PNB AANHPI Heritage Month Profiles
PNB invited employees who celebrate AANHPI (Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders) Heritage Month to share their stories with us – we hope you enjoy.
Naomi Glass – Director of Access Programs
How long have you been with PNB?
9.5 years
Do you have a favorite ballet or ballets?
Ooooh, too many favorites! My favorite parts of ballets are pas de deuxs because of the shared energy and trust between dancers.
Who or what inspires you?
Seeing people in their creative elements, doing what makes them most alive and satisfies their souls, however that shows up for them- moving, cooking, writing, making a beautiful space.
What does AANHPI Month mean to you? How do you like to celebrate or honor this time?
AANHPI Month doesn’t have a specific personal meaning to me, but I love hearing people’s stories, especially about their cultures, families, and traditions, and there’s so much sharing of that because of AANHPI month. Being half-Japanese, I carry on and cherish many traditions passed down through my mom. The term AANHPI spans so many cultures – and I’m glad to see a lot of individuality and uniqueness highlighted.
Bio: Naomi Glass joined PNB in 2015, and currently serves in the capacities of Director of Access Programs, faculty and co-lead of PNB’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility Committee. Glass relished her first career as a Soloist for Houston Ballet, performing a wide range of classical and contemporary works. Glass has shared her love of movement widely, teaching across every sector, within many dance organizations across the US. Since 2018, Glass has managed PNB’s DanceChance program, and designed and leads Dance for All, which offers inclusive creative dance classes for children of all abilities and mobility levels. A Certified Dance for PD® teacher, Glass received the Professor Joan White Award from London’s Royal Academy of Dance for her research focused upon creativity, expressivity and movement for individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Glass holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Arts in Education.
Michael Jinsoo Lim – Violinist and Concertmaster
How long have you been with PNB?
This is my 14th season with PNB.
Do you have a favorite ballet or ballets?
Romeo and Juliet, Stravinsky Violin Concerto, Swan Lake, Opus 19/The Dreamer, and The Seasons’ Canon are some of my favorites.
Who or what inspires you?
I’m inspired by great art, and those that create it.
What does AANHPI Month mean to you? How do you like to celebrate or honor this time?
It is an opportunity for me to reflect on my Korean heritage and to honor and remember my parents.
Bio: Violinist Michael Jinsoo Lim has been praised by Gramophone for playing with “delicious abandon,” and hailed by the Los Angeles Times as a “conspicuously accomplished champion of contemporary music.” As concertmaster and solo violinist for the internationally acclaimed Pacific Northwest Ballet, he has toured with the company to Paris, New York and Vail, performing concertos by Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Bach and others. For twenty years, Lim concertized and recorded with the acclaimed Corigliano Quartet, appearing on over a dozen albums. The quartet’s Naxos label CD was honored as one of The New Yorker’s Ten Best Classical Recordings of the Year. His discography can be found on Naxos, Planet M, Sono Luminus, DreamWorks, Albany, Bridge, CRI, Bayer Records, RIAX and New Focus. Lim has served on the faculty of the Banff Centre, taught at Indiana University as a guest professor, and currently serves on the faculty of Cornish College of the Arts.
Reed Nakayama – Resident Lighting Designer/Coordinator
How long have you been with PNB?
10 years
Do you have a favorite ballet or ballets?
Roméo et Juliette, Giselle, Petite Mort, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Glass Pieces, Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven, there are so many…
Who or what inspires you?
Often nature: Sunrise, Sunsets, Aurora Borealis.
What does AANHPI Month mean to you? How do you like to celebrate or honor this time?
What a fascinating idea this even is! I think there is a lot of emphasis in AANHPI culture to … keep your head down, I guess? and not be too showy. It’s a freeing thing to raise your hand and to be seen.
Bio: I am from Denver, CO; I grew up immersed in Dance and Theater, being perpetually dragged to my sister’s recitals and plays. She likely inherited the art from my father, who grew up in Hawaii and was (among many other things) a Hula dancer. I dabbled in performing, but I was most drawn to the technical side of the productions: the magic, the colors, the moods. I studied Theatrical Lighting in College which brought me to Seattle, and by some miracle, I found my way also to PNB.
