Mandy Dray

Dear PNB School Students and Families,

Pacific Northwest Ballet School’s 44th Annual School Performance at McCaw Hall is right around the corner. The event is a special one for students, family and friends. If your calendar isn’t already marked, circle June 14th. Tickets will go on sale in mid-March; stay tuned for more information. As we begin to prepare for these performances, there are a few things we would like to share with you.

Saturday, June 14, students in Levels I-IV, Pre-Intermediate C, VC, Advanced C, and DanceChance perform at 12:30pm. The second performance for students in Level V-VIII is at 6:00pm.

PNB Company dancer Noah Martzall is creating a new work for our Professional Division that will be performed at both shows along with George Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments, accompanied by the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Juan Felipe Molano.

All students in Levels I and up will begin rehearsals shortly. Each level will devote a portion of class time to preparation. For this reason, consistent attendance at all classes is essential. We want every student to feel well-prepared and confident as they take the stage at McCaw Hall for their class dance on June 14th. Please click on the link below to review, sign, and return the School Performance Participation Agreement no later than February 28, 2025.

Seattle Performance Agreement

Eastside Performance Agreement

We sincerely appreciate your efforts to ensure students attend all classes and rehearsals during the coming months. If a student is unable to commit to their schedule, we may not be able to include them in this milestone performance.

Consider joining us for our annual Student Celebration Dinner at McCaw Hall after the matinee School Performance, where graduating students are honored in celebratory fashion; it is a fantastic way to commemorate the day. Look for more details to come.

Please be sure to continue to check the Parent Portal regularly for updates regarding School Performance rehearsals, tickets, and the Celebration Dinner.

We are looking forward to a great spring and a wonderful culmination of our school year.

Sincerely,

Peter Boal

Director

Parents! REMINDER THIS IS TOMORROW! Please come join us in person at the Phelps Center Tuesday, February 11th at 6:30pm for a special event co-led by Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Eating Disorders Specialist, and author, Monika Saigal, MS, RD, CEDS-C, CDN, and PNB’s consulting mental health therapist, Josh Spell, MSW, LICSW.

If you plan on attending this event, please reach out to pnbschool@pnb.org and let us know!

This workshop will address some of the unique needs and challenges faced by elite dancers and provide parents and caregivers with knowledge and tools to better support the health and well-being of their dancers. Presenters will cover a selection of topics from Monika’s book, Nourishing Dance: An Essential Guide on Nutrition, Body Image, and Eating Disorders with a focus on how to help your dancer fuel optimally, nurture a healthy relationship with food, and build more positive and resilient body image. The educational portion of this event will be followed by a Q+A session and book signing.

Get a personalized, signed copy of Nourishing Dance!

Order from your favorite bookseller and bring to the event for Monika to sign. Links to order and more info available at: https://nourishingdance.com/ (TIP: the publisher Routledge is offering 25% off with code Nourishingdance24. Allow at least 2 weeks for shipping).

Pre-purchase from Monika for pick-up and signing at the event: https://square.link/u/Mm3WUWVf (If you are unable to attend, these books will be left at PNB for pick-up).

PRESENTER BIOS

Monika Saigal, MS, RD, CEDS-C, CDN is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Eating Disorders Specialist, and former professional dancer. She is the founder and owner of MS nutrition, PC, a New York City based nutrition counseling and consulting practice specializing in eating disorders, disordered eating, and dancer wellness. In her 17 years in the field, Monika has helped thousands of clients develop more peaceful and nourishing eating habits, improve athletic and artistic performance, and heal their relationship with food and their body.

Monika is passionate about building a dance world that better supports and nurtures dancers’ health and well-being. She has extensive experience providing nutrition counseling to dancers and performing artists in her private practice and working with dance organizations—from small studios to world-renowned schools, conservatories, and companies. Monika currently works with the San Francisco Ballet School and Company and was the dietitian for the American Ballet Theatre JKO School and Studio Company for the past four years. Prior to this, she spent eight years as a member of the Performance Nutrition team at The Juilliard School.

To better address the health needs of dancers, Monika created and regularly delivers the Head to Pointe® Workshop series, which includes workshops for dancers as well as specialized trainings for dance educators, staff, parents, and health professionals. Monika has been featured as a nutrition expert in various dance publications including Dance Magazine and Dance Spirit. She has presented on the prevention and treatment of eating disorders in dancers at multiple academic conferences including the International Conference on Eating Disorders, the Performing Arts Medicine Association International Symposium, and the past five Annual Conferences of the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science. Monika is the author of the book Nourishing Dance: An Essential Guide on Nutrition, Body Image, and Eating Disorders, which was released in June 2024.

Josh Spell, MSW, LICSW is a licensed social worker and therapist in the state of Washington and currently works in private practice in Seattle. Before beginning his practice, Josh worked in the field of eating disorders and generalized behavioral health settings. He earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Washington and received his undergraduate degree from Seattle University.

Josh was a dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet from 2001 to 2011 and danced with Kansas City Ballet for two seasons. He trained at the School of American Ballet and attended Summer Courses at Pacific Northwest Ballet School and Joffrey Ballet. Josh danced a range of repertoire from George Balanchine to Twyla Tharp. Among his favorite roles were the second sailor in Jerome Robbin’s Fancy Free, Puck in George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Benvolio and acolytes in Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette and featured roles in Jiri Kylián’s Sechs Tänze and Petite Mort.

Josh has returned to the dance world in a new role as consulting therapist for the Pacific Northwest Ballet. Josh works with professional dancers and students all over the country centering dance from a holistic perspective and offering a wide variety of mental health tools. He has given various seminars on performance anxiety, perfectionism, body wisdom, self-care, finding motivation and identity. Josh has been featured in dance publications including Dance Magazine, Pointe Magazine and Dance Spirit and has been a guest on several podcasts including Dance; Better and The Appetite. Josh’s former career as a professional ballet dancer informs his current approach, and he is passionate about working with dancers.

We look forward to seeing you next week!

Hello Seattle families,

All classes at the Phelps Center are cancelled today, Thursday February 6th due to inclement weather and hazardous road conditions.

All classes at the Francia Russell Center are NOT cancelled  and will be held as normal.

If you have any questions please call or email the school office.

Please stay safe!

Best,

Mandy Dray

School Supervisor

Hello Seattle and Bellevue families,

All classes at the Phelps Center and Francia Russell Center are cancelled today, Wednesday February 5th due to inclement weather in both Seattle and Bellevue.

Please reach out to the school office if you have any questions! (pnbschool@pnb.org)

Please stay safe!

Best,

Mandy Dray

School Supervisor