![]() Shortly after his move west, he invited the 19-year-old alum of the prestigious School of American Ballet in New York to join the Professional Division Program at Pacific Northwest Ballet School (PNBS), an intensive designed to help students hone their technique and transition from student to professional.Ī versatile dancer who brought distinctive vulnerability to her performances, Merchant assumed a significant role in William Forsyth’s anarchic One Flat Thing, reproduced in her apprentice year. After a decorated career as a New York City Ballet dancer, Boal took the reins at PNB in 2005 and quickly became known for introducing eclectic, bold works to the company’s programming. The artistic director had taken a chance on Merchant before. Maybe, if she danced well enough that season, Boal would reconsider. When negotiations ended without the assurance of contract renewals for all members, Merchant’s hope faltered. “But departure is more complicated for some than for others.” “My experience is that PNB cares deeply about their artists,” says AGMA representative Nora Heiber. But AGMA stood behind PNB’s efforts to offer 28 weeks of employment during the first year of the pandemic when most other companies had shuttered, developing safety protocols that allowed dancers to return for a virtual season. That, if her 14-year tenure with the company wasn’t going to end on her terms, surely it would at least conclude on stage performing with dancers she considered family.Īs a union representative, Merchant knew the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) had requested its member companies bring back dancers for the 2021–22 season, presuming 2020–21 performances would be canceled. When the company pivoted to a digital season, Merchant assumed-perhaps naively, she admits-that the clock had paused. Then came some even bigger news: In March 2020, days before Washington’s stay-home order went into effect, Merchant discovered she was pregnant. He ultimately offered her a contract, with one glaring caveat: The 2020–21 season would be her last with the company. Solidarity in a corner of the internet usually reserved for fouettés and pointe shoe prep. ![]() The post garnered messages of outrage and ![]() In October 2019, during her annual review, Boal broached the idea of her retirement. When she returned to the studio that fall to rehearse George Balanchine’s Agon, Merchant knew her dancing wasn’t as strong as she, or Peter Boal, would like. ![]() She withdrew from one of her two roles in the following rep so she could continue making arrangements. After the death of her sister that spring, she found herself relocating her preteen niece and nephew to Seattle. In the year before the collective upheaval of Covid-19, Merchant’s life had been upended. ![]()
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