by Steve Sucato | Aug 19, 2020 | Career, Instagram, Profiles
We revisited some of Pointe’s past cover stars for their take on how life—and ballet—has changed. Patricia Barker, December 2003/January 2004 Then: Principal dancer, Pacific Northwest Ballet Now: Artistic director, Royal New Zealand Ballet On...
by Steve Sucato | Oct 22, 2019 | News, Profiles
It’s been several years since former Pacific Northwest Ballet star Patricia Barker took over leadership of the Royal New Zealand Ballet. In that time Barker and her husband, former PNB dancer Michael Auer, have had to acclimate themselves to a new country, a new...
by Laura Cappelle | Aug 4, 2019 | Career, Instagram, Profiles
Though the Royal New Zealand Ballet has seen a lot of upheaval in recent years, it’s now attracting dancers from the U.S. again. Six American women are currently working for the Wellington-based company: Two of them, soloist Katherine Minor and dancer Leonora...
by Steve Sucato | Jun 25, 2018 | News, Profiles
James Sofranko, longtime San Francisco Ballet soloist, will succeed Patricia Barker as Grand Rapids Ballet’s new artistic director, effective July 1. Sofranko topped a list of 40 applicants from around the world to become only the fifth artistic director in...
by Steve Sucato | Jan 4, 2018 | News, Profiles
Today Grand Rapids Ballet announced that longtime San Francisco Ballet soloist James Sofranko will succeed Patricia Barker as its new artistic director, effective July 1, 2018. The 38-year-old, now in his 18th season with SFB, topped a list of 40 applicants from...
by Steve Sucato For Dance Magazine | Jan 1, 2018 | Career, News
The past few months have brought on a media storm surrounding accusations about the culture and employment practices at the Royal New Zealand Ballet. But it turns out, much of the reported information doesn’t tell the whole story. Caught up in the rumors has...
by Julia Guiheen | Dec 6, 2017 | Everything Nutcracker, Profiles, TBT
December is here and the holiday season—better known to ballet dancers as Nutcracker season—is in full swing. To celebrate, we’re throwing it back to Patricia Barker and Wade Walthall as Clara and the prince in Pacific Northwest Ballet’s 1986 Nutcracker:...
by Steve Sucato | Nov 5, 2017 | Career, Profiles
Former Pacific Northwest Ballet principal Patricia Barker has taken over as artistic director of Royal New Zealand Ballet. Barker, 54, was named to her new role in June, becoming only the second woman director in RNZB’s 64-year history and the second...