Summer Intensive 2008

The Evergreen City Ballet’s Summer Intensive offers the diversity in our classes that all professional companies are looking for. Our curriculum in addition to our level of instructors will allow every dancer to progress to their highest potential.  

While studying with the Evergreen City Ballet, you will receive a professional atmosphere, professional accompanists, diversity of the instructors, from world-class current and former professional dancers and current and former Artistic Directors with such companies as Pacific Northwest Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, New York City Ballet and Joffrey Ballet.
 

• Professional level instructors.
• High quality training.
• Professional accompanists.
• Over 30 hours of instruction per week.
• Option of three week or six week program.
• Limited class size.  ECB doesn't compromise quality for large numbers.  We are purposeful in keeping a low student-to-instructor ratio. This allows students to grow at an amazing rate to attain their goals.
• Affordable summer intensive for each dancer to receive such a high level of professional training.
• 35,000 square foot facility offering two 2,500 square foot studios with sprung floors and professional marley that allows our students to move as if they were performing onstage.
• Grand piano in each studio.
• Students will have the option to purchase a professionally made DVD of two variations they learned and rehearsed throughout the summer. This DVD can be used to send out with a resume for auditions or to show friends and family how much they progressed.
   

KEVIN KAISER
Artistic Director

Mr. Kaiser started dancing when he was four years old.  He is one of five brothers that made up a professional tap dancing group.  The “Kaiser Brothers” grew up outside of Seattle and toured the United States throughout the 1970’s.   Mr. Kaiser began his professional ballet career at age sixteen with Pennsylvania Ballet under the Direction of Barbara Weisberger and Benjamin Harkarvey.  In 1980 Mr. Kaiser returned to Seattle and joined Pacific Northwest Ballet under the direction of Kent Stowell and Francia Russell.  For fifteen years he performed a wide range of repertoire. Mr. Kaiser danced roles from world-renowned choreographers including George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Paul Taylor, Kent Stowell, Marius Petipa, Anthony Tudor, Lar Lubovich and Glen Tetley.  Mr. Kaiser danced a very diverse repertoire from Paul Taylor’s “Company B” to George Balanchine’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Divertissement Pas De Deux, George Balanchine’s “Serenade” to almost every male role in Kent Stowell’s “Nutcracker” from the Prince to Drosselmeyer.  In addition Mr. Kaiser enjoyed dancing Anthony Tudors “Jardin Aux Lilac”, Mercucio in Kent Stowell’s “Romeo and Juliet” and Glen Tetley’s “Voluntaries.” 

Retiring in 1995 Mr. Kaiser was appointed Ballet Master with Oregon Ballet Theatre and later promoted to Associate Artistic Director under the direction of James Canfield. While at the Oregon Ballet Theatre Mr. Kaiser staged works choreographed by James Canfield, George Balanchine, Donald Byrd, Robert Joffrey, David Parsons and Val Caniparoli. 

Mr. Kaiser has an extensive teaching background throughout the United States which include Pacific Northwest Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Dance Educators of America, Tulsa Ballet and many more. 

Mr. Kaiser’s ties to the ballet world can be felt throughout the United States.  His older brother Roy Kaiser, is Artistic Director of Pennsylvania Ballet in Philadelphia.  His younger brother Russell danced with New York City Ballet and is now a Ballet Master for Peter Martins.   Ken and Dan Kaiser are both Artistic Directors of ballet schools.

Mr. Kaiser was appointed Artistic Director of Evergreen City Ballet in January 2008.  He is excited to bring his years of dedication and experience in the field of dance to this rapidly growing area of the Northwest.

PATRICIA BARKER
Former Principal Dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet
World-Renowned Ballerina
Summer Faculty 

Patricia Barker, is considered one of the world’s most gifted ballerinas.  She received her early ballet training from Lynne Williams in Richland, WA, studied on scholarship both at Boston Ballet School with E. Virginia Williams and Violette Verdi and Pacific Northwest Ballet School with Francia Russell, Perry Brunson and Janet Reed. 

Ms. Barker has danced in many of the great full length ballets and contemporary works from renowned choreographers.  She has performed with Pacific Northwest Ballet extensively throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and North America.  She appeared as a guest artist with national and international ballet companies and has performed in many Galas throughout the world.  Ms. Barker danced the lead role of Clara in Nutcracker the Motion Picture, and starred as Titania in the BBC’s film, A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a celebratory re-opening of the Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London.  She has graced the covers of Dance Magazine, Danser, Pointe Magazine, Dance Pages and Dance International. 

