Wilkins and continued her studies at Olympic Ballet School, Pacific Northwest Ballet School and the School of American Ballet. She joined the New York City Ballet in 1990, appearing in numerous featured roles in the Balanchine repertoire and touring throughout the world. Prior to joining the PNBS faculty in the fall of 2006, Ms. Hanson was a frequent guest teacher at the School of American Ballet.

Dane Holman

Dane Holman is originally from Savannah Georgia. She trained at the North Carolina School of the Arts, American Ballet Theatre and School of American Ballet. She danced with American Ballet Theatre II and the Cleveland Ballet. Ms. Holman joined the faculty in 1997.

Lauri-Michelle Houk trained at the School of American Ballet in New York City. She danced with Chicago City Ballet, was a soloist with Pacific Northwest Ballet (1987-1994), and was a principal dancer with the Nashville Ballet. Ms. Houk most recently directed and taught at the San Elijo Music and Dance Academy in San Marcos, California. She has staged several ballets including works by Stowell and Petipa.

Deborah Kenner received her BFA from the University of Arizona, where she was a full academic and dance scholarship student. Ms. Kenner has had the opportunity to perform with Colorado Ballet, David Taylor Dance Theatre and State Street Ballet. During the 2008–2010 seasons she was Artistic Director of Tucson Regional Ballet. Ms. Kenner joined PNBS faculty in 2010, she is also a member of the PNBConditioning staff.

Timothy Lynch trained on full scholarship at The School of American Ballet, Mr. Lynch received his BFA in Dance from Cornish College of the Arts. He joined PNB as an apprentice in 1993 and was promoted to full company member in 1994, retiring at the end of the 2002-03 season. Mr. Lynch began working with PNB's Education and Outreach program in 2001, teaching and choreographing for the REACH Student Performance Group and joined the faculty in 2003.

Dina McDermott holds a BFA in Dance from the Juilliard School, and also an MFA in dance performance/choreography. She has been teaching, choreographing and dancing for over 20 years. She joined the PNBS faculty in 2001 as a Creative Movement teacher. Ms. McDermott is also a member of the PNBConditioning staff.

Adam Miller is from Providence, Rhode Island. He trained on scholarship at the School of American Ballet, American Ballet Theatre School, and graduated from North Carolina School of the Arts. Mr. Miller began his professional career at Pennsylvania Ballet, and was a principal dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet, Hartford Ballet, and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. From 2008-2012, Mr. Miller served as Artistic Director for Cirque du Soleil’s productions of Saltimbanco and Kooza.

Stanko Milov graduated with honors from the State Choreographic School in Sofia, Bulgaria. He received numerous awards at international ballet competitions along with the First Place at the Bulgarian National Ballet Competition and the 1997 Princess Grace Foundation Dance Fellowship Award. Mr. Milov graduated Magna cum laude from Cornish College of the Arts. He danced at the National Theatre for Opera and Ballet in Sofia and was a principal dancer with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Mr. Milov joined PNB as a principal dancer in 1999 and has been a guest principal dancer throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Additionally Mr. Milov is a teacher, choreographer, composer, and producer. He has created ten choreographies, from which seven are set to his own musical compositions. In 2006, he released his own piano solos album, Heartfelt. Mr. Milov has taught ballet for 19 years at schools throughout the United States. Mr. Milov joined the PNBS faculty in 2001.

Brenna Monroe-Cook is originally from Oak Park, Illinois where she received her early dance training in ballet and classical modern. She went on to receive her BFA from The Juilliard School and later her MFA from the University of Washington. Ms. Monroe-Cook performed internationally as a soloist with the Limón Dance Company. She continues to teach Limón technique and stage Limón repertoire for companies and schools nationwide including North Carolina School of the Arts, University of Florida, University of North Texas and locally at Cornish, Dance Fremont, and the University of Washington. Ms. Monroe-Cook is also a certified Pilates instructor.

Meg Potter

Meg Potter is originally from Metuchen, NJ, and trained on scholarship at the Joffrey Ballet School in NYC. She danced with Joffrey II Dancers, then joined American Ballet Theatre under the direction of Mikhail Baryshnikov.  After relocating to the west coast, Ms. Potter danced with Pacific Ballet Theatre where she also served as ballet mistress. She was a faculty member at the School of Oregon Ballet Theatre, and was an adjunct faculty member at Portland State University. She joined the PNBS faculty in 1998 and also serves as the Children's Division Coordinator.

Abbie Siegel, School Principal, performed with Connecticut Ballet, then went on to serve as the company's Associate Ballet Mistress. A former faculty member of the Harkness School, Eliot Feld Ballet in New York and Connecticut Ballet, Ms. Siegel joined PNBS faculty in 1991. In addition to teaching, she served as Director of Pacific Northwest Ballet School's DanceChance program from 1999-2002, and was appointed Principal of The Francia Russell Center in the summer of 2002.

Suzanne Singla 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. Ms. Singla joined the PNBS faculty in 2004.

