“Reflecting on a twenty-year career with Pacific Ballet Conservatory, and its earlier affiliate, Pacific School of Ballet, I see so many ways in which the values and skills I learned have enriched my life and personal successes. From the time I was a toddler, this studio has been guided by principles of integrity, discipline, and compassion. I discovered the joy of sharing this beautiful art first with the community as a student, and then with my students when I became a dance instructor here.

Pacific Ballet Conservatory provides the perfect intersection between appreciation of the arts and a professional career, and the beauty of ballet remains central to its technique and taste. The broad Orange County community continues to enjoy the gift we share through our spring galas and The Nutcracker Suite, in which I had the pleasure of dancing with Pacific Theatre Ballet as a soloist and which I had the honor to assistant direct in 2014. By working with Miss Maryann to perfect my artistry and with Miss Ann Marie to build leadership potential, I was given opportunities that would have been unimaginable when I was enrolled for my first class as a toddler.

Dance helped me remain disciplined in school, where I struggled to stay organized and learn by traditional methods. Miss Maryann, Miss Ann Marie, Mr. Ludmil, Miss Brenda, Miss Jane, Miss Marissa, and Miss Julie and many other instructors recognized my creative energy and helped me channel that into a disciplined work ethic through passion for whatever I took on in the future, whether it was dance, education, or my career.

Pacific Ballet Conservatory was a creative valve while I completed my undergraduate degree; not only did I teach students from ages two to 18 during that time, but I also created a portfolio of over 90 choreographed pieces and experimented with seven unique genres, weaving in my love of history whenever I could. After spending half my time dedicated to teaching and the rest dedicated to my degree, I graduated cum laude from UC Irvine in the top 12% of my class and moved on to receive a master's degree in history from Providence College.

Most recently, I have accepted an offer from a top global consulting firm in the middle of a pandemic, and through all my interviews and discussions with new colleagues, my dance career is the first thing I mention when telling people my story. Through generous mentorship and instructors who believed in me and appreciated me, the art of dance is still the most prideful part of my identity, and I have my dance family to thank for every milestone of progress I've encountered since I left PBC.

If I could leave my former students and PBC's current and future students with one remark, it is this: through life, adversity, and success, persist in celebrating the art of dance. By video or in person, the PBC community sees the art of dance everywhere and will support you in pursuing it wherever it exists.”

 

K.T.