Sarah Pasch joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as an apprentice in 2011 and was promoted to corps de ballet in 2012. She created her first work for PNB’s annual choreographic showcase, Next Step, in 2016; she will premiere her third Next Step work for 2019’s NEXT STEP: OUTSIDE/IN. Read on to learn more about Sarah.
What is your greatest fear?
My greatest fear is of the world that my future children might be left with.
Which living person do you most admire?
I admire my husband. He continues to amaze me daily with his actions and his conversation and his creativity.
What is your greatest extravagance?
My husband and I have this incredible all glass chandelier in our dining room. It was bought by my in-laws at a flea market many years ago. It is called Murano Glass.
On what occasion do you lie?
I lie when I am embarrassed or ashamed of something.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
NOTHING. I hate this question.
If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be?
A house dog.
What is your most marked characteristic?
My smile and my laugh.
What do you most value in your friends?
Honesty and loyalty.
Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
My favorite hero of fiction is Katniss Everdeen of The Hunger Games novels. Her fierce and strong female power makes me wish she could be here today to spread the wisdom she has beyond her years. She is such an incredible character who finds a way to make it through hell and back multiple times without crumbling to the ground.
Who are your heroes in real life?
My real-life hero has always been Julie Andrews. I have never met her in person, nor do I know very much about her personally, but there is something about her that is special. Her grace and poise with every role she’s taken on are worth pointing out. I love that she was so taken by the beauty of the alps in filming The Sound of Music, that her family ended up moving there for a while after.
What is your motto?
My motto is to always keep yourself going. It is not about pushing through and missing what’s around you, it’s about keeping your body and mind in motion, whether that’s a physical act or a mental act. Don’t get stagnant. And if you need help getting out of a tough position, then there is no shame in getting help.
Photo © Lindsay Thomas.
What is your favorite color?
My favorite colors are green and purple. I’ve never been able to decide between the two, I just love them both. All shades of them too.
Follow Sarah on Instagram.
Questions excerpted from The Proust Questionnaire.
Featured photo: Sarah Pasch and Company dancers in George Balanchine’s Rubies, photo © Angela Sterling.
Thanks for this intimate look inside one of our great artists. And one of the most memorable roles for me was not a pretty one: the stepmother in cendrillon. Sarah didn’t hold back.