Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre - Misplaced Pages

(Redirected from Pittsburgh Ballet) Ballet company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)

This article contains promotional content. Please help improve it by removing promotional language and inappropriate external links, and by adding encyclopedic text written from a neutral point of view. (November 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (November 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

The topic of this article may not meet Misplaced Pages's notability guidelines for companies and organizations. Please help to demonstrate the notability of the topic by citing reliable secondary sources that are independent of the topic and provide significant coverage of it beyond a mere trivial mention. If notability cannot be shown, the article is likely to be merged, redirected, or deleted.
Find sources: "Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

(Learn how and when to remove this message)

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre

General information
Name	Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
Year founded	November 19, 1969
Founders	Loti Falk, Nicolas Petrov, Frederic Franklin
Principal venue	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Website	pbt.org
Artistic staff
Artistic Director	Adam McKinney
Other
Associated schools	Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School

The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (PBT) is an American professional ballet company based in the Strip District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1969.

History

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre is founded in 1969, by a Yugoslavian choreographer and Founding Artistic Director Nicolas Petrov, and Founding Board Chair Loti Falk. They initially met at an outdoor ballet performance featuring Petrov's Pittsburgh Playhouse dancers. They founded the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre in 1969 in affiliation with Point Park College.

Following its 1969 stage debut at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre sold out its inaugural 1970-71 subscription season at the Syria Mosque, featuring Petrov's The Nutcracker and Swan Lake. In 1971 Loti and Leon Falk purchased the first studio space on the Boulevard of the Allies. By the end of the 1970s, the company was financially independent of Point Park College. When Petrov stepped down to focus on the Point Park program, John Gilpin, of London’s Festival Ballet, briefly led the company until Patrick Frantz, a former Paris Opera Ballet dancer, took over in 1978. In 1979, he established the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School.

During the 1981-82 Season, the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre made its New York City debut and toured to 28 states, Canada and the Virgin Islands. In 1982, Loti Falk was appointed executive director and Patricia Wilde was appointed artistic director – a position she would hold for 15 years. In addition to works by George Balanchine, the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre performed Don Quixote and premiered the first ballet rendition of The Great Gatsby. In the 1980s, the company launched their first Intensive Summer Program and established the Schenley Program for high school students. In 1984, Loti and Leon Falk gifted the company the Liberty Avenue studios which it currently occupies. In 1987: Loti Falk retired as executive director. Stephen Richard, founding Managing Director of the Los Angeles Theatre Center, became Managing Director and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre began performing at the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts.

During the 1990s, Patricia Wilde commissioned a total of 32 works. In 1991, Development Director Steven Libman was promoted to Managing Director and PBT completed a $1.5 million stabilization campaign. In 1993, the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre launched a $18 million Campaign for Permanence to expand their endowment and improve facilities. The studios were renovated with the help of a $1.3M grant from the PA State Legislature. The company also premiered a new story ballet, The Mighty Casey, choreographed by Lisa DeRibere. In 1997, Terrence Orr was hired as Artistic Director. A former ABT principal dancer, Orr had visited the Company in the 80's to set Rodeo and other works from the ABT repertory.

In 2000, Orr, in conjunction with Libman, began a series of commissions for contemporary ballets inspired by American music, including artists such as: Ray Brown, Stanley Turrentine, Lena Horne, Billy Strayhorn, Sting, Bruce Springsteen and Paul Simon. In 2002, Orr premiered his Pittsburgh-inspired production of The Nutcracker. In 2003, the company's endowment reached $9.4 million and in June 2004 Steven Libman stepped down as Managing Director. In 2006, Harris N. Ferris was named executive director and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre began a fundraising campaign to restore the ballet orchestra.

In June 2020 Orr retired as Artistic Director. Susan Jaffee, former ABT Ballet Master, assumed the role of Artistic Director in 2020 and resigned in December 2022 to become the Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre. Harris Ferris resigned as Executive Director in June 2022 after a 15 year tenure. In March 2023 Adam W. McKinney was appointed Artistic Director.

