Kiyon Gaines is from Baltimore, Maryland. He trained at Baltimore School of the Arts, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, the School of American Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. He joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in 2001 and was promoted to soloist in 2012. As a choreographer, Mr. Gaines created blitz…Fantasy, ə {SCHWA}, Infinite Intricacies, and Interrupted Pri’si’zh’en for PNB’s annual Choreographers’ Showcase performances. ə{SCHWA} was taken into PNB’s repertory during the 2007 Celebrate Seattle Festival. He also choreographed M-Pulse, set to a commissioned score by Cristina Spinei, for the Company repertory in 2008, and Sum Stravinsky in 2012. Mr. Gaines has also participated in the New York Choreographic Institute. He holds a B.A. in Arts Administration from Seattle University. He retired from Pacific Northwest Ballet as a soloist at the end of the 2015-16 season. He is currently the Next Step Program Manager, and a faculty member at Pacific Northwest Ballet. He’s the also resident choreographer for Ballet Arkansas.
Experience Joy
By Patricia Vaccarino
Kiyon Gaines