Pacific Ballroom Dance (PBD) performs its annual spring concert, “Rise,” on Friday and Saturday, June 1, 2 at the Auburn Performing Arts Center, 702 Fourth St. NE.<\/p>\n
Evening performances begin at 7, with an additional 2 o’clock matinee on Saturday.<\/p>\n
PBD’s mission to build character in youth is reflected in the concert theme, “Rise.”<\/p>\n
“We were inspired by the Japanese proverb, ‘fall seven, rise eight,’ ” said artistic director Katie Mecham. “We want our dancers and our audience to be moved to work, persevere, and allow for failure as a path for growth.”<\/p>\n
The 130 dancers, ages 7 to 19, will perform varieties of ballroom and Latin dance, from a Tango set to “Phantom of the Opera” to a whimsical Viennese Waltz danced with giant red balloons.<\/p>\n
PBD celebrates 15 years as a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing dance and performing arts to local youth. To celebrate the milestone, PBD alumni will join current PBD dancers on stage to perform a Broadway inspired piece set to Hamilton’s “Found Tonight.”<\/p>\n
The concert will also feature the formation medleys of PBD’s nationally competing teams. For more than a decade, PBD has traveled throughout the Western States to participate in high school and junior high formation team competitions. For the first time this year, PBD brought an elementary team to these competitions. This pre-teen team will perform both of its medleys at the spring concert.<\/p>\n
PBD began in 1994 as a small, local youth club with a goal to provide young teens with the opportunity to build respectful social skills, self-esteem, fitness and teamwork. In 2003, PBD became a 501©3 non-profit organization with a mission to build character in youth by providing a positive ballroom dance experience. Today, PBD’s youth dance education studio based in Auburn is serving more than 1,000 students annually from ages 10-18 from throughout the Puget Sound area.<\/p>\n