Posts about Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Accessibility (I.D.E.A.) at Pacific Northwest Ballet
Krishna Washburn, artistic director for Dark Room Ballet, the co-director of Telephone, blind teacher of audio description for dance, and activist, explains the reason why audio description for dance performance is so important.
As a part of Black History Month 2025, Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) is celebrating Kabby Mitchel III, the first Black dancer at PNB. Mitchell danced with PNB from 1979 to 1984 and taught at PNB School. PNB Associate Artistic Director Kiyon Ross shares, "To speak his name is to speak of resilience, generosity, and an unshakable love for dance. To remember him is to remember a man who paved the way for so many, including me, with a grace and determination that transcended the stage."
Everyone could use a little ballet magic in their life, and we don’t want the cost of tickets to keep anyone from attending. That’s why Thursdays are Pay What You Can night at PNB! Every Thursday performance, PNB guests can choose the tickets and price that works best for them (subject to availability). These tickets will be available 90 minutes before the performance at the McCaw Hall Box Office.
The old dictum, “timing is everything,” is everywhere in dance—the precise timing of a lift, the coordination of a musical phrase with a physical gesture, a moment of complete unison from the corps de ballet—timing is at the core of everything PNB does. Last year, we received a generous grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust to expand our accessibility offerings. We saw the opportunity to grow our accessibility options to include the Blind and Visually Impaired community by introducing Audio Dance Description to our regular season programming. In November 2023, the timing lined up, and a bit of fate intervened... Click here to read how PNB's Audio Description programming began!
This year, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, PNB is excited to share that we've created a podcast version of our 2023 Baila Conmigo Panel discussion, with transcripts in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Click here to access the podcasts, as well as many other resources PNB has curated in honor of this celebratory month!
To celebrate Pride Month this year, the PNB community shared some of their favorite LGBTQ+ related media. From books, films, and more, PNB staff have some great recs for you. Thank you to all our PNB community members who sent in suggestions. And if you've got a media recommendation for us, let us know! PNB's Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Committee is currently developing a Little Free I.D.E.A. Library to share resources and materials with the PNB Community. Email IDEA@pnb.org with suggestions or to donate a book!
In honor of AANHPI Heritage Month, PNB asked individuals celebrating this month to share their stories. Read more about PNB Director of Access Programs Naomi Glass, PNB Violinist and Concertmaster Michael Jinsoo Lim, and PNB Lighting Designer/Coordinator Reed Nakayama and what AANHPI Heritage Month means to them.
Women are historically under-represented when it comes to choreographing ballets. In honor of Women's History Month, we are highlighting five women with unique choreographic points of view who have or will create works at PNB. Learn more about these women and their creative approaches in this blog post!
PNB invited employees who celebrate Black History Month to share their stories with us – we hope you enjoy this profile of Jonathan Batista, PNB Company dancer.
PNB invited employees who celebrate Black History Month to share their stories with us – we hope you enjoy this profile of Zsilas Michael Hughes, PNB Company dancer.