Who Founded Pacific Northwest Ballet?

Ballet

Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) is an internationally acclaimed ballet company based in Seattle, Washington. Founded by co-artistic directors Kent Stowell and Francia Russell in 1972, PNB is one of the largest and most highly respected ballet companies in the United States.

PNB’s mission is to bring the highest quality professional dance performances to the stage and to engage, educate and inspire its audiences in the Pacific Northwest. As a professional organization, PNB has a commitment to fostering the growth of young dancers and choreographers through its education program. It also works with other organizations to bring diverse cultural perspectives to dance artistry.

Stowell and Russell are both veteran dancers with deep roots in classical ballet. Stowell began his dance career at age 17 with London Festival Ballet, later joining Royal Ballet as principal dancer.

He has also been a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre and San Francisco Ballet. Russell began her dance career at age 16 when she joined Royal Winnipeg Ballet as a soloist. She continued her studies at American Ballet Theatre where she was promoted to soloist before joining Pacific Northwest Ballet as a principal dancer in 1975.

Stowell and Russell have been credited for bringing innovation and excellence to PNB, which has achieved international acclaim for its productions of contemporary works alongside classic ballets such as “Swan Lake” and “Giselle.” The company’s repertoire includes more than 100 works from some of today’s leading choreographers such as Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, George Balanchine, Marius Petipa, William Forsythe and Jerome Robbins.

Conclusion:

Pacific Northwest Ballet was founded by co-artistic directors Kent Stowell and Francia Russell in 1972. Both veterans of classical ballet, they have been credited for bringing innovation and excellence to the company which has achieved international acclaim for its performances.