I remember clicking on what looked to be another ballet video on YouTube. This time though, the women were in black and the men in white. It was the first time I had seen a ballet like this. I was captivated by a male solo. I later learned it was Peter Boal in George Balanchine’s masterwork, Agon. I had never seen such effortless male dancing. Being from a small town in the Midwest, the internet opened my eyes to the world of dance beyond what I had seen. As in some American public schools, my class was given laptop computers to do our work. These computers were intended to help with research, and thats what I did. I just happened to research ballet videos. Immediately hooked, I wanted to learn more and YouTube was my channel. Pacific Northwest Ballet’s videos quickly became my favorite. I identified with the dancers stories, and the variety of repertoire seemed too good to be true. Not only was Peter Boal the Artistic Director of the company, but also the interpreter of the Balanchine works I had watched. PNB became my dream.

With my family’s unfailing support, I was lucky enough to attend some of America’s best dance institutions, soon leading me to be a Professional Division student with PNB. One year as a PD lead to another as an Apprentice, and now ending my first year in the Corps de Ballet, it truly feels like a dream come true. I continuously feel grateful for where I have grown up, and the numerous opportunities that I have been entrusted with. I am inspired everyday by the artists that surround me and who have their own American stories, each unique in their own way. That is what makes being at Pacific Northwest Ballet so wonderful. It does not matter where, or what, or how we got here, but we are able to live our dreams.