Summer Course

Housing Information

Housing is offered on a first-come, first-served basis, as demand exceeds capacity. The residence fee includes daily transportation to and from the PNB studios and three full meals per day.

2024 Residence Cost: $4,253

PNBS provides safe, supervised housing for Summer Course students ages 12–18 in Levels IV through VIII. The Residence is a secure building located on the picturesque campus of Seattle Pacific University in a quiet residential neighborhood approximately 1.5 miles from PNBS. We are the only group occupying the Residence. Cable TV and wireless internet access are provided. Other features include a comfortable main lounge with grand piano, a theater-style TV lounge with big-screen TV, separate lounges and kitchenettes with refrigerators on each floor, a large, well-equipped laundry room, and an ice machine. Daily transportation to and from the Residence and PNB studios is provided. Nutritious meals are served in SPU’s Gwinn Commons cafeteria, with daily vegetarian options, and vegan options available upon request.

The Residence is staffed by experienced adult counselors who live on-site during the entire 5 weeks to ensure a safe, congenial atmosphere and individual attention given to all residents.

The Residence’s location in a thriving, world-class city is a tremendous asset for Summer Course students. Seattle is surrounded by water and mountains, providing daily photo opportunities with seagulls, bridges, ferryboats, and snow-capped peaks. Public transportation continues to be available in the city, and students will be able to explore the city via walking and/or Metro Transit (bus). Just up the hill from campus is a village-like avenue with coffee-shop and eateries. Other neighborhood attractions within walking distance of the Summer Residence include the Lake Washington Ship Canal, and the Fremont neighborhood, featuring public art and local boutiques.

Residence Staff

David Jensen (he/him) is Pacific Northwest Ballet School’s Summer Residence Director. This will be his 30th year with the PNB Summer Course. Dave grew up in Olympia, Washington, and earned his B.A. in English and Master in Teaching from the University of Washington. He has been a public school teacher for over 20 years; he taught high school for ten years before moving to his current position as an English language arts teacher at Tillicum Middle School in Bellevue, Washington, in 2010. He has been a member of the Summer Residence staff since 1995 and has also served PNB School in the roles of Registrar and Eastside Administrative Assistant. In addition, Dave is one of our Summer Residence bus drivers and holds a commercial driver’s license with all required endorsements.

Patrick Cho (he/him) returns as PNB School’s Assistant Residence Director. He was raised in Federal Way, Washington, after his parents emigrated from Myanmar. Patrick earned his B.A. in Developmental Psychology from Duke University and his M.A. in Teaching from the University of Washington. After taking the 2022-23 school year off to live abroad in Asia, he has now resumed teaching in the Tacoma public school district. This is Patrick’s 19^th summer with PNB.

Nicole Brown (she/her) received formal training at Ballet Royale Minnesota under Denise and Rick Vogt. She has danced in various professional companies in the Twin Cities, including St. Paul Ballet, Ballet CoLaboratory, Hatch Dance and Honeyworks. While maintaining her career as a dancer Nicole has also enjoyed teaching and choreographing for local studios in Minnesota. She is currently wrapping up her second season with Ballet Fantastique in Eugene, Oregon and looks forward to her second summer as a PNB Residence Counselor!

Katie Connell (she/her) began her dance training in her hometown of Dayton, Ohio with the Dayton Ballet School, where she was able to dance alongside Dayton Ballet’s professional company. She attended various summer intensives such as Louisville Ballet, Grand Rapids Ballet, CPYB, Orlando Ballet School, and Ballet Tucson. In addition to PNB, she has also had the opportunity to serve as a resident assistant at both CPYB and Orlando Ballet School’s summer programs. She graduated from the University of South Carolina’s dance program in 2022 and most recently finished her second season as a dancer with the Central Illinois Ballet. She is looking forward to returning the Residence team at PNB for her second year!

Rebecca Cornett (she/her) grew up in Coral Springs, Florida. She started her ballet training with Magda Auñón at Ft. Lauderdale Ballet Classique and Miguel Campanería at the Hartt School in Hartford, Connecticut before accepting the opportunity to train at Boston Ballet School and at Pacific Northwest Ballet as a Professional Division student. She is currently a dancer with the St. Louis Ballet and has completed ten seasons with the company and four years as a teacher and coach at St. Louis Ballet School. In St. Louis, she has had the opportunity to perform the title roles in Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland, and Cinderella as well as other principal roles and ballets. She is looking forward to coming back to Seattle for her third summer as a Residence Counselor.