For the past 15 years she has staged, rehearsed and coached ballets for professional ballet companies such as Kent Stowell’s Carmina Burana for Texas Ballet Theater, Kent Stowell’s Duo Fantasy for Oregon Ballet Theater, George Balanchine’s Serenade for Boston Ballet School and The Slovak National Ballet.  In her roles as Artistic Advisor for the Slovak National Ballet, she has taught company class, coached Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadere, Raymonda, Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. 

Ms. Barker has taught at nationally renowned ballet schools such as Pacific Northwest Ballet School, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School, North Carolina School of the Arts, The Governor’s School in Greenville SC, and the Boston Ballet School.

Ms. Barker was granted a patent while she consulted with Bloch on a variety of products, including pointe shoes, ballet slippers, leotards and active wear and was featured in frequent advertisement campaigns.  She is currently a product development consultant for Bunheads, Inc.  She also collaborated with Freed of London, producing an instructional video for dancers answering dancers’ most frequently asked questions about the art of wearing pointe shoes.

Ms. Barker is currently on the advisory board for Pointe Magazine, CriticalDance.com, California Ballet and Minnesota Dance Theater.

She is also dedicated to bring greater awareness to bone and joint health by acting as a spokesperson for the United States Bone and Joint Decade.  Ms. Barker has been instrumental in creating Fit to a T programs for young dancers to spread awareness about bone health and osteoporosis. 
 

ROY KAISER
Artistic Director Pennsylvania Ballet
Summer Faculty

Roy Kaiser has been an integral part of Pennsylvania Ballet for over 20 years.  Mr. Kaiser began his professional career at a young age.  He received scholarships to the San Francisco Ballet and the School of the Pennsylvania Ballet.  Mr. Kaiser joined Pennsylvania Ballet in 1979 and was promoted first to Soloist and then to Principal Dancer in 1990.  In 1987, while still performing, Mr. Kaiser became Assistant Ballet Master and then was named Ballet Master upon his retirement from performing in 1992.  He was named Associate Artistic Director of the Company in 1993 and was appointed Artistic Director in 1995.
 

Founding Artistic Director James Canfield of the Oregon Ballet Theatre (in Portland, Oregon from 1989–2003) was born in Corning, New York, and received his early dance training at the acclaimed Academy of the Washington School of Ballet under the direction of  Mary Day.  

After joining the Washington Ballet for one season in Washington, D.C. he joined the Joffrey II Dancers in New York City under the direction of Sally Bliss and Maria Grande. After one season with the Joffrey II Dancers, he was invited to join the Joffrey Ballet under the direction of Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino.  

While at the Joffrey, Mr. Canfield danced an extensive repertoire of choreographic works by Gerald Arpino, Robert Joffrey, Jiri Kylian, Agnes de Mille, Sir Frederick Ashton, John Cranko, William Forsythe, Choo San Goh, and Anthony Tudor among others.  

Mr. Canfield left the Joffrey Ballet to become the Artistic Director of Pacific Ballet Theatre in 1986. After the consolidation of Portland’s two dance companies, Pacific Ballet Theatre and Ballet Oregon, he was appointed Artistic Director of Oregon Ballet Theatre in 1989. As the founding Artistic Director of OBT, Mr. Canfield choreographed numerous ballets for the year–round Company and established the School of Oregon Ballet Theatre to provide the best classical training to dancers throughout the Northwest. 

Among his many accomplishments, Mr. Canfield was responsible for introducing the highly visible and successful OBT Exposed! event to the Portland community – an annual summer workshop “open air studio” that draws thousands of people to watch the professional company take class and rehearse outdoors in Portland’s downtown park blocks over a two or three week period. This project was funded by a $1.0 million grant which Mr. Canfield secured from the City of Portland and Mayor Vera Katz. 

In 1993, Mr. Canfield raised the capital for, mounted and choreographed an original $1.2 million production of The Nutcracker (sets and costumes by Campbell Baird) which for ten seasons thrilled audiences and became a Portland holiday tradition. 

In August 1999, Oregon Ballet Theatre made its New York City debut when it performed to loudly cheering sold-out houses at the Joyce Theater. OBT and Mr. Canfield also caught the attention of the New York dance press as these excerpts from the New York Times illustrate: “…the company performs with the distinctive classical purity and a hint of rambunctious attitude that identified its artistic director, James Canfield, during his career with the Joffrey Ballet…” and “Mr. Canfield attracts controversy the way velvet attracts lint…..Few men in Portland combine the indigenous informality with as much studied urban cool as he does. Fewer still possess his ability to attract attention without seeming to solicit it.”  