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School

The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre launched its first 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.

PBT School enrolls more than 1,000 students annually across its Children's, Student, Pre-professional and Community divisions. The Pre-professional Division, includes both part-time and full-time high school programs. The Graduate Program provides advanced training to high school graduates who are preparing to audition for professional positions.

The school presents two student productions each spring: Pre-Professional Showcases at Point Park University's George Rowland White Performance Studio and Spring Performance, which features 200+ dancers of the Student and Pre-professional divisions onstage at the Byham Theater in downtown Pittsburgh. Students can also audition for and perform in PBT's main-stage productions.

References

Eberson, Sharon (2015-10-22). "Loti Falk Gaffney / Co-founder, nurturer of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Pittsburgh. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
Kanny, Mark (2015-10-15). "Ballet founder made mark with fortitude, kindness". Trib Total Media. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
Vranish, Jane (2003-10-19). "Dance Preview: Loti Falk Gaffney put PBT on dance map". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Pittsburgh. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
Petrov, Nicolas (2003-11-07). "The facts on the PBT". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Pittsburgh. Archived from the original on 2019-08-14. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
"Ballet's managing director resigns". PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE. 2004-05-12.

v t e City of Pittsburgh
Government	Airport Convention Center City Council City Hall Courthouse District Attorney Education Events Fire InterGov Libraries Mayor Parks Police Port Regional Sheriff Transit Water
Economy	Allegheny Conference Duquesne Club Chamber of Commerce Corporations Economic Club HYP Club Stock Exchange
Other topics	Colleges and universities Culture cookie table theatre Green Man Pittsburgh Parking Chair Picklesburgh Dialect Yinzer Flag Fictional settings Filming films television History name timeline Jewish history 2018 synagogue shooting Pittsburgh toilet Hospitals Media Museums Neighborhoods Nicknames Notable Pittsburghers Region combined statistical area Skyscrapers Sports
Category

v t e Dance companies in the United States
Ballet	Alabama Ballet Alameda Civic Ballet Alexandra Ballet Alonzo King LINES Ballet American Ballet Theatre American Repertory Ballet Anaheim Ballet Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Atlanta Ballet Atlanta Festival Ballet Ballet Arizona Ballet Austin Ballet Des Moines Ballet Fantastique Ballet Magnificat! Ballet Memphis BalletMet Ballet Minnesota Ballet Nouveau Colorado Ballet Quad Cities Ballet San Jose Ballet Theatre of Maryland Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo Ballet West Ballez Bay Area Houston Ballet and Theatre Bay Pointe Ballet Boston Ballet California Riverside Ballet Carolina Ballet Cedar Lake Charlotte Ballet Chicago Ballet Chicago Festival Ballet Cincinnati Ballet Cleveland Ballet Colorado Ballet Complexions Concert Ballet of Virginia Dance Theatre of Harlem Dayton Ballet Eugene Ballet Folsom Lake Civic Ballet Greensboro Ballet Gwinnett Ballet Theatre Houston Ballet James Sewell Ballet Joffrey Ballet Kansas City Ballet Los Angeles Ballet Louisville Ballet Miami City Ballet Morphoses Mystic Ballet National Ballet Theater of Puerto Rico New Jersey Ballet New York City Ballet Oklahoma City Ballet Oregon Ballet Theatre Pacific Northwest Ballet Pennsylvania Ballet Pittsburgh Ballet Richmond Ballet San Francisco Ballet Sarasota Ballet Suzanne Farrell Ballet Texas Ballet Theater Tulsa Ballet The Washington Ballet
Contemporary	Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater AXIS Dance Company Ballet Deviare Ballet Hispanico Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company Dayton Contemporary Dance Company Dominic Walsh Hubbard Street Lar Lubovitch Martha Graham Momix Paul Taylor The Philadelphia Dance Company Pilobolus Ririe-Woodbury sjDANCEco Urban Bush Women Whim W'Him L.A. Dance Project
Other	Chicago Dance Crash Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater Ice Theatre of New York The LXD The Rockettes

