Dance
PNB announces director short list

By Melinda Bargreen
Seattle Times staff reporter

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Five semifinalists, including some familiar faces, are in final consideration for the post of artistic director at Pacific Northwest Ballet. PNB's search-committee chair, trustee Carl Behnke, confirmed the list following several months of screening nearly 50 candidates from around the world who have applied to succeed Kent Stowell and Francia Russell when they retire at the end of the 2004-05 season. Their replacement is expected to be announced by early 2005.

The semifinalists, in alphabetical order:

Peter Boal: a principal with the New York City Ballet and the 1996 recipient of the Dance Magazine Award. Boal also is a full-time faculty member at the School of American Ballet and recently became founder/director of the new troupe Peter Boal and Company.

Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary: Both former PNB dancers, the married couple both have danced with the New York City Ballet. Danish-trained Christensen was at PNB from 1986 to 1992; he left to join the Royal Danish Ballet, becoming artistic director there in 1999 (he was knighted in 2002). Neary's credits include the Zurich Ballet and Maurice Béjart's Ballet du XXe Siecle; later, at the Royal Danish Ballet, she was dance mistress and worked with her husband. She is a répétiteur for the George Balanchine Trust.

Jeff Edwards: Beginning his career at the New York City Ballet, he went on to dance major roles with the Zurich Ballet and the Lyon Opera Ballet. He is associate artistic director for the Washington Ballet (Washington, D.C.), after serving as the director of education for Twyla Tharp Dance. He also is a répétiteur for the George Balanchine Trust.

Benjamin Houk: A former PNB principal dancer, Houk followed his 13 years in Seattle with artistic directorships at the Nashville Ballet (1996-98) and the Fort Worth Dallas Ballet (1998-2001). Houk began his career with Joffrey II and has wide experience as a guest artist and as a choreographer.

Victoria Morgan: Artistic director of the Cincinnati Ballet since 1997, Morgan is well known as a choreographer; her previous experience includes nearly a decade as her previous experience includes nearly a decade as resident choreographer for the San Francisco Opera. She also was a principal dancer in the San Francisco Ballet (1978-87). She has choreographed more then 35 works for 20 ballet and opera companies across the country.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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