Leadership
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Eric Hipolito Jr.
Co-founder, Artistic Director
Hipolito directs the artistic and educational vision of the organization, drawing on his extensive ballet experience, a proven record of producing professional dancers, and a solid foundation in business from his B.A. in Business Administration. He trained on full scholarship at Pacific Northwest Ballet School, San Francisco Ballet, School of American Ballet, Houston Ballet and Royal Danish Ballet. He was the first recipient of the Jerome Robbins Scholarship and a Level II Award recipient for ballet from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. In 2010, Hipolito was nominated for the Princess Grace Award in Dance. Professionally, Hipolito performed with the Pacific Northwest Ballet and Ballet Arizona, dancing principal roles within the classical canon including Prince Siegfried in Ib Andersen’s Swan Lake, Romeo in Ib Andersen’s Romeo & Juliet, and Cavalier in Kent Stowell’s Nutcracker. He has danced works by renowned choreographers George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, William Forsythe, Jirí Kylian, Crystal Pite, Alexei Ratmansky, Twyla Tharp, Mark Morris, Christopher Wheeldon, Alejandro Cerrudo, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Justin Peck, and Kent Stowell.
Hipolito is a former ballet instructor for Pacific Northwest Ballet School and the former Men’s Program Coordinator with the Ballet Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ. As a teacher and coach, Hipolito’s students have been accepted to some of the most prestigious schools and companies around the world including; New York City Ballet, Académie Princess Grace (Monaco), Dutch National Ballet Academy (Amsterdam), Boston Ballet II, San Francisco Ballet School and Kansas City Ballet II.
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Adrienne Chan
Co-founder, Executive Director
Chan leads business development, finances, and operational execution. She holds a Master’s degree in Entrepreneurship from the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business, where she graduated top of her class. Drawing on her background as a Senior Program Manager at Microsoft, she brings deep expertise in team leadership, vision-setting, and executing initiatives.
She is trained in ballet across Vaganova and RAD styles, and has taught intermediate-level recreational ballet at the University of Waterloo. She is also a former dancer and choreographer for large-scale concerts and live-broadcast productions in Toronto, including for Fairchild TV, the leading Chinese-Canadian television network. She has danced for many renowned Hong Kong artists, including Alan Tam (譚詠麟) and Sam Hui (許冠傑).
Faculty
Le Yin is a former Principal Dancer with Houston Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet, and a prize winner of the 1995 Prix de Lausanne and the 1998 Princess Grace Award. Born in Nanchang, China, he trained at the Beijing Dance Academy and later at the Houston Ballet Academy. Dedicated to developing the next generation of professional dancers, Le brings a wealth of experience, artistry, and refined classical training to his teaching and coaching.
Le Yin
Rachel Foster had a distinguished 22-year professional career. She danced with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and as a Principal dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet, performing lead roles in Giselle, Don Quixote, and The Sleeping Beauty. Foster worked with renowned choreographers like Crystal Pite and was featured on the cover of Dance Magazine in 2009. Foster trained at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and summer courses at School of American Ballet and San Francisco Ballet. Rachel has been teaching since 2019.
Rachel Foster
Yuka Iino is a former principal dancer at Oregon Ballet Theatre and Reiko Yamamoto Ballet Company. Iino is the first Japanese recipient of the Gold Medal at the 1998 Varna International Ballet Competition (Junior Division) and a Bronze Medalist at the 1995 Asian Pacific Ballet Competition. Since retiring in 2013, she has been dedicated to teaching and coaching, working with Oregon Ballet Theatre, the National Ballet of Japan, Pacific Northwest Ballet School, the School of Oregon Ballet Theatre, and various studios throughout Oregon, Washington, and Japan. She is also a certified yoga instructor.
Yuka Iino
Kaori Nakamura is a former Principal Dancer with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet, with an incredible career spanning over 40 leading roles and guest performances around the world. She is a prize winner at the 1986 Prix de Lausanne and bronze medalist at the 1988 Varna International Ballet Competition. Since retiring in 2014, she has dedicated herself to coaching and inspiring the next generation of dancers.
Kaori Nakamura
Alisa Nishanova is a classically trained ballet dancer and educator with an international performance career spanning the State Ballet of Ukraine, Grand Kyiv Ballet, Kyiv Opera and Ballet, and Moscow State Ballet. She is the Founder of Ascend Ballet Workshop in Bellevue and has served as a répétiteur and rehearsal director for Grand Kyiv Ballet USA. Alisa teaches ballet technique, pointe, repertoire, and character work.
Alisa Nishanova
Olivia Evans will be joining us in Summer 2026 for modern classes. She is a dancer, choreographer, and educator who currently teaches at PNB. She was a co-choreographer on the award-winning dance film, “Intimité Révélée”, in collaboration with Ballet22 and the SF Dance Film Festival in 2024. She has presented live works with ZK Gallery, Mark Foehringer Dance Project, and the LINES Training Program, and her films have been screened in the US and Australia. Her teaching philosophy centers around a belief that everyone has innate creativity that deserves to be nurtured and celebrated.