Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre is an American
professional ballet company
based in the Strip District of Pittsburgh
, Pennsylvania
, United States
.
n choreographer Nicolas Petrov joined the dance faculty at the Pittsburgh Playhouse. By 1968, Petrov began to mount several small ballets and his version of The Nutcracker
for 85 dance students. The Playhouse's dance school continued under the college's auspices and was moved to Lawrence Hall downtown.
April 1970 marked the debut of Pittsburgh Ballet at the Pittsburgh Playhouse. From 1970-1971, PBT presented its first subscription season at the Syria Mosque
. From 1971-1972, PBT became a constituent of the newly restored Heinz Hall. In 1973, donors purchased a downtown building for the company that would provide space for rehearsal studios and the PBT School, as well as costume and production shops. In 1974 Nicolas Petrov invited his friend, the renowned Frederic Franklin to join PBT as Co-Artistic Director. PBT continued to grow; by the 1977-1978 season ticket sales comprised 67% of PBT's $1.7 million budget. The company had continued use of the Point Park College studios for classes and overflow rehearsal space, but when an agreement was reached on the balance owed the college, PBT became completely independent from Point Park College.
Artistic Director Nicolas Petrov left to concentrate on his work at Point Park College. In March 1977, Petrov and Franklin were replaced as Co-Artistic Directors by former London Festival Ballet principal dancer John Gilpin who left shortly after taking over because of health problems. Following a six-month search, the Board of Trustees appointed French dancer and choreographer Patrick Frantz Artistic Director in 1978. Frantz emphasized contemporary works in the company's repertoire and spearheaded the development of the PBT School. 1980, PBT's 10th anniversary, saw two major developments that would profoundly affect the future of the Company: the dancers voted to join the performing arts union, the American Guild of Musical Artists
and Pittsburgh Steeler Lynn Swann
joined the PBT Board of Trustees. An ardent dance fan, Swann would prove to be an invaluable support for the growing PBT School.
Frantz indicated to the Board of Trustees his desire to concentrate solely on choreography and in June 1982, Patricia Wilde's appointment to the post was announced. Wilde began to focus on the clean, precise technique for which she herself was known, adding more Balanchine ballets to the repertoire. In the 1983-1984 season, plans were put in place for the company's move to a new location, its current site at 2900 Liberty Avenue. Plans for a new performing arts center in Pittsburgh were put into motion when the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
was formed and began raising funds to support a $42 million restoration of the Stanley Theatre, renamed the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts. In 1983 Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, together with the Pittsburgh Opera, Civic Light Opera and Pittsburgh Dance Council, agreed to become constituents of the Benedum Center, opened in 1987.
Wilde led PBT from 1982-1997, until the arrival of current Artistic Director Terrence S. Orr, a celebrated American Ballet Theatre
ballet master and former principal dancer. In December 2002, PBT mounted a new production of The Nutcracker with choreography by Orr and set and costume designs by renowned New York designer Zack Brown. Orr's Nutcracker is set in turn-of-the-century (1904) Pittsburgh, with scenery and names reflective of Pittsburgh neighborhoods and historical figures.
In 2000, Orr began a series of commissions for contemporary ballets inspired by American music, including such musicians as Indigo in Motion, Ray Brown, Stanley Turrentine
, Lena Horne
, Billy Strayhorn
, Sting, Bruce Springsteen
, Paul Simon
, Frank Sinatra
, and Cole Porter
, with choreography of Kevin O'Day, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Dwight Rhoden, Derek Deane, Matjash Mrozewski, and Twyla Tharp. In the spring of 2006, PBT had the first "Choreographers' Showcase" performance was presented at Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts
featuring ballets choreographed by three of PBT's Principal Dancers, Erin Halloran, Ying Li, and Jiabin Pan.
