Meet PNB’s 2025/26 Season Apprentices

This season, PNB is excited to welcome four new dancers to the company in the role of Apprentice! Get to know Luke Gutierrez, Jory Luther, LeeAnaca Moore, and Mckenzie Wilson in their brief interviews below. “Toi toi toi” to these new members of PNB!

Luke Gutierrez

What’s your favorite ballet?
My favorite ballet has to be Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette. The set it so different from other traditional story ballets, and the music and action is so iconic.

What’s your comfort TV show?
My comfort show would have to be Avatar: The Last Airbender!

What are you looking forward to the most this season at PNB?
Firebird! I have never seen that ballet, so it will be new and exciting.

Bio: Luke Gutierrez (he/him) is from Tampa, Florida. He studied at Pacific Northwest Ballet, Boston Ballet’s Walnut Hill School of the Arts, and Next Generation Ballet on scholarship. He attended Summer Course on scholarship at Pacific Northwest Ballet School, International Ballet Masterclass in Prague, Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet, and Next Generation Ballet. Gutierrez joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as an apprentice in 2025.

Jory Luther

What do you like to do to relax when you’re not dancing?
When I’m not dancing, I enjoy sketching in my notebook. I find that drawing helps me stay focused and present–and each completed sketch feels rewarding.

Do you have a favorite performance memory? What is it?
My favorite performance memory was dancing the Harlequinade variation in my first YAGP. The result of meticulous coaching and hard work on those demanding segments… the entire process became a formative memory as my first variation performed on stage.

What are you looking forward to the most this season?
I’m most excited to perform Cinderella with the company. The music creates an entirely unique atmosphere, and I can’t wait to see how this production diverges from previous versions I’ve performed.

Bio: Jory Luther (he/him) is from San Jose, California. He trained on scholarship at San Jose Dance Theatre, Houston Ballet Academy, and Joffrey Ballet Academy. He attended Summer Courses on scholarship at Ellison Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Houston Ballet Academy, and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Luther joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as an apprentice in 2025.

LeeAnaca Moore

What inspires you?
Lately, I’ve been really inspired by the younger ballet students. Watching them work so hard to get their steps just right and hearing their excited chatter backstage has brought a childlike newness back into ballet for me. Seeing my colleagues through their eyes reminds me why I love this art form and motivates me to keep pushing myself.

If you could go back in time to see any ballet performance, what would you choose and why?
If I could go back in time, I would choose to see Misty Copeland’s recent retirement performance. I never had the chance to watch her dance live, and now I never will. To witness that historic moment in person would have been awesome.

What are you looking forward to the most this season at PNB?
I’m most excited for Giselle. It’s such a timeless ballet, and I’m really looking forward to being a part of the iconic Wilis scene. I’m also really looking forward to seeing Sarah-Gabrielle Ryan step back into the role. I’ve only ever seen videos, so experiencing her interpretation live will be a marvel!

Bio: LeeAnaca Moore (she/her) is from Jacksonville, Florida. She studied at The Florida Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. She attended Summer Course on scholarship at Joffery Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, and Philadelphia Ballet. Moore joined PNB as an apprentice in 2025.

Mckenzie Wilson

 What’s one of your dream roles?
Kitri is definitely one of my dream roles! The choreography is beautiful and exciting, and her personality would be so much fun to portray!

What are you listening to right now?
Lately I’ve been listening to loads of Christmas music, which has been fun!

What are you looking forward to the most this season at PNB?
This season I’m really looking forward to Giselle! The Act I variation was one of the first variations I was coached in depth on when I was younger, and it holds a special place in my heart.

Bio: Mckenzie Wilson (she/her) is from Woodinville, Washington. She trained on scholarship at Emerald Ballet Academy, Ballettschule Theatertanz Basel, and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. She attended Summer Course at School of American Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Wilson joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as an apprentice in 2025.