v t e Ballet companies
Africa	Cairo Opera Ballet Company Cape Town City Ballet
Asia	Ballet Manila Ballet Philippines Guangzhou Ballet Gwangju City Ballet Hong Kong Ballet Iranian National Ballet Company Israel Ballet K-ballet Korea National Ballet National Ballet of China New National Theatre Tokyo Philippine Ballet Theatre Seoul Ballet Theatre Shanghai Ballet Company Singapore Dance Theatre State Ballet of Georgia Tokyo Ballet Universal Ballet
Europe	Ballet Cymru Ballet Ireland Ballet Romand Ballet Zürich Les Ballets Persans Ballets Russes Barcelona Ballet Bayerisches Staatsballett Béjart Ballet Berlin State Ballet Birmingham Royal Ballet Bolshoi Ballet Charleroi Danses Cork City Ballet Royal Danish Ballet Donetsk Ballet Dutch National Ballet Eifman Ballet English National Ballet Finnish National Ballet Royal Ballet of Flanders Sukhishvili Georgian National Ballet Grand Kyiv Ballet Greek National Opera Hamburg Ballet Hungarian National Ballet Kyiv Ballet Kyiv City Ballet Kyiv Modern-Ballet La Scala Theatre Ballet Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet Mariinsky Ballet Mikhailovsky Theatre Ballet National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Moldova The Monte-Carlo Ballet National Opera and Ballet of Bulgaria Northern Ballet Norwegian National Opera and Ballet Novosibirsk Theatre Ballet Odesa Opera and Ballet Theatre Original Ballet Russe Paris Opera Ballet Perm Theatre Ballet Polish National Ballet National Ballet of Portugal The Royal Ballet Rambert Dance Company Russian State Ballet of Siberia Saint Petersburg Ballet Theatre Scottish Ballet Spanish National Dance Company Stanislavski Ballet Stuttgart Ballet Royal Swedish Ballet Théâtre du Silence Turkish State Opera and Ballet United Ukrainian Ballet Company Vienna State Ballet
North America	Alabama Ballet Alberta Ballet Company Alexandra Ballet Alonzo King LINES Ballet American Ballet Theatre American Midwest Ballet American Repertory Ballet Anaheim Ballet Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Atlanta Ballet Atlanta Festival Ballet Ballet Arizona Ballet Austin Ballet BC Ballet Des Moines Ballet Fantastique Ballet Hispanico Ballet Magnificat! Ballet Memphis BalletMet Ballet Minnesota Ballet Quad Cities Ballet San Jose Ballet Theatre of Maryland Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo Ballet West Ballez Bay Pointe Ballet Boston Ballet Les Grands Ballets Canadiens California Riverside Ballet Carolina Ballet Charlotte Ballet Chicago Ballet Chicago Festival Ballet Cincinnati Ballet Cleveland Ballet (1935 · 1972 · 2014) Colorado Ballet Complexions Contemporary Ballet Cuban National Ballet Dance Theatre of Harlem Dayton Ballet Greensboro Ballet Houston Ballet Joffrey Ballet Kansas City Ballet Los Angeles Ballet Louisville Ballet Moscow Ballet (United States) National Ballet of Canada National Ballet Theater of Puerto Rico New Jersey Ballet New York City Ballet Oklahoma City Ballet Oregon Ballet Theatre Orlando Ballet Pacific Northwest Ballet Pennsylvania Ballet Pittsburgh Ballet Royal Winnipeg Ballet San Francisco Ballet The Washington Ballet Tulsa Ballet Wonderbound
Oceania	The Australian Ballet Ballet Theatre of Queensland Queensland Ballet Melbourne City Ballet Royal New Zealand Ballet West Australian Ballet
South America	Ballet Municipal de Lima Chilean National Ballet Colon Theater Ballet National Ballet of Uruguay

Categories: