Crush of the Month: Laura Gilbreath

Photo by Angela Sterling for Class Act Tutu

Laura Gilbreath, apart from being an amazing and accomplished dancer, is a lot of things. She is an avid country music fan, a savvy traveler through Europe, a Seattle University student, and all in all a very, very cool person. Officially, she’s a member of the corps de ballet at Pacific Northwest Ballet, and is performing in the upcoming 3 by Dove, opening this Thursday, March 18th, at McCaw Hall.

Laura, as the Peacock, watches the performance behind the curtain at a partial dress rehearsal of the Pacific Northwest Ballet's Nutcracker.
Photo by Erika Schultz

Laura’s day-to-day schedule does revolve around dance. Rehearsal starts at 10:15 in the morning, and usually goes until 7, sometimes later. Then, of course, there are performances. But what’s also obvious when you talk to Laura is how much she loves her job. “If you have a love for it, you’ll find a way,” she says.


Laura explains why 3 by Dove won't put you to sleep, even if you think ballet is boring.

But between rehearsals and everything else, Laura does have a life of her own. She confessed to being a big country music fan (“That’s probably my Louisiana roots”) and to belting out country music in the car on her way to work. Does she have a future moonlighting as a country music singer? “I don’t think so, no.”

Laura rehearses with choreographer Stanko Milov. Photo by Matthew Felton.

Laura is extremely excited for 3 by Dove, opening this Thursday. “There are definitely no tutus,” she said. Instead, 3 by Dove is definitely a modern ballet—complete with electric violin accompaniment in some parts, and it will definitely offer the chance to see PNB’s dancers in a way you may not be used to them. Red Angels will feature dancers in vibrant scarlet leotards—“It’s really an incredible piece,” she says. She says that it has been a challenging and difficult show to rehearse, but immensely rewarding.


Tucker gives Laura a pop culture quiz

With perfect posture, a sense of humor, and a charming personality, Laura Gilbreath is most definitely Crush-of-the-Month-worthy, and we can all look forward to her work continuing in the future. In the meantime, you really can’t afford to miss her and the rest of PNB in 3 by Dove -- seriously. It’s going to be awesome.

- Tucker C.
March 12th, 2010

See Laura dance in 3 by Dove, opening this Thursday, March 18th and running through March 28th at Pacific Northwest Ballet. More info at pnb.org

Photo by Angela Sterling for Class Act Tutu