Announcing New PNB Faculty Member Kurt Froman
Pacific Northwest Ballet School has announced that Kurt Froman has been hired to lead the School’s Men’s Division. An accomplished and highly respected teacher and mentor with dancing careers at New York City Ballet and on Broadway, Mr. Froman was the resident choreographer of the Broadway show Billy Elliot, The Musical, training and coaching the young actors in the title role; he has also served as the “go to” coach for actors such as Natalie Portman, Jennifer Lawrence, Christina Ricci, and Rooney Mara in movies that require balletic movement. At PNB School, Mr. Froman will teach, support, and mentor the School’s male-identifying students, and serve as a liaison with students’ families. He is expected to be in Seattle and start at PNB School on the first day of classes for the 24-25 academic year, September 9, 2024.
“I’ve known Kurt since his student days at SAB,” said Peter Boal, PNB School Director. “Then and now, he’s proven himself as one of the greatest devotees of classical ballet. He’s also a Broadway pro, a hoofer, and a virtual encyclopedia of dance history – his knowledge of George Balanchine’s choreography is unmatched. A caring and committed teacher, Kurt’s ability to clearly explain the concepts of ballet technique will be invaluable to our students. I am thrilled to welcome Kurt to our PNB family.”
“I am so very pleased that Kurt will be joining PNB School this fall,” said Denise Bolstad, PNB School Managing Director. “Having him here this summer to teach classes during the 2024 Summer Course felt like he had been a part of our faculty for years. He will be a great addition to the PNB family.”
“I’m thrilled to be joining the esteemed faculty, staff, and talented dancers of the PNB School,” said Mr. Froman. “My passion for the Balanchine Style began as a 13-year-old student, and it was life-changing. It raised the standard of everything I had known before with its musicality, precision, jazziness, and full-body movement. It became an artistic touchstone for the rest of my life, and raised the standard of what was ‘good dancing.’ My greatest hope is that I can pass that torch to the talented students of the PNB School.”
As a performer, teacher, choreographer, coach, and mentor, Kurt Froman has worked in every facet of the dance world. His professional dance career started in New York after he was awarded the first Rudolf Nureyev Scholarship which allowed him to study at the School of American Ballet’s “Special” Advanced Men’s Class. After six months, he was invited to join the New York City Ballet, where he danced from 1995 to 2002. His Broadway career started when he was cast in the lead role of the Twyla Tharp/Billy Joel show, Movin’ Out. His additional Broadway credits include the revival of Pal Joey at Studio 54, City Center Encores! (Juno and On Your Toes), and Christopher Wheeldon’s An American in Paris. Mr. Froman was the Resident Choreographer of Billy Elliot, The Musical on Broadway and the 2nd National Tour. As an in-demand coach for actors in major motion pictures, he coached Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, and Vincent Cassel in Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan (Associate Choreographer), and also coached Jennifer Lawrence for over four months for her role in Red Sparrow (Associate Choreographer), Christina Ricci for Amazon’s Z: The Beginning of Everything (Choreographer), and Rooney Mara’s preproduction work for Terrence Malick’s Song To Song. He has been a répétiteur for Benjamin Millepied, staging ballets for both the Paris Opera Ballet and Ballett Dortmund. Mr. Froman has been on faculty at Broadway Dance Center, Steps Conservatory and The School at Steps, as well as guest faculty at Barnard College and the University of Michigan. He has headlined the Friday night audition class for the New York City Dance Alliance and teaches company class on a weekly basis for New York City Ballet.
