Ballet leaders plan to retire

Kent Stowell and Francia Russell, who took over the artistic reigns at Pacific Northwest Ballet in 1977 and led it to national prominence, plan to retire at the end of the 2004-05 season, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported Wednesday.

The husband-wife team, disciples of George Balanchine, built the company to one of the largest in the country, with a budget this season of $16.3 million and a corps of nearly 50 dancers, the newspaper said. Their 1983 production of “The Nutcracker,” with sets designed by Maurice Sendak, was made into a film.

The Pacific Northwest Ballet, like many other arts institutions, has struggled financially over the last year and is running a deficit of $1.23 million.

From a Times staff writer