Principal dancer
As of April 2010:
Soloists
As of April 2010:
Corps de Ballet
As of April 2010:
The PBTS has an enrollment of approximately 300 students and offers more than 12 levels of studio instruction six days per week. The PBTS/Schenley High School
Program, enables exceptionally talented students to continue high school study while pursuing intensive, professional dance training. Students in the Schenley Program earn academic credit for additional dance classes in the morning. The curriculum includes, technique, pointe or men's, partnering, jazz, character, and pilates classes. The Graduate Program provides advanced level training to high school graduates who are preparing to audition for professional positions. While the Grad students have the same technique classes as students in the Schenley Program, they concentrate more on learning and rehearsing repertoire. Graduates of the PBTS are dancing in professional ballet companies nationwide.
The school has two main performances. Schenley Showcase is in May in the PBT studios, and only features dancers from the Schenley or Graduate Programs. The Spring Performance is held at the Byham Theater
downtown the first Saturday in June. Students may also be used in other company productions, especially The Nutcracker.
The dancers who attended PBTS and are now dancing at different ballets across the world are:
2009-2010
2008-2009
2007-2008
2006-2007
2005-2006
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional ballet company
Ballet company
A ballet company is a group of dancers who perform ballet, plus managerial and support staff. Most major ballet companies employ dancers on a year-round basis, except in the United States, where contracts for part of the year are the norm...
based in the Strip District of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
In 1965, YugoslaviaYugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
n choreographer Nicolas Petrov joined the dance faculty at the Pittsburgh Playhouse. By 1968, Petrov began to mount several small ballets and his version of The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
for 85 dance students. The Playhouse's dance school continued under the college's auspices and was moved to Lawrence Hall downtown.
April 1970 marked the debut of Pittsburgh Ballet at the Pittsburgh Playhouse. From 1970-1971, PBT presented its first subscription season at the Syria Mosque
Syria Mosque
The Syria Mosque was a performance venue, located in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Constructed in 1911 and dedicated in January 1912, it was designed by Huehl, Schmidt & Holmes architectural firm of Chicago....
. From 1971-1972, PBT became a constituent of the newly restored Heinz Hall. In 1973, donors purchased a downtown building for the company that would provide space for rehearsal studios and the PBT School, as well as costume and production shops. In 1974 Nicolas Petrov invited his friend, the renowned Frederic Franklin to join PBT as Co-Artistic Director. PBT continued to grow; by the 1977-1978 season ticket sales comprised 67% of PBT's $1.7 million budget. The company had continued use of the Point Park College studios for classes and overflow rehearsal space, but when an agreement was reached on the balance owed the college, PBT became completely independent from Point Park College.
Artistic Director Nicolas Petrov left to concentrate on his work at Point Park College. In March 1977, Petrov and Franklin were replaced as Co-Artistic Directors by former London Festival Ballet principal dancer John Gilpin who left shortly after taking over because of health problems. Following a six-month search, the Board of Trustees appointed French dancer and choreographer Patrick Frantz Artistic Director in 1978. Frantz emphasized contemporary works in the company's repertoire and spearheaded the development of the PBT School. 1980, PBT's 10th anniversary, saw two major developments that would profoundly affect the future of the Company: the dancers voted to join the performing arts union, the American Guild of Musical Artists
American Guild of Musical Artists
The American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO is the American labor union that represents 8,000 current and retired opera singers, ballet and other dancers, opera Directors, backstage production personnel at opera and dance companies, and figure skaters.-Jurisdiction:According to its website it...
and Pittsburgh Steeler Lynn Swann
Lynn Swann
-Collegiate:Swann attended the University of Southern California, where he was an All-American on the Trojans football team. He played under legendary coach John McKay, including the 1972 undefeated and national championship season. McKay said of Swann, "He has speed, soft hands, and grace." He...
joined the PBT Board of Trustees. An ardent dance fan, Swann would prove to be an invaluable support for the growing PBT School.
Frantz indicated to the Board of Trustees his desire to concentrate solely on choreography and in June 1982, Patricia Wilde's appointment to the post was announced. Wilde began to focus on the clean, precise technique for which she herself was known, adding more Balanchine ballets to the repertoire. In the 1983-1984 season, plans were put in place for the company's move to a new location, its current site at 2900 Liberty Avenue. Plans for a new performing arts center in Pittsburgh were put into motion when the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, a nonprofit arts organization, is a driving catalyst behind the ongoing development of the Downtown Pittsburgh Cultural District, Pittsburgh...
was formed and began raising funds to support a $42 million restoration of the Stanley Theatre, renamed the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts. In 1983 Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, together with the Pittsburgh Opera, Civic Light Opera and Pittsburgh Dance Council, agreed to become constituents of the Benedum Center, opened in 1987.
Wilde led PBT from 1982-1997, until the arrival of current Artistic Director Terrence S. Orr, a celebrated American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre , based in New York City, was one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century. It continues as a leading dance company in the world today...
ballet master and former principal dancer. In December 2002, PBT mounted a new production of The Nutcracker with choreography by Orr and set and costume designs by renowned New York designer Zack Brown. Orr's Nutcracker is set in turn-of-the-century (1904) Pittsburgh, with scenery and names reflective of Pittsburgh neighborhoods and historical figures.
In 2000, Orr began a series of commissions for contemporary ballets inspired by American music, including such musicians as Indigo in Motion, Ray Brown, Stanley Turrentine
Stanley Turrentine
Stanley William Turrentine, also known as "Mr. T" or "The Sugar Man", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.-Biography:Turrentine was born in Pittsburgh's Hill District into a musical family...
, Lena Horne
Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
, Billy Strayhorn
Billy Strayhorn
William Thomas "Billy" Strayhorn was an American composer, pianist and arranger, best known for his successful collaboration with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington lasting nearly three decades. His compositions include "Chelsea Bridge", "Take the "A" Train" and "Lush Life".-Early...
, Sting, Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
, Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, and Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
, with choreography of Kevin O'Day, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Dwight Rhoden, Derek Deane, Matjash Mrozewski, and Twyla Tharp. In the spring of 2006, PBT had the first "Choreographers' Showcase" performance was presented at Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts
Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts
Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts 6–12 is a magnet school located in the Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. CAPA is one of four 6th to 12th grade schools in the Pittsburgh Public Schools...
featuring ballets choreographed by three of PBT's Principal Dancers, Erin Halloran, Ying Li, and Jiabin Pan.
Principal dancerPrincipal dancerA principal dancer is a dancer at the highest rank within a professional dance company, particularly a ballet company....
s
As of April 2010:- Christopher Budzynski
- Kwang-Suk Choi
- Julia Erickson
- Erin Halloran
- Alexandra Kochis
SoloistsSoloist (ballet)In ballet, a soloist is a dancer in a ballet company above the corps de ballet but below principal dancer....
As of April 2010:- Nurlan Abougaliev
- Christine Schwaner
- Alexandre Silva
- Eva Trapp
Corps de BalletCorps de balletIn ballet, the corps de ballet is the group of dancers who are not soloists. They are a permanent part of the ballet company and often work as a backdrop for the principal dancers. A corps de ballet works as one, with synchronized movements and corresponding positioning on the stage...
As of April 2010:- Aygul Abougalieva
- Cynthia Castillo
- Nicholas Coppula
- Amanda Cochrane
- Alejandro Diaz
- Danielle Downey
- Stephen Hadala
- Elysa Hotchkiss
- Alison Kappes
- Damien Martinez
- Robert Moore
- Hiroyuki Nagasawa
- Caitlin Peabody
- Makoto Ono
- Christopher Ouellette
- Joseph Parr
- Kristen Rusnak
- Luca Sbrizzi
- Gabrielle Thurlow
- Ashley Wegmann
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School
PBT launched its first comprehensive Arts Education program in 1989 with a seed grant from the Henry C. Frick Educational Commission. In its first year the program reached 6000 children. Since that time, PBT has reached more than 65,000 children from over 200 school districts in a four-state region.The PBTS has an enrollment of approximately 300 students and offers more than 12 levels of studio instruction six days per week. The PBTS/Schenley High School
Schenley High School
Schenley High School is both a public school building and a school program that closed with the graduating class of 2011. Schenley High School is located in the North Oakland neighborhood at the edge of the Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. In 2008 the school's staff and...
Program, enables exceptionally talented students to continue high school study while pursuing intensive, professional dance training. Students in the Schenley Program earn academic credit for additional dance classes in the morning. The curriculum includes, technique, pointe or men's, partnering, jazz, character, and pilates classes. The Graduate Program provides advanced level training to high school graduates who are preparing to audition for professional positions. While the Grad students have the same technique classes as students in the Schenley Program, they concentrate more on learning and rehearsing repertoire. Graduates of the PBTS are dancing in professional ballet companies nationwide.
The school has two main performances. Schenley Showcase is in May in the PBT studios, and only features dancers from the Schenley or Graduate Programs. The Spring Performance is held at the Byham Theater
Byham Theater
The Byham Theater is a landmark building at 101 Sixth Street in the Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally built in 1903 as The Gayety Theater, the former vaudeville house was renovated and reopened as The Byham Theater in 1990.Built in 1903 and opened...
downtown the first Saturday in June. Students may also be used in other company productions, especially The Nutcracker.
The dancers who attended PBTS and are now dancing at different ballets across the world are:
2009-2010
- Amanda Whites, Dance Theatre of Tennessee
- Kristie Latham, Ballet Met (Trainee)
- Katie Miller, Sacramento Ballet (Apprentice)
- Molly Wright, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
- Becca Cross, Rochester City Ballet
- Ava Chatterson, Sacramento Ballet
- Kelly Ford, Sacramento Ballet (Apprentice)
- Jordan Richardson, Nevada Ballet Theater
- Shanna Gayer, University of Pittsburgh
- Meghan Wright, Sacramento Ballet
- Amber Runyan, North Carolina Dance Theater (Trainee)
- Christina Gratton, Boston University
- Caitlin Mayes, University of Texas
- Ted Henderson, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
- Erik Johnson, Rochester City Ballet
- Yoshiaki Nakano, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
- Anna Porter, Columbia City Ballet
2008-2009
- Elizabeth Ashbaugh, Louisville Ballet (Apprentice)
- Amanda Cochrane, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (Apprentice)
- Ashley Hamman, Ballet Quad Cities
- Caitlin McElroy, Atlantic City Ballet (Apprentice)
- Benjamin Rabe, Rochester City Ballet
- Amanda Radetzky, Victoria Ballet
- Kelsey Schneider, Rochester City Ballet (Apprentice)
- Casey Taylor, Pacific Northwest Ballet (Professional Division)
- Benjamin Tucker, Richmond Ballet (Apprentice)
- Kirsten Wipperfeld, Richmond Ballet (Trainee)
- Carissa Chandler*, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (retired/injured)
2007-2008
- Steven Bain, Ballet Idaho
- Sonja Davenport, Cincinnati Ballet (Trainee)
- Devon Darrow, Richmond Ballet (Trainee)
- Kelly Jarrell, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (Apprentice)
- Corynn Miller, Rochester City Ballet (Apprentice)
- Joseph Parr, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
- Patrick Yokum, Boston Ballet II
- Jessica Wheeler, Louisville Ballet (Trainee)
2006-2007
- Gauen Alexander, Alabama Ballet
- Alexis Antolic, Louisville Ballet
- Kaleb Baker, Ballet Quad Cities
- Kelsey Bartman, Nashville Ballet
- Allison Debona, Ballet West
- Patrick DesRosiers, Ballet Quad Cities
- Danielle Downey, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
- Sasha Edelman, Ballet Arizona
- Laurie Lou Garside, Richmond Ballet (Apprentice)
- Alana Gergerich, Omaha Theater Ballet
- Shannon Hokanson, Louisville Ballet (Trainee)
- Temple Kemezis, Connecticut Ballet
- Emily Long, Ballet Quad Cities
- Gabrielle Thurlow, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
- Brittany Waggy, Ballet Quad Cities
- Kelly Walsh, Alabama Ballet
- Ashley Wegman, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
- Aleksandr York, Omaha Theater Ballet
2005-2006
- Michelle Joy, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Metropolitan Opera
- Kimberly Tasota, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
- Nicholas Coppula, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
- Roberto Curti, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (Apprentice)
- Eva Trapp, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
- Brienne Wiltse, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
External links
- Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, official website