Scan|design Foundation by Inger and Jens Bruun has announced its award of $20,000 to the Northwest Danish Foundation in full support of the 2008 exchange of dance students between the Royal Danish Ballet and the Pacific Northwest Ballet.

This is the second year that the two ballet companies will exchange dance students. The exchange was initiated in 2007 in honor of the career of Flemming Halby, a Dane who for many years served as head of the Pacific Northwest Ballet’s acclaimed school and who retired in 2006.

Each year two Danish dance students and two American dance students are selected by their respective ballet companies to study during the summer with the other ballet. In 2007, Andrew Bartee and Emma Love were chosen to travel from Seattle to Copenhagen to study with the Royal Danish Ballet. Christian Hammeken and Sigmund Hegstad came from Copenhagen to participate in the summer program of the Pacific Northwest Ballet. The 2008 dance student exchange participants will be named in early spring.

The exchange of dance students is expected to lead to further collaboration between the two ballet companies and to a growing exposure of the greater Pacific Northwest audience to the traditions, artistry, and artists of Danish ballet. Already the Artistic Directors of the Royal Danish Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet are discussing a possible future exchange of principal dancers.

Click here to read about Andrew Bartee and Emma Loves' experience.

Click here to read about Christian Hammeken and Sigmund Hegstads' experience.