PNB School Faculty Spotlight: Margarita Armas

Today on the PNB Blog, we are featuring Margarita Armas, who joins PNB School as a faculty member this year! A former PNB School Professional Division student, it is a joy to have Ms. Armas back in the PNB studios. We are especially excited to feature her this Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month.

Margarita Armas is from Miami, Florida and was raised in a large Peruvian community that celebrated the many art forms of Peruvian culture, including dance. Throughout her childhood, she learned dances of Northern and Southern Peru and participated in traditional dance competitions. Margarita’s parents are trained dancers and inspired her passion for her Peruvian culture and love of dance, training her in traditional dances including Marinera Norteña. She began her ballet education at Artistic Dance Center and Miami City Ballet School. At age 15, Margarita was selected by Miami City Ballet Company to perform in the company’s 2015/2016 season, including their tour to New York City and Chicago.

In 2018 she was the recipient of the Silver Award in the YoungArts Ballet Category and upon joining Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Professional Division program, was nominated by the company for a Princess Grace Foundation USA Dance Award for her talent and potential to impact the art form. The following year, she choreographed at The Guggenheim Museum in New York City for a collaboration with Dance Lab New York and The Joyce Theater, “Female Choreographers of Color in Ballet”. In 2021, during her final year as a Professional Division student, she choreographed a digital work for Pacific Northwest Ballet’s 2020/2021 season which explored her cultural identity in collaboration with members of the Kuyayky Foundation and Harvard Professor Dr. Américo Mendoza-Mori (Faculty Director of Latinx Studies Working Group) in the implementation of the Quechua language.

Margarita has recently received two commissions from Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez for Miami City Ballet. She created a solo, Geta, for the company’s 2022 tour to Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and new work titled Analogo in February 2024 as part of Miami City Ballet’s Winter Mix concert, alongside Alexei Ratmansky’s Concerto DSCH and George Balanchine’s Firebird. Margarita is continuing to pursue her career as a freelance dancer, choreographer, and ballet instructor in Seattle.

Keep reading to learn more about what inspires Ms. Armas, what her heritage means to her, and more!

Describe your role at PNB School. What classes/levels do you teach?

I’m thrilled to be part of the PNB School faculty! This year, I’ll be teaching an open beginners ballet class on Thursdays at the FRC, as well as substituting for different levels throughout the year.

What inspires you?

My biggest inspirations are my family and my Peruvian heritage, both of which deeply influence the way I approach dance and life.

What does Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month mean to you?

Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month means so much to me. This month is a time to reflect on the deep history of our roots and embrace that with our community and the people we love, wherever we are. Personally, I take this time to acknowledge every part of who I am, especially my Afro-Peruvian and indigenous roots, so I can honor them and pass them down to my family and our children with intention and love.

I also love connecting to my heritage through cuisine and the arts, especially by dancing various styles of Peruvian folkloric dances at festivals and celebrating with my community here in Washington. It helps me feel connected not only to my culture but also to my family, even though we live far apart.

In addition to teaching, you are currently dancing and choreographing. Tell us about it!

Lately, I’ve been exploring Peruvian folkloric dances, which has been such a joyful and meaningful part of my journey as an artist. This last year, I created work for NYC Emerging Artists Project as well as my second piece for Miami City Ballet. It was such a full-circle experience to work with artists who inspired me during my years as a student and to create work in my hometown for my community.

What advice would you give to your 13-year-old self?

Keep working hard, but don’t forget to enjoy these valuable years and nurture who you are outside the studio. As a young dancer, it can feel like the world stops when you hit obstacles especially if dance feels like your whole identity. Finding other parts of yourself to lean on makes the journey a lot more balanced and even more fulfilling.

What are you reading/listening/watching these days?

I’m working my way through the Twilight saga. I’m on Eclipse! I’ve been a big fan of the movies for years, and it’s so fun to finally read the books and enjoy all the extra details they give that the movies left out. Since graduating college this year, it feels like such a treat to finally have time to read whatever I want just for fun.