March 3, 2023

Pacific Northwest Ballet

Pacific Northwest Ballet principal dancer Lesley Rausch announced that she will be retiring at the end of the 2022-23 season. Rausch joined PNB as a member of the corps de ballet in 2001. She was promoted to soloist in 2007 and principal in 2011. Her 22-year career will be celebrated at the Season Encore Performance, Sunday, June 11 at McCaw Hall. Additionally, audiences will have several opportunities to catch Raush's performances during the second half of PNB's 50th Anniversary season: BOUNDLESS (March 17 – 26); A Midsummer Night's Dream (April 14 – 23); and WORLDS TO COME (June 2 – 11). Rausch is from Columbus, Ohio. She studied with Shir Lee Wu at Columbus Youth Ballet and also at Pacific Northwest Ballet School. She took summer courses at the School of American Ballet, International Dance School at Jackson, Mississippi, and PNB School. She was a finalist in the 1998 Concours International de Danse de Paris, and has performed as a guest artist with Chicago Dancing Festival, Lafayette Ballet Theatre, Nantucket Atheneum Dance Festival, Nevada Ballet Theatre, and Ballet Hawaii. In addition to her performing career, Rausch has been a guest teacher at Ballet Hawaii, Evergreen City Ballet, New American Youth Ballet, and Punahou Dance School. She also is on the faculty of Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Pacific Northwest Ballet's 2022-2023 season is sponsored by ArtsFund and Microsoft.