Mount Baker Ballet

1412 Cornwall Avenue (P.O. Box 2393) Bellingham, Washington 98227 360-734-9141

The Mount Baker Ballet has had a rich heritage in the Whatcom and Skagit County area of Washington State, performing widely, locally and nationally since its inception in 1975. Alumni of the company have performed in world-class and national companies, won scholarships to prestigious professional schools and to university dance programs.         The Mt. Baker Ballet presents a yearly full production of "The Nutcracker" in Bellingham, WA which features the original Petipa-Ivanov choreography staged by Illaria Obidenna Ladre, and has ballet, modern and character techniques represented in its repertoire. Bellingham's own  Mt. Baker Ballet company presents a variety of new works in their annual "Dance Into Spring" concert performance. The Company performs for arts festivals and other events in the Whatcom and Skagit Valley areas of Northwest Washington State, as well as participating as part of concert series in other communities. Mount Baker Ballet has a Community Outreach program which has offered smaller one-hour Concert Version performances of "The Nutcracker" appropriate for school, festival or conference settings, and Mount Baker Ballet's original "Peter and the Wolf" production especially appropriate for young children. GUEST ARTISTS:      The Mt. Baker Ballet has presented guest dance artists from the Kirov Ballet, the Stuttgart Ballet, the New York City Ballet, the San Francisco Ballet, the Paris Opera Ballet, Ballet British Columbia and Pacific Northwest Ballet. The Mount Baker Ballet "Nutcracker" December 15, 2007 featured guest artists Chalnessa Eames and Benjamin Griffiths of Seattle's Pacific Northwest Ballet in their Mount Baker Theatre performance in Bellingham, Washington. AUDITIONS:       Members of the Mount Baker Ballet Company are selected by public audition annually and represent communities from Whatcom and Skagit Counties of Washington State.      The annual company open auditions for the Bellingham based Mount Baker Ballet 2007-2008 season occured on Saturday, September 8th, 2007 at the Bellingham studio, 1412 Cornwall Avenue next to Giuseppes Restaurant. The Mt. Baker Ballet Audition is open to all intermediate-advanced dance students in Whatcom and Skagit counties over the age of 13 years. FURTHER DETAILS HISTORY:      In 1974, the Mount Baker Performance Center, then housed at the Mt. Baker Theatre, commissioned Nancy Whyte as Artistic Director to form a resident dance company which would give concert performances at the theatre, and also be available to dance in the Center theatrical productions. City wide auditions were held, and in April 1975 the Mt. Baker Performance Dance Company gave its first concert. When the performance Center reverted to being a movie house, the company was housed at the Nancy Whyte School of Ballet , and became known as the Mt. Baker Chamber Dance Company with Nancy Whyte remaining Artistic Director, and specializing in loft concerts featuring choreographic works by Nancy Whyte.      In 1985, the Company became a non-profit organization, changing its name to the Mt. Baker Ballet in order to begin to qualify for membership in the prestigious organization Regional Dance America/Pacific. The Company auditioned, was accepted as a member in May of 1987 and remained active in the organization until 1996, at which time Nancy Whyte withdrew her Company, seeking other venues of artistic growth for herself and her dancers.

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The Mount Baker Ballet Nancy Whyte, Artistic Director P.O. Box 2393, Bellingham, Washington 98227 1412 Cornwall Avenue, Downtown Bellingham, Washington 98227 360-734-9141

This website, all of it's pages and content are copyright 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 by the Nancy Whyte School of Ballet. This page created: 05-18-05, Last updated; 03-27-08