by Joseph Carman | Feb 12, 2018 | News
One of the titans among choreographers of the 20th century, Jerome Robbins will be celebrated by a number of ballet companies worldwide in 2018 for the centennial of his birth. He died in 1998 at age 79 after a prolific career. His rare talent enabled him to direct...
by Chava Pearl Lansky | Feb 5, 2018 | Career, News
This spring, Milwaukee Ballet and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre are each putting on programs composed entirely of choreography by company dancers. February 8 marks the premiere of Milwaukee Ballet’s MXE Milwaukee Mixed, featuring pieces by Garrett Glassman, Timothy...
by Steve Sucato | Jan 31, 2018 | News, Profiles
Elton John, Neil Diamond and the band Rush—2018 just got underway and it already feels like the year of the beloved star retiring. Joining that list today is one of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s longest tenured principal dancers, Julia Erickson. The...
by Joseph Carman | Jan 7, 2018 | Career
Ballet excels at defying gravity. Lightness, ethereality, wispiness, symmetry, lineal order, chivalry and blissful endings to well-worn tales bestow on ballet a reputation as an art form that embraces divine beauty and design. But themes of grief, trauma, death, war,...
by Marissa DeSantis | Nov 16, 2017 | Everything Nutcracker
Catching a performance of The Nutcracker has long been a holiday tradition for many families. And now, more and more companies are adding sensory-friendly elements to specific shows in an effort to make the classic ballet inclusive to children and adults with special...
by Steve Sucato | May 31, 2016 | Career, Company Life, Director's Notes
This story originally appeared in the June/July 2016 issue of Pointe. “I was tricked into it,” says Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre artistic director Terrence S. Orr, recalling his introduction to ballet. As a young boy, he wanted to learn acrobatics, but when...
by Pointe Magazine | Mar 1, 2016 | Company Life
Choreographing for a professional company is a major honor for any dancer. For Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre principal Yoshiaki Nakano, it’s an even bigger deal: He’s the first company dancer to debut mainstage work during Terrence Orr’s 19 years as...
by Hannah Foster | Jan 31, 2016 | Company Life
PBT principal Julia Erickson in shower of pixie dust (2011). Photo by Rich Sofranko, courtesy of PBT. On February 18, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre will use the magic of pixie dust (and splendid dancing) to entertain those who otherwise might not know the joy of attending...