Adrienne ChanStaying away from technical occupations may be more aptly considered Pirouette.
The former Microsoft product manager is co-founder of a new ballet school in Redmond, Wash., reconnecting with the dance she practiced growing up and seizing her desire to run her own business.
“I knew I had to do it because I couldn’t stop thinking about it,” Chan told GeekWire. “I loved my job at Microsoft, and I wanted to do both … but 24/7 my mind was only thinking about ballet school.”
Bellevue Classical Ballet Opened in September in Redmond Town Center with the goal of serving students of all ages and skill levels. Chan serves as executive director and co-founder, Eric Hipolito JrAn instructor, artistic director of the Pacific Northwest Ballet School.
Ex-Microsoft product manager opens ballet school
Chan first interned at Microsoft in 2017 before spending nearly four years working on the tech giant’s Azure products. He left in 2022 to get his master of science degree in entrepreneurship from the University of Washington before returning to Microsoft for another 11 months.
While at UW, Chan used her engineering background and worked on a dance education app as part of her degree program.
“Something still felt a little bad for me,” she admitted. “I felt like I wanted to get away from technology a little bit.”
He met Hippolito and jumped back into the dance. And along the way, he was still a worthy partner in technology.
Interested by entrepreneurs
Chan grew up in Toronto and transitioned from gymnastics to ballet as a child, falling in love with the art at age 9 thanks to her teachers. He eventually adopted other styles of dance in productions within the Chinese community in Toronto.
He studied systems design engineering at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, and as an undergrad, his first internship was at a startup incubator.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Chan said. “The drive that people have, the motivation — they just want to get the job done. They’re so passionate. And that really sparked my interest in entrepreneurship.”
Her feelings aligned with memories of a “career class” she took in high school where she had to list 10 things she might want to be when she grows up. Engineering was on the list. And so was the CEO of a dance company.
Although she wanted to get her master’s straight after undergrad, she was already committed to Microsoft and moved to Seattle to start her career.
Adaptability, repeatability and more
Chan’s parents and others were somewhat surprised when she left a high-paying tech job to go back to school, and even more so when she left that job again to open a ballet school.
Although he touched products used by millions of people, Chan wasn’t connecting with those people on a daily basis. He did not use those products himself and they did not align with his desires.
I really enjoyed my job at Microsoft, but I knew it wasn’t what I wanted long-term,” he said. “I wanted something more meaningful, something that felt like I could have an impact on people.”
Chan is a big believer in the idea that everything has led him to where he is today. And he feels his tech background has influenced the way he thinks about running a small business — something he writes about. Post on LinkedIn.
“If I had pursued dance in college, I don’t think I would be as successful as I am now,” she said. I think that background in technology really helped me do that.
Managing a product is a lot like managing a business, Chan said, calling out the ambiguity of the two. At ballet school, she found herself leaning into the adaptability and decision-making that helped her at Microsoft, and iterating as she went — a mindset she says is all too common in tech.
But he’s not using AI.
When he had to crunch 100 different scheduling options for the school, Hipolito asked why he didn’t just throw all the variables into an AI model and ask for the best result.
“I said, ‘No, I want to use my brain,'” Chan said. “I trust my brain.”
Chan also laughs at the irony of her life now — teaching the children of Microsoft employees while some of those parents are working on laptops, reviewing code or doing other things.
When people call her a risk-taker or admire her courage for making changes, Chan doesn’t see it that way.
“It’s stressful. But I’m pushing for what I really want to do, what’s really important to me,” she said. “I don’t think it’s changeable. I don’t think there’s any other option.