PNB School

A Note from Francia Russell, Founding Director of Pacific Northwest Ballet:

Pacific Northwest Ballet School was founded in 1974 and has achieved national recognition as one of the leading dance institutions in the country. Great responsibilities accompany this prominence: to train fine professional dancers and to bring a vital art form to our community. In accomplishing these aims, it is central to the philosophy of the School to demand of each student, whether or not a dance career is planned, the very best effort of which he or she is capable, and to give in return the care and attention the student deserves. The teachers and staff are dedicated to this purpose, and the members of our consulting staff offer additional resources to help meet our students' needs.

Pacific Northwest Ballet School offers a complete curriculum for the future professional dancer. It is designed to provide an increasing variety of special classes, and to make greater demands on the student with each year of study. The syllabus is based on the classical Russian tradition and is enhanced by contemporary dance forms and ideas, thereby preparing our graduates for the eclectic demands of dance companies now and into the next century. To my knowledge, there has never been a great ballet company without a great school. The opportunity to watch the professional dancers in their daily classes and rehearsal gives the students the inspiration needed to sustain the years of arduous training leading to a professional career. And, of course, the students are the future of the Company; many as discriminating, enthusiastic members of the ballet audience, and the fortunate, dedicated few as the dancers of Pacific Northwest Ballet.