Summer Course
July 7–August 8, 2025
Summer Course students and Company dancers share our state-of-the-art facility, The Phelps Center, located in the heart of downtown Seattle by the historic Space Needle. In our spacious, light-filled studios students experience the ultimate setting for professional summer intensive training while enjoying the benefits of PNB’s outstanding faculty, rigorous curriculum, and safe, secure environment.
We have prioritized efforts to advance inclusion, diversity, equity, and access at PNB School, creating policy and programs that ensure every PNB student and family feels a sense of belonging, acceptance, and support. Our school honors students’ preferred pronouns, provides gender neutral restrooms, offers the option of flesh-colored tights and shoes in all levels, and allows all students regardless of gender to train on pointe.
We are looking forward to welcoming students into the studio for in-person instruction for Pacific Northwest Ballet School’s Summer Course.
Pacific Northwest Ballet School’s Summer Course is a five-week summer intensive for intermediate and advanced students, 12 to 18 years old who are at a stage of technical advancement proportionate to their age and who have the physical qualifications suited to the demands of classical dance. Twelve year olds must already be training on pointe by the time of their summer intensive audition.
Summer Intensive Auditions
Classes
Our Summer Course curriculum offers serious ballet students the highest caliber of intensive classical training, augmented by a rich diversity of dance forms necessary to meet the eclectic demands of dance companies today. PNB School’s Summer Course also offers students seminars by PNB consultants and dance specialists on a wide variety of topics relevant to the young dancer including injury prevention, mental health, nutrition, strength and conditioning, and pointe shoe care.
Weekly Schedule
Technique, Pointe, Variations, Pas de Deux, Modern, Hip Hop, Jazz, Character, Strength Training, Conditioning, and Seminars
Students attend classes Monday–Saturday. Class size is limited and all ballet classes are accompanied by professional pianists.
Housing
Housing will be provided on the beautiful campus of Seattle Pacific University for a limited number of students.
Housing Information
Housing is offered on a first-come, first-served basis, as demand exceeds capacity. The residence fee includes daily transportation to and from the PNB studios and three full meals per day.
2024 Residence Cost: $4,253
2025 Residence Cost: TBD
PNBS provides safe, supervised housing for Summer Course students ages 12–18 in Levels IV through VIII. The Residence is a secure building located on the picturesque campus of Seattle Pacific University in a quiet residential neighborhood approximately 1.5 miles from PNBS. We are the only group occupying the Residence. Cable TV and wireless internet access are provided. Other features include a comfortable main lounge with grand piano, a theater-style TV lounge with big-screen TV, separate lounges and kitchenettes with refrigerators on each floor, a large, well-equipped laundry room, and an ice machine. Daily transportation to and from the Residence and PNB studios is provided. Nutritious meals are served in SPU’s Gwinn Commons cafeteria, with daily vegetarian options, and vegan options available upon request.
The Residence is staffed by experienced adult counselors who live on-site during the entire 5 weeks to ensure a safe, congenial atmosphere and individual attention given to all residents.
The Residence’s location in a thriving, world-class city is a tremendous asset for Summer Course students. Seattle is surrounded by water and mountains, providing daily photo opportunities with seagulls, bridges, ferryboats, and snow-capped peaks. Public transportation continues to be available in the city, and students will be able to explore the city via walking and/or Metro Transit (bus). Just up the hill from campus is a village-like avenue with coffee-shop and eateries. Other neighborhood attractions within walking distance of the Summer Residence include the Lake Washington Ship Canal, and the Fremont neighborhood, featuring public art and local boutiques.
Residence Staff
David Jensen (he/him) is Pacific Northwest Ballet School’s Summer Residence Director. This will be his 31st year with the PNB Summer Course. Dave grew up in Olympia, Washington, and earned his B.A. in English and Master in Teaching from the University of Washington. He has been a public school teacher for over 20 years; he taught high school for ten years before moving to his current position as an English language arts teacher at Tillicum Middle School in Bellevue, Washington, in 2010. He has been a member of the Summer Residence staff since 1995 and has also served PNB School in the roles of Registrar and Eastside Administrative Assistant. In addition, Dave is one of our Summer Residence bus drivers and holds a commercial driver’s license with all required endorsements.
