PNB School: Next Step

 Pacific Northwest Ballet’s annual choreographers’ showcase, NEXT STEP, returns to McCaw Hall for a night of original danceworks. This year’s showcase features five premieres choreographed by six PNB company dancers: Jonathan Batista, Amanda Morgan, Sam Portillo, Lily Wills, and the co-choreographer team of Kyle Davis and Sarah-Gabrielle Ryan, all set on the Professional Division student dancers of PNB School – the dance stars of tomorrow, on stage today. NEXT STEP will be presented one night only, lucky Friday, June 13, 2025 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are only $34 (general admission) and may be purchased through the PNB Box Office, 206.441.2424 or PNB.org.

NEXT STEP provides dancers, studio space, and rehearsal time for company members who wish to hone their choreography skills. It was originally conceived by Artistic Director Peter Boal as a means to develop emerging choreographic talent, and as a channel for Professional Division students from PNB School (talented young artists one step away from their professional careers) to participate in the creation of a new work. “It’s all right there in the name: NEXT STEP offers members of the PNB company more than just studio space, talented dancers, and support from PNB’s incredible costume, lighting, and stage management departments. This is an opportunity to push forward in dance, and one that can have a substantial and long-term impact on a dancer artist’s career. There are five exciting NEXT STEP choreographers this season, some returning artists from the past and some new,” said program coordinator Eva Stone. “All are busy creating inside this unique laboratory of movement exploration and discovery. The Professional Division students are not only working with heart and commitment but are learning new perspectives about the creative process from the ground up.”