Eagle Performing Arts Center enters its 22nd season with a remarkable senior class as Idaho Regional Ballet reaches new heights. Ten seniors. Years of training together. And a level of talent that has Eagle Performing Arts Center School Director and Idaho Regional Ballet Artistic Director Liz Keller calling this one of IRB’s strongest seasons yet.
As Eagle Performing Arts Center (EPAC) enters its 22nd season, audiences are seeing the result of years of dedication in the studio. EPAC is the classical ballet school and training ground where dancers develop technique, artistry and discipline before bringing that foundation to Idaho Regional Ballet (IRB), EPAC’s nonprofit pre-professional ballet company.
“We have ten seniors this year, and it’s incredibly special to see them at this point in their training,” Keller says. The dancers have grown up together inside the studio, and now, in their final season, their experience, strength and connection are allowing IRB to take its performances to another level.
“The company has never looked so strong,” Keller says.
For Keller, watching this close-knit group prepare for its final season together is both exhilarating and emotional. “It’s a bittersweet thing having that many seniors graduate,” she says. “But it’s also incredibly exciting to see what they have become and to know their futures are so bright.”
Many spend more than 16 hours each week training, rehearsing and performing. This summer, nearly all of IRB’s Senior Company/EPAC’s Professional Division received scholarships at The Ballet Alliance Festival to prestigious programs around the country, including Houston Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Ballet West and Colorado Ballet. Together, the scholarships totaled more than $14,000.
Some dancers plan to pursue professional careers in dance, while others are headed toward fields such as architecture, biology and mathematics. Keller believes the discipline, time management and work ethic developed through ballet will stay with them wherever they go.
That depth of talent is also allowing Keller to do more creatively, particularly with The Nutcracker. “We’re able to do more because the dancers are stronger,” Keller says. Audiences can expect an elevated production this December, with choreography changes designed to showcase the dancers’ growth. Performances run December 11–13 at the Boise State University Special Events Center.
Before The Nutcracker, IRB will host A Winter’s Eve, its largest annual fundraiser, September 19 at EPAC. Proceeds will help support new costumes for Giselle and the Snow Scene in The Nutcracker. Adding a special Eagle connection, EPAC and IRB alumna Aubrie Rosenkoetter, who pursued a master’s in costume design in London, is creating the costumes. “It’s especially meaningful to have one of our own alumni bringing this level of expertise back to EPAC and IRB,” Keller says.
The season continues into 2027 with A Dance Collective, featuring excerpts from Giselle alongside newly commissioned neoclassical and contemporary works.
A free children’s performance is planned for March 13, introducing young audiences to approximately 40 minutes of Giselle.
IRB will also return to Reno for The Ballet Alliance Festival, followed by an EPAC student showcase in April and an intimate community performance in May. Outreach will continue through appearances at the Treasure Valley Institute for Children’s Arts (TRICA), Revel Senior Center and other community events.
For Keller, however, this season is ultimately about nine young dancers she has watched grow up—and what 22 years of dance education can become. EPAC provides the training ground. IRB provides the pre-professional experience and stage. Together, they create a pathway for young dancers to become confident, capable young artists ready for whatever comes next. The curtain is rising on what may be Idaho Regional Ballet’s strongest season yet.
EPAC’s 22nd Season: August 31
Classes began August 31 with ongoing registration for dancers of all ages. Visit epacdance.com.
IRB’s A Winter’s Eve Fall Gala: September 19, 3–5 pm @ EPAC
IRB’s largest annual fundraiser features performances, food, drinks, auctions and previews of works in progress.
IRB’s The Nutcracker — December 11–13 Boise State University Special Events Center
Tickets go on sale in early October. This year’s production features principal guest artists courtesy of Miami City Ballet alongside IRB company dancers and EPAC students.
