Pacific Northwest Ballet’s principal dancer, Carla Körbes, will be retiring at the end of the season. She started dancing in Brazil at age five and as a teen she was encouraged by Peter Boal to pursue her career in New York. By 1999 she was dancing with the New York City Ballet, attaining the role of soloist. She joined the Pacific Northwest Ballet in 2005.
Körbes is the type of once-in-a-lifetime performer who has inspired a legion of superfans. Their enthusiasm will no doubt follow her beyond the ballet into whatever creative endeavor she pursues next—and she’s hinted that there will be more dancing in her future. In an interview with the New York Times she said, “It’s not the end. I just need a change.”
Before her lamented departure from the PNB, we present a few video snippets of her virtuosity. Here’s Körbes at the 2012 Vail International Dance Festival:
And as Juliet:
And in Christopher Wheeldon’s ballet Carousel:
And as Giselle:
And in A Midsummer Night’s Dream:
Finally, here she is performing the Black Swan at the 2010 Vail International Dance Competition:
Congratulations on all your successes, Carla Körbes, and our good wishes for many more!