About The Portland Ballet

The Portland Ballet (TPB) is a training ground for professional ballet artists. Established in 2001 by Nancy Davis and Jim Lane, TPB offers both a Youth Company and a pre-professional ballet academy. TPB also offers one of the region’s only Men’s Ballet programs, taught by all male instructors. TPB provides all-level of instruction to about 250 dancers each year including Creative Ballet for ages 3-6 and six levels of Curriculum Ballet for ages 6-22. TPB’s programs are dedicated to providing excellence in dance education and youth performance.

TPB is unique in that it prepares dancers – through its professional instruction and unique and varied performance opportunities - for any professional company or opportunity that suits their aesthetic. Graduates from TPB have gone on to professional careers in ballet with companies such as Houston Ballet, St. Louis Ballet, Ballet Memphis, Sacramento Ballet and Ballet Idaho. Others have been accepted in the professional divisions of companies like Pacific Northwest Ballet, Houston Ballet, Boston Ballet, Miami City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and The School of American Ballet. They have also earned dance scholarships at universities such as Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, University of Arizona, University of Indiana, and The University of Utah.

By virtue of TPB’s carefully developed curriculum, professional staff of teachers, and the guidance of Artistic Director Nancy Davis, TPB is ranked with such schools as the prestigious Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts. TPB is proud of this distinction and its ability to attract guest choreographers from throughout the world. Guest instructors and choreographers have included, among others, Evelyn Cisneros, former principal ballerina at the San Francisco Ballet; Marianna Tcherkassky former principal ballerina with American Ballet Theatre, and current Ballet Mistress with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre; Laveen Naidu Executive Director of Dance Theatre of Harlem; Carter Alexander principal teacher at Miami City Ballet School; and Jorge Esquivel, former principal dancer of National Ballet of Cuba and current principal character dancer for the San Francisco Ballet.

Located in Southwest Portland, TPB is home for the area's rich community of professional dance teachers, all with extensive performing and teaching experience. TPB offers several major community performances annually, providing dynamic and engaging performances for patrons of the arts.

NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY

The Portland Ballet admits students of any race, color, sexual orientation, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, sexual orientation, marital status, political opinion, familial status, age, gender, mental or physical disability, military status, gender identity, national and ethnic origin, or source of income or disability status in administration of its education policies, admissions policies, scholarship programs or any other school-administered programs.