Patricia Hoffman Oral History, 2023

Patricia Hoffman began ballet studies as a child and was accepted to the Royal Ballet School at age 10 and began studying full-time with Ballet Rambert at age 16. She received an MFA in Classical Ballet from U.S. International University. After moving to Colorado Springs, Hoffman founded Colorado Ballet Society in 1997. The studio has been voted ‘Best of the Springs’ for ten years and received four Pikes Peak Arts Council Awards for its productions, and an Arts/Business/Education Consortium Arts Award for its Dancer for a Day program. Hoffman also founded the studio’s resident youth companies: Colorado Youth Ballet, Connexus Dance Collective, Elevate Productions, and Praise Dance Ensemble. Colorado Ballet Society has produced more than 134 productions, including numerous full-length ballets, and engaged in artistic collaborations, performing with virtually every musical organization in the Pikes Peak region. Hoffman is an ABT® Certified Teacher for Pre-Primary through Level 5. Her former students have been accepted into over 60 prestigious dance schools and trainee programs, and have performed with more than 30 professional companies. Hoffman created A Colorado Nutcracker which highlights historical characters of the community with backdrops depicting local scenery reflecting the history of Colorado Springs in 1907. Currently, Hoffman is serving as Director Emeritus for the Colorado Ballet Society.