Ezra Dickinson (he/him) is an accomplished artist and dancer originally from Washington state. This will be his 17^th year working as a PNB Summer Residence Counselor. Ezra trained at Pacific Northwest Ballet for twelve years on a full scholarship, and Cornish College of the Arts, where he earned his B.F.A. in Dance with an emphasis in choreography. Beyond his work in the arts, Ezra is deeply committed to social justice and community engagement. Currently, Ezra is working on “Stories From The Streets,” an interactive walking tour set in Seattle. This GPS-guided tour features interviews with the houseless, augmented reality, sound, performance, and installations. Funding for this new work is being provided by 4Culture. Ezra has created original works in choreography, film, sculpture, activism, murals, paintings, and movement installations that are on display around the world. For more information, visit ezradickinson.com.

Joshua Downard (he/him) grew up in Sacramento, California. He trained in dance primarily with the Northern California Dance Conservatory. Joshua has also studied at the schools of Boston Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, and Ballet Austin. He has spent the last seven seasons working with the Eugene Ballet in Oregon where he has performed roles such as Cavalier in The Nutcracker and Blue Bird in Sleeping Beauty. This past season he was honored to preform a pas de deux in Gerald Arpino’s Reflections at The Arpino Centennial Celebration in Chicago. Joshua recently completed an Associate degree with an emphasis in pre-nursing through Lane Community College. He is looking forward to returning for his third summer of being a Residence Counselor.

JonMarie Rose Johnson (she/her) spent this last season as a Company Dancer with De La Dance Company in Cincinnati, Ohio. She began her dance training at The Louisville Ballet School, and has attended summer intensives with Louisville Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and Nashville Ballet. In 2018 she was accepted into The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) and has graduated with her B.F.A. in Dance Summa Cum Laude. She trained with Nashville Ballet in their Professional Training Division and has graduated from the Louisville Ballet Studio Company. JonMarie is also a 2017 alumna of The Kentucky Center Governor’s School for the Arts and was a member of Regional Dance America Southeast for five years. The last two summers she had the opportunity to work for Pacific Northwest Ballet on Residential Staff and was the Head RA for Brenau University the summer prior. JonMarie is thrilled to return to PNB as a third-year Residence Counselor!

Sarah Kosterman Downard (she/her) began her ballet training in her hometown of Sacramento, California with Pamela Hayes. She continued her dance studies at Butler University where she had the opportunity to perform principal and soloist roles, as well as tour Eastern Europe with Butler Chamber Dance. She graduated from Butler University in May of 2016 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and a minor in business. In 2016 she joined Eugene Ballet, was promoted to principal in 2022 and will be returning for her ninth season this fall. While at Eugene Ballet Sarah has had the opportunity to perform many principal roles including Aurora in the The Sleeping Beauty, Wendy in Peter Pan, Sugar Plum Fairy and Clara in The Nutcracker, a stepsister in Cinderella, Bianca in Taming of the Shrew, and Maria in Penny Saunders’ Ghost Light. Sarah has also been a faculty member with Eugene Ballet Academy since 2019 and loves coaching and teaching students of all ages. Sarah is very excited for her fifth summer as a Residence Counselor with PNB!

Antonio Lopez (They/Them) was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and started ballet training at age 14 at Ballet Repertory Theater of NM and New Mexico Ballet Company for three years. Antonio attended various summer intensives such as Joffrey NYC, Walnut Hill, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Alonzo King Lines Ballet; all under full scholarship. After Antonio’s two years training at CPYB in 2016, they joined St. Paul Ballet as well as began teaching in and around the Twin Cities. In 2018, Antonio joined Twin Cities Ballet of Minnesota and received their associate degree in Integrated Sciences with a certificate in Public Health and Safety from Central New Mexico Community College. In 2020, Antonio joined Eugene Ballet and is looking forward to their 5th season as a company artist. Some of Antonio’s favorite featured roles with the company include works by Penny Saunder’s in Ghost Light; Nicole Haskin’s Illuminations; Val Caniparoli’s Triptych; and Nicolo Fonte’s Choros. Antonio is delighted to join us for their fourth summer as a PNB Residence Counselor!

Siobhan Nickell (she/her) began her training in a small recreational ballet school in her hometown of Dayton, Ohio. From there she transitioned through several schools including Dayton Ballet, The Washington School of Ballet, and finally to Cincinnati Ballet where she was a trainee for  three seasons. After years of training in various trainee programs as well as attending many different summer intensives, including The Rock School for Dance Education, Washington Ballet and Cincinnati Ballet, she is very excited to have finished her second season with Eugene Ballet as well as joining PNB for her second summer as a Residence Counselor!

Gabrielle Savka (she/her) grew up in Mansfield, Ohio and began her dance training in Ashland, Ohio. She has attended summer intensives at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, BalletMet, and Louisville Ballet. In December 2022 she graduated from The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Summa Cum Laude with her BFA in Ballet. She is currently a dancer with Louisville Ballet’s Studio Company. She is very excited to be returning to PNB for her second summer as a Residence Counselor.