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The Pacific Northwest Ballet Summer Intensive Program brings some of the top young talent in the world to Seattle for five weeks of world-class training. They come from all over the country, representing 35 states. There are a few from Canada, but some come from as far away as Japan and Bulgaria.
This summer, 224 are here, ages 12 to 19, representing 105 ballet schools. They were selected at auditions by the school’s recruiters out of more than 1,300 during a 25-city audition tour earlier this year.
Ikolo Griffin danced for 20 years before becoming a teacher. He has been teaching male students at the PNB for about four years now.
“What's nice in the summer is that we get the best of the best from all around the country. And these dancers are phenomenal,” said Griffin. “They bring everything that we're looking for. It's kind of like a treat, honestly.”
PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal said ballet used to feel reserved for certain types of people. But he said the PNB has been intensifying its efforts to attract and recruit more students of diverse backgrounds by breaking barriers, especially financial ones, that can keep them from taking classes there.
“There are some physical attributes, but it's broader than that. It's also a mental connection, a work ethic, and in some cases, a spark, you know, which isn’t a physical attribute; it’s just a spark,” said Peter Boal, PNB’s artistic director.
You can read more about the Summer Intensive on our blog at the link in our bio.
This segment originally aired on Back2Besa, which you can watch every Saturday at 10:30 pm on Seattle’s FOX 13 and stream the replay Sunday at 10:00 am on FOX 13+.
Reporting by Cesar Canizales.
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