PNBSchool

Dear PNB School students and families,

One thing is certain these days, and that is nothing is certain. Our students and families have learned to be flexible and understanding as we constantly adapt to an ever-evolving pandemic. Thank you for working with us in our efforts to put student health and safety first. So it is with a mix of confidence and caution that I announce plans for two School Performances on stage at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall:

Friday, June 17, 7:30pm Levels V-VIII and Professional Division.

Saturday, June 18, 12:30pm Levels I-IV, DanceChance, Intermediate Boys, Men’s Division, and Professional Division.

Faculty members will be creating dances for Levels I through VIII, Men’s Division and DanceChance. In each performance, Professional Division students will perform a revised work by choreographer and faculty member Eva Stone and an original work by PNB dancer Christopher D’Ariano.

You will receive more information about these performances as we move through the spring. And I suspect details of a class dance will be talked about at the dinner table and practiced in the living room. News of leotard colors and challenging choreography may come up as well, and hopefully you will feel a shared sense of joy and anticipation as the months pass. Please mark the date on your calendar. The School Performance is a ticketed event; ticket information will be available later this spring.

It is important students attend all rehearsals for School Performance between now and June. Note most rehearsals will take place during scheduled class times. We thank you for your attention to this; the investment brings tremendous rewards for performers and audiences alike. Also watch for emails about mandatory studio and on-stage rehearsals leading up to the big day.

To Confirm Your Participation in the 2022 School Performance:

Please confirm if your student will/will not participate in the 2022 School Performance by clicking here to complete and submit the School Performance Agreement. Agreements are mandatory for all students and due by February 26th. Students who indicate they will be performing must also submit a $20 participation fee with their completed Agreement.

How wonderful it will be to see our students on stage again. The experience and thrill of live performance is an unmatched highlight of the year, and I look forward to applauding alongside all of you on June 17th and 18th.

Sincerely,

Peter Boal

Director

Hello PNB School Families,

There will be no PNB School classes for levels Creative Movement through Level VIII/ Men’s Division on Monday, February 21st in recognition of Presidents’ Day.

We wish you all a safe and healthy holiday weekend!

We are very pleased to invite you to observe some of your student’s classes via zoom the first week of March 2022! Zoom links will be sent the week prior to your student’s specific observation days.

Please click below to view the watch day schedule for your student’s level:

Bellevue Watch Day Schedules

Seattle Watch Day Schedules

Dear PNB School

Students are invited to wear a red or pink leotard/shirt on Monday, February 14th in honor of Valentine’s day. If a student does not wish to wear a red or pink leotard regular dress code is required.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Dear Creative Movement and Pre-Ballet Families:

Our Petite Finale Performances are going to look a little different this year! In an abundance of caution combined with continued studio capacity restrictions, we have decided it is best to keep the number of individuals in our building to a minimum to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We will no longer be holding Petite Finale performances originally scheduled for May at our Francia Russell Center or Phelps Center locations for our Creative Movement or Pre-Ballet students. However, we know performing is something our students look forward to and we want to share your student’s progress with you!

We will be holding class-size Petite Finales in each student’s regularly scheduled class either the week of June 6th or June 13th (specific details about your student’s class date will be sent in March). We are very excited to invite parents into the studio at that time to observe your student’s class in-person. This year’s Petite Finale theme is Swan Lake! Students will be spending time in their classes learning about the story, choreography and music of the ballet, and we encourage families to go with their student to see Pacific Northwest Ballet’s production of Swan Lake in April.

While we will only allow two individuals per student to observe in-person, we will have a zoom option for other family members to use that day.

We are thrilled to invite you to your student’s class Petite Finale in June; please be on the lookout for further information this March!

Hello PNB Families, 
Thank you for your flexibility these past few weeks as we quickly adjusted to virtual and hybrid learning after the holidays. After much evaluation, we are discontinuing virtual learning beginning next week and are pleased to return to strictly in-person classes starting Monday, January 24, 2022. 

We will continue to closely monitor the health and safety of our students and staff and communicate any possible COVID-19 exposure information. 

We have a few important reminders for our families so that you can help us continue to keep the PNB studios as safe as possible!

• Student health screenings must be done EVERY DAY a student has classes at a PNB studio, regardless of the student’s vaccination status. The health screenings need to be completed BEFORE the student enters the building for class. It is incredibly important that you answer the survey honestly each day so that we can monitor possible COVID symptoms and limit exposure risks. 
• All students turning twelve this semester will have a month after their birthday in order to submit their proof of vaccination to the school. If you have a student under twelve years of age that is vaccinated please be sure to submit their proof of vaccination to the school as well. 
• Students traveling at any point before the end of the school year need to email the school (pnbschool@pnb.org) to receive the correct travel form (based on their vaccination status) to be completed and returned before returning to classes post-travel.
• All unvaccinated students are required to test for COVID-19 every week. 
• Contact the school via email (pnbschool@pnb.org) if your student has been exposed to a positive COVID-19 case, has themselves tested positive for COVID-19, or is exhibiting symptoms for COVID-19. 
• Students who test positive for COVID-19 will need to contact the school for a form to complete before returning to classes. If the positive student exhibits symptoms they will be permitted back to the studios 10 days after their first day of symptoms. If the positive student does not exhibit symptoms they will be permitted back to the studios 7 days after their positive COVID test was taken. 
• At this time, in an abundance of caution, pas de deux classes are still cancelled. We are reviewing weekly, and hope to reinstate those classes as soon as possible! 

