A Peak Behind the Curtain

A Peak Behind the Curtain

It’s 6:30 a.m. on a Monday; the aroma of brewing coffee fills the air, feet pad to the dining table while lunches are prepped in the kitchen. One child is driven to school, another is off to the park with her beloved nanny. Two eager (albeit, tired!) grown-ups quickly tidy the breakfast chaos before heading to their office. (Which happens to be a short 13 step walk down to the basement of their 1927 Seattle Craftsman). Computers blink awake, email in-box notifications chime— this is ORZA headquarters. The two grownups? That’s me (Sarah) and my husband Seth, Orza Pro One inventor and company founder.

Seth and I first met at a summer program at the School of American Ballet, a million years ago. We both ended up staying on for the year-round program at the same time and at the age of 16, began dating. Two years later we were both awarded apprenticeships with the New York City Ballet, where we danced for the better part of a decade. We yearned for a different experience as dancers and found ourselves settling into the Pacific Northwest Ballet, working for our former NYCB colleague Peter Boal. We both rose through the ranks to become principal dancers, enjoying 13+ years with the company.

Throughout his career Seth staved off injuries through the use of drugstore bought padding placed haphazardly inside his ballet slippers, and he spent more than a decade building what he had been unable to find; a structured, supportive, shock absorbing ballet shoe that truly meets the needs of today’s dancers.

Fast forward to today. In April of 2023 we launched Orza, and our flagship ballet shoe Orza Pro One (OP1) hit the market for pre-sale.

Our team at Orza is small. Actually, I think TINY is a more accurate description. Seth continues to manage all things BALLET SHOE and product related. As you might now, we have more things OP1 in the works— more width options, new models… it’s all happening. Seth is also our accountant, IT tech, website manager and master OP1 fitter— he travels frequently for pop-ups and events. Sarah (hi, it’s me!) manages our social media and the Orza Artist program, is your customer relations gal (I answer ALL the emails, thank you for being kind) and manages our growing list of retailers. Our partner, Leon, lives in SLC Utah and keeps us ON TRACK. His daughter, Lexie, managers fulfillment (i.e. she ships ALL your packages to you). Oh, and where do all those gorgeous OP1s live? They line the walls of Leon’s basement and garage. Guys, we are the epitome of small business. Grass roots. And we are a BUSY bunch.

As anyone who owns a small business knows, it is HARD work. The years we spent as professional dancers instilled in us a strong work ethic, adaptability, flexibility and a you-can-do-hard-things mindset.

All this is to say, we appreciate YOU. Your support of Orza is what allows us to get up every morning, chug our coffees and get to it. The heart of our “IT” is providing dancers with the BEST POSSIBLE equipment for their feet. Dance healthy, dance happy is our motto. We are loyal to tradition, built for disruption.

And we LOVE dancing with you.

Team Orza