Eva L. Stone received a B.F.A. in Performance and Choreography from Arizona State University. She trained at SUNY Purchase, the Alvin Ailey School, and was awarded a scholarship from Dance Magazine to study choreography at Harvard University with David Gordon and Wendy Perron.  Ms. Stone has performed professionally with modern dance companies in both Boston and Los Angeles. She earned her M.A. Degree in Choreography and Choreological Studies from the Laban Centre in London, England.  Ms. Stone came to Seattle in 1995, re-established her modern dance company, the Stone Dance Collective, and began an extensive teaching and lecturing career throughout the Puget Sound.  

Marjorie Thompson trained at the School of American Ballet and danced with New York City Ballet. She has served on the faculty of the School of American Ballet, Ballet Arts Minnesota, Eliot Feld Ballet and Pennsylvania Ballet. She first joined the faculty of Pacific Northwest Ballet School in 1996, where she was also Director of Therapy and Conditioning. She went on to serve three years as Director of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, then moved to Minneapolis where she was School Principal of Minnesota Dance Theatre. She returned to the PNBS faculty in the Summer of 2007, and is PNBConditioning Program Director.

Bruce Wells

Julie Tobiason studied on scholarship at the School of American Ballet. Prior to joining PNB, Ms. Tobiason danced with Chicago City Ballet under the direction of Maria Tallchief. She joined PNB in 1986, was promoted to Soloist in 1989 and became a Principal in 1992. Ms. Tobiason joined the faculty in the fall of 2002.

Bruce Wells was born in Tacoma and trained on scholarship at the School of American Ballet. He joined New York City Ballet in 1967 and was promoted to soloist in 1969. He was resident choreographer and principal dancer with both Connecticut Ballet and Boston Ballet, and served as interim and associate artistic director for the Boston Ballet from 1984-89. He went to Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre as resident choreographer in 1989 and joined the PNBS faculty in 1997.

Le Yin is from Nan Chang, China. He joined PNB as a Principal in 2002. Mr. Yin was formerly a principal dancer with Houston Ballet. He joined the PNB School faculty in the fall of 2009. Mr. Yin continues to perform as a guest artist with ballet companies around the world.

Guest Faculty

Betsy Cooper is a former member of Nationaltheater Mannheim, Matthew Nash Music & Dance, Makarova & Company, and Connecticut Ballet. She currently performs as a guest artist with the Chamber Dance Company. Trained at the School of American Ballet and Alvin Ailey Dance Center, her repertory includes works by Petipa, Balanchine, Martins, Graham, Wigman, Gotheiner and Varone. Betsy is Director of the University of Washington Dance Program, and resident choreographer for Arc Dance Company.

Kirsten Cooper studied dance and performed professionally in Los Angeles where she received experience in film, music videos and stage productions. She was an assistant teacher on the LA Dance Force convention tour and was a featured dancer on Costa Cruise Lines. She has served on the faculty of the University of Oregon and Theater Ballet of Spokane. Her choreography has been featured at Bumbershoot Arts Festival, Sign of the Times, and Ballet and Bubbly. In addition to teaching Jazz at PNBS, Ms. Cooper is the director of Westlake Dance Center's pre-professional company.

Sara deLuis was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. She danced with Teatro del Baile Español, Madrid and was also a principal dancer with Ximinez Vargas Ballets Español. Ms. deLuis danced with the First Chamber Dance Company and was co-founder of the Seattle Dance Lab. In recent years she has performed with her own company and toured with her production of Homenaje. Ms. de Luis joined the PNBS faculty in 1986.

Petur Iliev teaches Character Dance at PNBS. Mr. Iliev studied at the National Choreography Academy of Bulgaria and received a Masters Degree in Choreography from the Bulgarian National Institute of Choreography. He served as Artistic Director for dance ensembles in Bulgaria and the U.S., and has choreographed and taught for dance companies, universities and outreach programs, both nationally and internationally. Mr. Iliev joined the PNBS faculty in the summer of 2003.

Summer Course Guest Faculty

Maurya Kerr

Maurya Kerr danced with Alonzo King LINES Ballet from 1994-2006, dancing previously for Pacific Northwest Ballet and Fort Worth Ballet. She is currently a freelance artist, a senior faculty member for the LINES Ballet Training Program and Summer Program, and adjunct faculty with the LINES/Dominican BFA program, teaching ballet, choreographing, and setting King’s works. She also teaches workshops nationally, as a visiting guest artist at Hollins University, and as faculty for The School at Jacob's Pillow Contemporary Program, and the LINES Ballet Discovery Project, an outreach program that uses movement to foster diversity and inclusion within dance education. In 2010 Maurya founded tinypistol, a San Francisco based dance company. She is a winner of the 2011 Hubbard Street National Choreographic Competition, and created sad monsters for Hubbard Street 2 in residency with University of North Carolina School of the Arts. In 2011 Ballet Nouveau Colorado commissioned the creation of two works, Groundling, a collaboration with visual artist Sarah Wallace Scott, and Quarry Hymn. The Aspen Fringe Festival has presented an evening of her work, and in August of 2012 WestWave Dance Festival presented a full evening of her work, including the world premiere of FreakShow, which was also shown in part at the REVERBdance Festival/APAP 2013. In 2012, Maurya was also the recipient of a CHIME grant affording her the opportunity to work in mentorship with Alex Ketley.