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 […]

Somewhere between Pacific Northwest Ballet’s fall 2015 production of Kiyon Gaine’s Sum Stravinsky and its winter 2016 Romeo et Juliette, Seth Orza completely changed his look: from a strong, commanding presence to a lanky, impetuous boy. “For Romeo, I wanted to seem more youthful,” says Orza. “I’m 6 feet, and I wanted to lose about […]

Partnering training is one of the most nuanced parts of dance education. And yet, so much of it is entirely focused on male students. Beyond the basic principles—like holding your core and avoiding slippery leotards—young women often have little direction other than performing steps they already know with the help of a male dancer. But […]