FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MEDIA CONTACT: February 5, 2016 Gary Tucker 206.441.2426 [email protected]

Pacific Northwest Ballet Artistic Director Peter Boal Announces Three Promotions at Roméo et Juliette Opening Night.

Seattle, WA (2/5/16) – Before the opening-night performance of Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Romeo et Juliette, Artistic Director Peter Boal made a special announcement to the audience. “It gives me great pleasure to announce three well-deserved promotions.” Mr. Boal informed the audience that soloist William Lin-Yee has been promoted to principal dancer, and Leah Merchant and Kyle Davis have move from the corps de ballet to the rank of soloists.

“William Lin-Yee is a dancer of great authority,” said Mr. Boal. “When last we performed Roméo et Juliette, we were introduced to his a haunting portrayal of Friar Lawrence. Sadly this time around an injury prevents him from returning to the role. A stalwart in the corps de ballet of both the and PNB, he stepped into prominence in ballets by , Mark Morris and Jiri Kylian. His range is tremendous from the kooky Dr. Coppelius to the elegant male lead in Diamonds. It was the roles of Albrecht and later Basilio which cast Will in a new light as a leading man. Please join me in congratulating William on his well-deserved promotion to principal dancer.”

William Lin-Yee is from San Francisco, California. He trained at the Contra Costa Ballet Centre, San Francisco Ballet School, and the School of American Ballet. In 2004, he became an apprentice with New York City Ballet and was also a Mae. L. Wien Award recipient. Mr. Lin-Yee joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as a corps de ballet dancer in 2008 and was promoted to soloist in 2014.

Continued Mr. Boal in his announcement: “Leah Merchant is a rare beauty who imbues every role with a combination of vulnerability and strength. A favorite of choreographers Victor Quijada, Marco Goecke, Alejandro Cerrudo and Justin Peck, Leah has also triumphed in works by Balanchine including her gracious portrayal of Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and her most regal Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. I will not forget her as the woman in white in Jiri Kylian’s Forgotten Land and, again in white, in Jessica Lang’s The Calling. Let us congratulate Leah on her promotion to soloist.”

Leah Merchant is from Mobile, Alabama. She trained at North Carolina School of the Arts, the School of American Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Ms. Merchant joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as an apprentice in 2007 and was promoted to corps de ballet in 2008.

Finally, Mr. Boal called out Kyle Davis: “Kyle Davis caught our eye in his apprentice year as the buoyant Jester in Kent Stowell’s . In a few years, he has ascended from Court Jester to the brilliant King Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream with numerous notable roles along the way including the Bluebird and the lead in Le Baiser de la Fée. Kyle brings impeccable technique to everything he does and his enthusiasm for performance is always on proud display. Tonight he is an acolyte and tomorrow afternoon he will have his debut as Benvolio. Join me in recognizing Kyle’s well deserved promotion to soloist.”

Kyle Davis is from Green Bay, Wisconsin. He trained at Makaroff School of Ballet and on scholarship at Rock School for Dance Education and North Carolina School of the Arts, and attended summer courses on scholarship at Milwaukee Ballet School, the School of American Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. He has also studied with Ethan Stiefel and Warren Conover. Mr. Davis joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as an apprentice in 2008 and was promoted to corps de ballet in 2009. In 2008, Mr. Davis won the Prix de Lausanne competition in Lausanne, Switzerland. He also won various awards in the Youth American Grand Prix Regional and Finals in 2005 and 2006. He was a 2007-2008 recipient of the Elizabeth Harriet Weaver Memorial Scholarship and the Martha and Spencer Love Foundation Scholarship for Excellence in the Arts at the North Carolina School of the Arts.

Prior to the opening night announcements, Mr. Boal also hired Leah Terada and Dammiel Cruz to join the Company as apprentices.

Leah Terada is from Dallas, Texas. She studied at Dallas Metropolitan Ballet and the School of American Ballet, and she attended summer courses on full scholarship at Pacific Northwest Ballet School, SAB, and Boston Ballet. While a student at PNBS, Ms. Terada performed a corps de ballet role in Company performances of Crystal Pite’s Emergence. Ms. Terada was the recipient of the Danish American Nationals Cultural Exchange (DANCE) scholarship.

Dammiel Cruz is from New York, New York. He studied on full scholarship at the School of American Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet School, and he attended summer courses at PNBS and Boston Ballet. While a student at PNBS, Mr. Cruz performed corps de ballet roles in Company performances of George Balanchine’s Prodigal Son and George Balanchine’s The NutcrackerTM and Crystal Pite’s Emergence. While a student at SAB, Mr. Cruz performed leading roles in Balanchine’s Serenade, ’ The Sleeping Beauty, and ’ Fanfare as part the school’s annual Workshop Performances. Mr. Cruz was the recipient of the Mae. L. Wien Award and Danish American Nationals Cultural Exchange (DANCE) scholarship.

PNB congratulates our newly promoted and hired dancers!

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Supporting sponsors for Roméo et Juliette are Bank of America, Van Cleef & Arpels and Neiman Marcus, and the Norman Archibald Charitable Foundation. Opening Night Dinner sponsor is Regence BlueShield. The 2008 PNB premiere of Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette was generously underwritten by Dan & Pam Baty. PNB is also grateful to Dan & Pam Baty for their leadership support to underwrite the creation of scenery and costumes for this production in 2013. Roméo et Juliette is a co- production with Atlanta Ballet. PNB’s 2015-2016 Season is proudly sponsored by ArtsFund and Microsoft. Season-long support also provided by Dilettante Chocolates. PNB media sponsorship provided by KOMO 4 and The Seattle Times.

PNB Publicity Contact Gary Tucker, Media Relations Manager 206.441.2426 [email protected]

PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET 301 Mercer Street Seattle, WA 98109 206.441.2424 www.PNB.org