Marie Chong spent over ten years dancing and performing professionally with Pacific Northwest Ballet, Spectrum Dance Theater, Atlanta Ballet II, and Eugene Ballet. She toured throughout the US, Canada, and Europe, performing works by George Balanchine, Lynn Taylor Corbett, Frank Chaves, Toni Pimble, Kent Stowell, Christopher d'Amboise, Ann Reinking, Margo Sappington, Lar Lubavitch, and many others.

Since retiring from performing in 1995, Ms. Chong has been an active member of the dance community. She has served on the faculty of the University of Washington, Cornish College of the Arts, Pacific Northwest Ballet School, Eugene Ballet School, Blue Heron/Vashon Allied Arts, Spectrum Dance/Madrona Dance Studio, and many other schools in the area. She is also a sought after Master teacher and is known for her engaging, technical classes.

 

Ms. Chong is a movement-performance enhancement specialist and coach. She works with elite athletes, musicians, actors, and dancers to design individually tailored movement and postural improvements.  She has certification in Pilates, Gyrotonic®, Gyrokinesis®, and is saftey certified through USA Gymnastics.

 

In 1999 Ms. Chong founded ARC Dance Company, a professional non-profit 501(c)(3) dance company that has a regular performance season at the Bagley Wright/Leo K Theatre in Seattle. ARC Dance performs works by nationally recognized and emerging choreographers in theater houses that seat 300-2500 audience members.

 

Ms. Chong collaborated with the Seattle Symphony from 2002-2007 on various outreach and educational projects by creating choreography to symphonic music that was presented at Benaroya Hall.  More recent collaborations include projects with Seattle Early Dance, Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Society, and The Woodland Park Zoo.

In 2004 Arc School of Ballet (ASB) opened its doors. The school is a training ground for dancers of all levels and ages, including those aspiring to a professional career. ASB offers four coordinated programs to meet students' varying interests and comittment levels. The syllabus and curriculum created by Ms. Chong focus on elements of both classical and contemporary ballet technique and are complimented by other dance forms and fitness exercise such as Modern, Jazz, African, Pilates, Gyrotonic®, and Gyrokinesis® movement methodology.

Ms. Chong is a member of National Dance Education Organization and Dance Educators Association of Washington, where she is a strong advocate of dance education as a means for shaping and empowering individuals to consider life's opportunities mindfully.

Kristine Girardi trained at San Francisco Ballet, Contra Costa Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet. Later, she moved to Italy and danced with Associazione di Balletto Classico, under the direction of Marinel Stefanescu and Liliana Cosi. Ms. Krissy has been teaching dance in the Seattle area since 1997 and has been an ARC Dance company member since 2002. She has been on the faculty of ASB since 2009 she join

 

Susan Goldman began her dance training in Hawaii with Hawaii Ballet Theatre. She continued her dance education at the University of Texas, Ballet Austin, and Tacoma City Ballet. She has taught Montessori pre–school in Hawaii, pre–school in Tacoma, and is a childbirth educator in Seattle. Ms. Susan has been on the faculty of ASB since 2007.

 

Cody Justice, Ballet

Joseph Schanbeck has been dancing since the age of twelve. He was a member of the Allegro Precision Dance Company and has performed with renowned tap artist Savion Glover and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. He joined ARC Dance company in 2008 and has been on the faculty of ASB since the summer of 2009.

Susan Walby began dancing in Tacoma, WA and has performed with BalleTacoma, The Dance Studio, Washington State University, and Eugene Ballet. She is a certified Licensed Massage Practitioner, and Ballroom Dance instructor. She has been on the ASB faculty since 2007.