We know this time has been challenging for everyone, and we greatly appreciate your dedication to keeping PNB safe! We are looking forward to working with your student for the remainder of the 2021-2022 school year! 

Hello PNB Families,

We are happy to announce that all of our faculty and accompanists are back at the studio for in-person classes this week! However, if your student (level Creative Movement through Level VIII) is currently quarantining or feels more comfortable dancing remotely due to the current COVID-19 numbers we will still allow students to participate in classes remotely.

Please email the school for updated zoom links if your student is choosing to join classes remotely.

We will post for families when hybrid learning will no longer be an option.

Hello PNB School Families, 

There will be no PNB School classes on Monday, January 17th in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

We wish you all a safe and healthy holiday! 

Dear PNB School Families, 

Due to shortage of staff while we await post-break COVID-19 test results we will be cancelling classes tomorrow, Tuesday, January 4. We apologize for the short notice and any inconvenience this may cause. We are very anxious to begin this new year with your students but want to make sure we do so as safely as possible, taking special consideration to the increased spike in COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant.

Starting Wednesday, January 5th we will have a zoom option for all classes. We will encourage all students who have not recently been tested for COVID-19 or who are anxious about the increase in COVID-19 cases to participate in classes virtually. Some faculty may also choose to instruct remotely at this time. That being said, we currently plan to still have studio space for students who pass the daily health screening and are unable to participate in the virtual learning option. As before the winter break, students at the studio will need to pass their daily health screening, remain masked at all times and remain socially distanced from staff and their peers.

Pas de deux classes are cancelled for the next two weeks while we monitor COVID-19 cases with the hope that we can reinstate them later this month.

We intend to provide updates, as necessary. Our staff will be working to ensure that we make decisions that keep our families, students, and staff safe and in good health.

In the meantime, we strongly encourage all our families to:

• Get vaccinated. Vaccinations are now available for individuals ages 5+.
• Get a booster shot. Boosters are now available for individuals ages 16+.
• Avoid large gatherings.
• Continue to wear masks and social distance.
• Wash your hands frequently and disinfect high-touch surfaces regularly.

If you or your student are experiencing any COVID symptoms, please stay home and contact the School at pnbschool@pnb.org, or call us: 206.441.2436 (Phelps Center) or 425.451.1241 (Francia Russell Center.

Please note: we will not track attendance the first two weeks of January, and we respect your decision to stay home and know that virtual learning is not ideal for many students.

Lastly, we recommend a COVID test if possible before students return to in-person classes so that our school communities stay as healthy as possible.

Thank you for all that you do to keep your family and others healthy and ready for the second half of the school year.

Dear PNB School Families, 

The Omicron variant of COVID-19 is spreading quickly, and PNB continues to track public health here in Seattle. Though we don’t know the full impact that Omicron will have on our schools and community, we currently plan to cancel classes tomorrow, Monday, January 3 and re-open PNB School for classes as scheduled on Tuesday, January 4. This extra day is to enable more of our faculty to receive COVID test results before returning to classes, as COVID testing has become more challenging in the past weeks.

That said, we are also preparing for the possibility we may have to go remote at some point in January. Uncertainty at any time is challenging, but no more so than now, after the stress and anxiety of the last several weeks. We are sharing this information with you now so you can be as ready as possible should PNB School need to switch to remote learning.

With summer program auditions beginning this January we are also monitoring visiting auditions. Some schools are switching to zoom for their auditions, and some are canceling their in-person auditions and accepting video auditions instead.  Please check the website of each school for more information.  PNB will work with each school and will ensure COVID protocols are followed for all still visiting for in-person auditions.

We intend to provide updates, as necessary. Our staff will be working to ensure that we make decisions that keep our families, students, and staff safe and in good health.

In the meantime, we strongly encourage all our families to:

• Get vaccinated. Vaccinations are now available for individuals ages 5+.
• Get a booster shot. Boosters are now available for individuals ages 16+.
• Avoid large gatherings.
• Continue to wear masks and social distance.
• Wash your hands frequently and disinfect high-touch surfaces regularly.

If you or your student are experiencing any COVID symptoms, please stay home and contact the School at pnbschool@pnb.org, or call us: 206.441.2436 (Phelps Center) or 425.451.1241 (Francia Russell Center.

Please note: we will not track attendance the first two weeks of January, and we respect your decision to stay home.

Lastly, we recommend a COVID test if possible before students return to school on January 4 so that our school communities stay as healthy as possible.

We hope that you were able to enjoy a winter break that was restful and rejuvenating. Thank you for all that you do to keep your family and others healthy and ready for the second half of the school year.