Recently retired Pacific Northwest Ballet principal Sarah Ricard Orza shares her experience of returning to rehearsal after giving birth. When you are pregnant there is a lot of celebration. You are uplifted and held, but afterwards the focus goes towards the baby. There is such a cultural expectation to just “bounce back,” yet our society […]

When Yvonne Montoya climbs all over the piano while her 12-year-old son Buddy tries to practice on it, we might guess that she is either having a parental meltdown or making a dance. Turns out, it’s both. “It’s been wild, and completely overwhelming,” says Montoya from her Tucson, Arizona home, where she lives with Buddy […]

For Pacific Northwest Ballet corps dancer Emma Love Suddarth, the Seattle shutdown had a special twist: During her time at home, she was in her third trimester of pregnancy and, in May, gave birth to her son Milo, with husband and PNB soloist Price Suddarth. Dance Magazine checked in with her via email about becoming […]

There’s a surprising twist to Regina Willoughby’s last season with Columbia City Ballet: It’s also her 18-year-old daughter Melina’s first season with the company. Regina, 40, will retire from the stage in March, just as her daughter starts her own career as a trainee. But for this one season, they’re sharing the stage together. Performing […]

Lindsi Dec is one of the pillars of Pacific Northwest Ballet: From Balanchine to Wheeldon, her mastery of principal roles brings a dynamic spark, strength and expansive spirit to the stage. Last year in January, Dec took on the biggest role of her life when she and husband Karel Cruz (also a principal with PNB) […]

I feel torn about taking time off from dance to have a child. I’m married and my biological clock is ticking. I just don’t know what age to take the leap for the health of the child. —Would-Be Mother, San Francisco, CA In addition to the baby’s health, there’s also your health to consider when […]