Gabrielle Savka (she/her) grew up in Mansfield, Ohio and began her dance training in Ashland, Ohio. She has attended summer intensives at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, BalletMet, and Louisville Ballet. In December 2022 she graduated from The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Summa Cum Laude with her BFA in Ballet. She is currently a dancer with Louisville Ballet’s Studio Company. She is very excited to be returning to PNB for her second summer as a Residence Counselor.
Tuition
Level IV & V
Level VI, VII, VIII, & Advanced C
TBD
TBD
FAQ’s
Can I audition by video?
We prefer students attend one of our scheduled auditions (in person). Video auditions are accepted only in extreme circumstances from students who cannot attend a scheduled audition. Video submissions will be reviewed after all Summer Course Auditions conclude, and only if space is available in the program at that time. For more information regarding video requirements, please contact the school at pnbschool@pnb.org.
When will I find out the results of the audition?
Audition results will be e-mailed within 2-3 weeks of the audition date. Any student who does not hear back within two weeks should email pnbschool@pnb.org after checking any spam folders. No critique of the audition will be given.
How do I apply for the year round program?
Step 1: Attend Summer Course or Submit Video Links.
Students interested in the Professional Division will be considered for the program in one of two ways:
- Attend the 2025 Summer Course. Students attending PNB School’s Summer Course will have priority.
- Students not attending the 2025 Summer Course must submit 3 recent videos, including 10 minutes of classwork, 1 classical variation, and 1 contemporary variation. All video links should be submitted to pnbschool@pnb.org. Video links are due by June 30. YouTube or Vimeo are preferred video formats. No DVD’s accepted. There is no fee to apply for the Professional Division.
Step 2: Complete and Submit the Written Application for the 2025-26 School year.
Students attending Summer Course in Levels VII, VIII, and Advanced Men will automatically receive an application for the 2025-26 Professional Division when Summer Course paperwork is sent late April. Written applications are due July 1st.
Students who apply via video will be invited to submit a written application only if they pass the video audition.
Notification of Acceptance to the Professional Division
Those invited to the year round program will be notified by the end of the Summer Course. We generally advise students 16 or younger not to move to Seattle unless a family member is relocating with them. No housing is available during the school year, and students must make their own arrangements for housing and completion of high school courses. Please email Denise Bolstad if you are interested: denise@pnb.org
Are there scholarships and/or financial aid available?
Pacific Northwest Ballet School determines 98% of its awards at the time of the Summer Course audition. Awards are given for part or full tuition only. Financial aid applications are available for those accepted and in need of assistance. Students must register first to hold a spot in the Summer Course before applying for Financial Aid; once registered, PNB School staff will email the application to the student.
Faculty
The distinguished faculty of PNBS is dedicated to providing the highest caliber of ballet training to our students. PNBS’s diverse and talented faculty includes current and former dancers from Pacific Northwest Ballet, New York City Ballet, Ballet Arizona, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Houston Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and San Francisco Ballet, among many others.
FJ & Catherine Abaya
Marisa Albee
Peter Boal
Kirsten Cooper
Nancy Crowley
Daezhane Day
Rachel Foster
Kurt Froman
Ikolo Griffin
Dana Hanson
Eric Hipolito Jr
Jaret Hughes
Petur Iliev
Carrie Imler
Fiona Lee
Jonathan Porretta
Kaori Nakamura
Abbie Siegel
Josh Spell
Eva Stone
Marjorie Thompson
Jennifer Turner
Alex Ung
Le Yin
Contact
For questions or more information about Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Summer Course, please contact:
Pacific Northwest Ballet School
301 Mercer Street
Seattle, WA 98109
206.441.2435
pnbschool@pnb.org
Pacific Northwest Ballet School admits students of any race, ethnicity, color, gender identity or presentation, sex, sexual orientation, religion, immigration status, and sensory or mental disability to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of the aforementioned in administration of its education policies, admissions policies, scholarship programs, performance casting, or any other School administered programs.
Summer Course Audition Tour Sponsor:
Talented Students in the Arts Initiative, a collaboration of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the SURDNA Foundation