A dancer’s first, great leap

Northwest Dance Theatre provides a place for young people to train to become professional ballerinas

By Geoff Pursinger

The Times, Mar 4, 2010, Updated Mar 4, 2010

STEVE CARRIGG / Carrigg Photography and Design

Dancers perform “Vivaldi Concertos” from Tualatin’s Northwest Dance Theatre’s upcoming performance, “Spring Forward.” The company has helped train more than 500 local young people to become professional ballerinas.

Not many people would want to make life-changing decisions when they’re 12-years-old. But for many of the dancers at Tualatin’s Northwest Dance Theatre, it’s not even a question.

“They’re considering going on to become professional dancers,” said artistic director and NWDT founder June Taylor-Dixon. “Usually if they’re serious about dancing, they’re looking to get into a (professional ballet) company by age 16 or 17.”

Students looking to go into the profession make up their minds early, usually in middle school if not sooner, so that they can devote their young adult life to mastering their craft.

The problem, however, is where to get the experience before dancers can gain an apprenticeship with a major ballet studio, such as Oregon Ballet Theatre.

That’s where NWDT comes in.

“I (taught) some girls that were considering going on to become professional dancers,” said Taylor-Dixon, who founded the dance company in 1988 as a stepping stone for her students. “But they needed more experience performing, so I started it to give them more performing experience.”

The ballet company puts on two performances a year, culminating with their annual performance of “The Nutcracker,” as well as a smaller spring show which allows the dancers and choreographers to show their versatility.

This year’s spring performance, “Spring Forward” takes place March 13 and 14 at the Broadway Rose Theatre in Tigard, a departure from their usual venue at Portland Community College’s Sylvania Campus.

Broadway Rose is smaller, Taylor-Dixon said, but that makes the performance that much better.

“It’s much more intimate, which is good. This is a smaller, more intermediate performance,” she said.

Service to community

Dancers at NWDT range in ages from 12 to 18 years old. Tare working to perfect their art form and earn a spot with a major dance company.

Each have been dancing for nearly a decade, some taking their first dance classes at 3 years old.

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