PENDLETON — The dancers of the Pendleton Ballet Theatre are quarantining at home these days. The isolation is almost unbearable for the close-knit troupe of dancers and their instructor, Julie Sneden-Carlson, who normally spend numerous hours together every month.

When two of the dancers had landmark birthdays last week, the troupe found a way to celebrate.

Samantha Mahaffy hit 30 on April 14 and Austin Ford turned 18 two days later. Mahaffy, a yoga teacher and a lead dancer at PBT, danced the role of the Snow Queen during the company’s winter performance of “The Nutcracker.” Ford, a senior at Pendleton High School, played the lead male role.

The dancers geared up to surprise Mahaffy first.

“It was her 30th birthday,” Sneden-Carlson said. “We couldn’t let that go by.”

Mahaffy’s phone dinged at 9 that morning. She read the text and smiled. The selfie from former PBT dancer Eliana Hansen, who now lives in New Jersey, showed Hansen with a sign saying, “Happy 30th Birthday, Sammie.” In place of the zero in 30 was a toe shoe. Texts from her fellow dancers and others kept coming until about 8 that night.

That evening, after a birthday dinner of OMG! burgers at her boyfriend Jeff Nirshl’s house, Nirshl casually suggested going for a walk to nearby Community Park. As they walked, they observed more people at the park than normal. Still closer, Mahaffy noticed words in chalk on the pathway.

Somebody had written “Happy 30th birthday Sammie.” She realized that fellow dancers, their family members and former colleagues were stationed all along the path, carefully distanced from one another. Mahaffy teared up and stayed that way. She received gifts, birthday wishes and air hugs. Her former boss at the Speakeasy Salon, Katie Jones, read her a poem. At the end, they coaxed her to the middle of the grass.

“We all made a great big circle around her and sang ‘Happy Birthday,’” Sneden-Carlson said.

Next came Ford’s birthday. Ford had been missing dancing. He mentioned to his mom that all he wanted for his birthday was to be back with his dancing family.

He got his wish, or at least as close as could get during a pandemic. On the evening of April 16, they gathered silently, parking their 15-or-so cars in a row by the Ford house. On tap that night would be a showing of PBT’s performance of “Wizard of Oz,” projected onto the side of the home. They deposited cards, gifts and Ford’s favorite junk food on a table. Some settled with blankets into lawn chairs.

Ford, hearing suspicious sounds in the side yard, came out to check. He was greeted with hooting and hollering.

“He was pretty shocked,” Mahaffy said. “The look on his face was priceless.”

The dance company also figured out a way to honor Sneden-Carlson the next day on her birthday. They organized a drop-off schedule, and all day long the PBT director got knocks on her door as people left cards, balloons and chocolate on her porch and delivered birthday wishes from a safe distance. Sneden-Carlson said she felt touched.

“It was an amazing week of togetherness,” she said. “There’s so much love in this group.”