Pamela Robinson's 40-Year Journey with Ballet West
When Ballet West Rehearsal Director Pamela Robinson first glimpsed the mountains surrounding Salt Lake City in 1985, she had a passing thought that would prove true: "I think I'm going to retire here." She was 23, auditioning for Ballet West after years of dancing professionally, and something about those peaks spoke to her future.
Forty years later, she's still here, though her journey has taken unexpected turns that would test her in unique ways.
From Dancer to Director
Robinson's path to Ballet West wasn't conventional. After starting with a professional ballet company in the northeast and feeling disillusioned with the environment, she almost quit dancing entirely. "I thought, if every ballet company in the world is like this, I'm not sure I want to do this," Robinson recalls.
A detour to Alabama to dance for Hungarian Ballerina Sonia Arova changed everything. Two years later, while dancing for Ballet Mississippi, Ballet West's Artistic Staff noticed her, and she danced there until 1997, retiring at 37 as a Principal Dancer. The transition to Ballet West Artistic Staff was a difficult transition at first as she was suddenly in charge of her former peers.
For years, she constantly sought feedback from dancer friends, learning that not everyone learns the same way she did—through imitation. Some needed verbal explanations, others visualization. It was a lesson that shaped her teaching philosophy: be open, supportive, and remember that everyone's different.
The Fight of Her Life
In May 2021, what seemed like a persistent cough and side pain led to devastating news: chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, a rare diagnosis affecting only one in 100,000 people. Without treatment, doctors gave her two and a half years to live.
"I was like, well, dance is my life's blood. What am I going to do if I can't go in and work every day?" she remembers thinking.
Two bone marrow transplants later—the second necessary when her body rejected the first—Robinson found herself in a recovery that stretched far longer than the six months she'd optimistically predicted. But even during treatment, when she wasn't wiped out, she found purpose in planning a new creative project that would become a new addition to Ballet West's Family Classics Series, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, set to premiere in March of 2026.
Continuing Her Dance Journey
Three years later and in remission, Robinson continues her work as rehearsal director. She's found joy in focusing on what energizes her most: watching dancers grow from their first day learning new steps to delivering powerful performances. "That's what keeps me going," she says. “It's the next best thing to having had that career myself."
Her approach is different from what she experienced growing up. “I refuse to be the person that makes dancers feel uncomfortable about who they are or their unique talents and gifts,” Robinson states. “Every body type is different and not everyone can approach things the same way. So, I’ve always wanted to be open and surround dancers with the kind of support they need.”
Robinson's story is one of resilience, adaptation, and finding purpose through adversity. After 40 years, she's still in those Utah mountains, still nurturing the next generation of dancers and continuing to push forward, despite challenges. As she puts it, "What's the point of negativity when you're suffering from a life-threatening disease? You have to face it with a positive attitude."