Along with his many dance credits, Mr. Canfield has also played a lead role in establishing OBT as a major arts institution in Portland through artistic programming, education and outreach, sound financial footing, community visibility, and national recognition.  In early 2000, Mr. Canfield and OBT purchased, secured funds for, and designed with HOLST Architects a city block and remodeled a former Wells Fargo Bank on the city’s inner eastside. Completed in September 2000, this $3.5 million acquisition of this 21,000 square foot building became the permanent home of OBT’s dance studios, school and offices.  

Over the years, Mr. Canfield has also garnered support for the education of Portland-area children in the areas of arts and dance. Mr. Canfield secured funding for these programs from the City of Portland, the Regional Arts and Culture Council, the Northwest Business Committee for the Arts, NIKE, The Meyer Memorial Trust, Key Bank, Bank of California, Bank of America, The Collins Foundation, ALTRIA (Philip Morris), and The Schubert Foundation. 

Mr. Canfield was also very active in the community with participation on various arts panels, boards and task forces concerning city arts infrastructure and planning. 

Since leaving Oregon Ballet Theatre, Mr. Canfield has been consulting, choreographing, teaching and staging his choreographic works for companies throughout the country.

Donald Byrd
Artistic Director - Spectrum Dance Theater
Master Class

Donald Byrd became Artistic Director of Spectrum Dance Theater in Seattle in December 2002. Prior to this, Mr. Byrd was the Artistic Director of DONALD BYRD/THE GROUP, a critically acclaimed and highly regarded contemporary dance company based in New York that toured extensively, both nationally and internationally.

He is probably best known for his reworking of the Christmas classic, The Nutcracker, into The Harlem Nutcracker, which received critical acclaim and toured nationally for 5 years

Mr. Byrd has served on the faculty of the California Institute for the Arts and has taught at Wesleyan University, the School of Visual Arts, Harvard Summer Dance Center, California State University Long Beach and the University of California at Santa Cruz, and currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Dance Theater Workshop in New York..

Recent projects include choreography to Motown classic hits for The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, a work based on the paintings of Jacob Lawrence for Dayton Contemporary Dance, and the Tony nominated musical, The Color Purple.

Natalie Dahlstrom
Dancer - Spectrum Dance Theater
Summer Faculty

Natalie Dahlstrom received her training from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and studied intensively with Hilary Cartwright, Magali Messac, and Ronn Tice. She has danced with Ballet Bellevue where she performed lead roles. In 2005, she was invited to perform with the Chamber Dance Company in a restaging of Primitive Mysteries. Ms. Dahlstrom is a certified trainer of the Gyrotonic Expansion System and works at Gyrotonic Seattle. This is her third season with Spectrum.
 

Alison Epsom   
Ballroom Instructor
Summer Faculty

Alison Epsom is visiting Seattle from London, England, where she trained at the English National Ballet School under Anthony Dowson, and at The Royal Ballet School under Valentina Moukhanova and Katia Zvelebilova.  She furthered her training in all the theatrical arts at The London Studio Center, where she gained her Bachelor of Arts Honors degree in Theater Dance, graduating with the highest First Class Honors.

After graduation, she became an original cast member of Irish musical On Eagle's Wing in Belfast, Northern Ireland; she then became an original cast member of the lord of the dance Michael Flatley's latest world arena tour, Celtic Tiger, where she created the roles of the Air Hostess and the Rembrandt Ballerina under the direction of Molly Molloy.  Alison was also lucky enough to land the role of one of the dancing Beauxbaton girls in the film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, as well as being photographed dancing for London's Tatler, Unilever and Japan's DDD dance magazine.

In 2005 she paired up with British Latin champion Paul Killick to perform theatrical showcases of ballroom dance hybridized with ballet, with highlights being Ballroom's Best at the Vail International Dance Festival, Colorado, and a special guest performance at the prestigious Wintergarden Ballroom for the Blackpool Dance Festival, England.  She now works with Brian Jolly, highest ranking number two in the USA in American Rhythm ballroom dance.  They coach from their base in Kirkland, and are currently rehearsing for their future performances.

ECB Artistic Staff - Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Hip Hop

For Audition Questions:  Please call (425) 228-6800 or email andi@evergreencityballet.org.

If anyone is unable to attend one of our auditions and space is available, arrangements can be made for audition and placement.  Please contact us at (425) 228-6800 or email andi@evergreencityballet.org.

Video Auditions:  Video should be no more than 15 minutes.  It should include a short barre and center work with plie, ronde de jambe, fondue, devlopee, grand battements, and pointe work and/or performance.  Center work to include pirouettes, adagio, grande allegro and pointe work.