Welcome To Washington State Youth Ballet

Phyllis Rothwell began her training at Chapel Hill Ballet School in North Carolina. She continued at the Academy of the Maryland Youth Ballet under the direction of Hortensia Fonseca and Michelle Lees. As one of 20 dancers picked from across the country, she spent three summers at the Chautauqua Institute studying with renowned New York City Ballet icons Jean Piere Bonnefoux, Patricia McBride, Sandra Jennings, and Violette Verdy. While still dancing at Maryland Youth Ballet, at 15, she joined the Arlington Ballet Theatre.  At 17, Phyllis was accepted on a full scholarship to the Rock School of the Pennsylvania Ballet under Bo and Stephanie Spassoff. She performed in company roles with The Pennsylvania Ballet.

She has danced for Southern Ballet Theatre(Orlando Ballet) and as a principal dancer with Charleston Ballet Theatre, Eugene Ballet, Company C Contemporary Ballet, and Ballet Idaho. Her most noted classical roles include Giselle, Cinderella, Carmen, Juliet, Kitri, Odette, Aurora, Esmerelda, Titania, Alice, and Sugar Plum. Her contemporary works include a collaboration with Eugene Ballet and "Pink Martini," "That's Life" in Twyla Tharp's Nine Sinatra Songs, David Parson's "The Envelope," and principal roles in Balanchine's Serenade, Tarantella, Who Cares?, and Allegro Brilliante.  Some of her favorite roles were Lucy in Jill Bahr's Dracula and The Mother in Kiesha Lalama's "The Bench" with Titus Bergess and Tobin Del Cuore.

While dancing for Ballet Idaho, Phyllis became Assistant Ballet Mistress and Apprentice Director for Ballet Idaho. She was the ballet mistress of Company C Contemporary Ballet in San Fransisco and the co-founder of Boise Dance Co-op with Jason Hartley, a former principal of The Washington Ballet and The Trey McIntyre Project. She has worked side by side setting and rehearsing ballets with some of the most noted repertoire, including Ballet Mistress with Paul Boos of the Balanchine Trust, John Selya of Twyla Tharp's "Moving Out," Danny Pelzig from Boston Ballet, Charles Anderson from NYCB, and Jeffrey Scott Bailey from Broadway and film.  Phyllis has been part of the Spotlight competition family judging regionals and nationals in Seaside, OR, and was the principal ballet instructor at ArtsWest Performing Arts High School in Eagle, Idaho. She has been a principal guest artist with Oklahoma City Ballet for the "Stars of America" Gala, Company C Contemporary Ballet, Wichita Ballet, Sun Valley Ballet, LED, Project Flux, Tampa Bay Ballet,  TheatreArtistic Ballet Theatre, Tupelo Ballet, and Danza Classica among others. 

Phyllis has choreographed new works for Ballet Idaho, Idaho Dance Theatre's "DanceFest," Boise Dance Co-op, Ballet Idaho Academy, Allegro Dance, The Dance Center of Walla Walla,  and Danza Classica Ballet Company. Recently, she was the director of the apprentice program for the Summer Dance Lab at Whitman College in Walla Walla and created an original work for the students.

Her love for teaching has made her sought after for masterclasses and private coaching throughout the Northwest. She taught multiple levels in the Ballet Idaho Academy and quickly became a favorite of the adult program and the academy. She helped stage the children's division for Ballet Idaho's Nutcracker and reprised many classical ballets for student performances. Phyllis has had the privilege of watching her students become professional dancers with companies including Netherlands Dans Theater, Ballet Idaho, Ballet Fantastique, Nevada Ballet Theater, and the Manassas Ballet Theatre, New Ballet and helped with achieving scholarships to colleges in dance and other majors.  She has taught in summer intensives nationwide, including Pennsylvania, Alaska, Idaho, Utah, and Washington. Phyllis became a guest teacher at Maryland Youth Ballet in 2022, allowing her to give back to her alma mater. She has also been a company guest teacher for Paul Taylor and the University of Georgia. Currently, she is an adjudicator for Whitman College's Summer Dance Lab. 

In 2020, Phyllis founded Washington State Youth Ballet in Walla Walla, WA. Since opening, WSYB created the first Nutcracker performed by the community's young dancers, giving outdoor shows at wineries and, most importantly, educational outreach performances at local Elementary Schools and Pre-Schools. The students of WSYB have competed in the prestigious Youth American Grand Prix and placed in the top 24, winning scholarships to summer intensives around the United States. WSYB students have been accepted to summers studying at The Bolshoi, The Royal Danish Ballet, Boston Ballet, School of American Ballet, New Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Austin Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Whim Whim, State Street Ballet, The Portland Ballet, New Ballet, and Summer Dance Lab. Along with dancing, education is critical to WSYB, and the school is proud to have students at prestigious colleges such as Barnard University, University of Washington, Columbia University, University of Arizona, Whitman College, and Walla Walla Community College. 

Photo - Phyllis Rothwell and Jared Hunt at Ballet Idaho