Pacific Northwest Ballet

Mm hmm.

But there was this thing that happened with Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, where I live, where one of the things that Peter Boll, their artistic director, did when he took over was that he retired their older ballet production, which is honestly my favorite ballet.

And it had set design by Maurice Sendak, which was so cool.

And you can still see it.

And I think the idea that it's separate from culture is is wrong.

And so, you know, one of the things that was a big bombshell for me personally, when I started to go to ballet class was I had only seen professional ballet up to that point.

Like I had only gone to see Oregon Ballet Theater or Pacific Northwest Ballet.

And when you go to see professional ballet companies, you're going to see a certain body type.

[chuckles] I had been spending summers elsewhere.

I'd gone to American Ballet Theatre in the summer course and spent many summers going to Seattle and studying at the Pacific Northwest Ballet, which was a different stylistic focus, just a different environment.

It-- For whatever reason, I had a different level of confidence there, and I think when I was invited to audition to stay for the year in their newly minted professional division, which is essentially a, a trainee pre-professional program, I jumped at the opportunity, and I was able to perform with the company, tour with the company.

Also, we had our own full program with classes and some performing experience as, as a, as a student company.