The Company Welcomes Four New Hires and Has Issued Three Promotions
PBT’s Artistic Director Adam W. McKinney has promoted three artists for Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s upcoming season, which runs from October 2023 to May 2024.
After the closing performance of The Sleeping Beauty on May 21, McKinney surprised the three company artists by announcing their promotions onstage. Those promoted were:
- Tommie Lin O’Hanlon of Pittsburgh, PA, to Principal artist
- Grace Rookstool of Whidbey Island, WA, to Soloist artist
- Madeline Gradle of Falls Church, VA, to the Corps de Ballet.
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre has added four promising artists for the 2023-2024 season. The new hires resulted from PBT company auditions in April that saw more than 800 applicants in New York, Pittsburgh, and online auditions.
PBT’s newest members include:
- Gustavo Ribeiro, Soloist artist from Miami City Ballet
- Matthew Griffin, Corps de Ballet, from Cincinnati Ballet
- Emry Amoky, Apprentice artist from Houston Ballet ll
- Nathan Smith, Apprentice artist from Miami City Ballet School
“I am honored and excited to promote Tommie, Grace and Madeline. They are inspiring artists who have worked tirelessly and deserve every bit of their successes,” said Adam W. McKinney, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s artistic director. “I am also thrilled to welcome Gustavo, Matthew, Emry and Nathan to PBT. They will make excellent additions to our artistic team, and I look forward to working closely with them.”
About PBT’s Newly Promoted Artists
Tommie Lin O’Hanlon has been promoted to Principal artist at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Pittsburgh native Tommie Lin joined PBT in 2018 from the PBT School Graduate Program and was promoted to Soloist artist in 2020. She trained with Miami City Ballet School and Ballet Academy of Pittsburgh and completed summer intensives at the School of American Ballet and PBT School.
Grace Rookstool has been promoted to Soloist artist at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Grace was born and raised on Whidbey Island, Washington, and began her classical ballet training at Pacific Northwest Ballet School in Seattle when she was eight. She completed the Professional Division Program and danced with Pacific Northwest Ballet in many productions. She joined PBT as a member of the Corps de Ballet in 2019.
Madeline Gradle has been promoted to PBT’s Corps de Ballet. A native of Falls Church, Virginia, she joined the company as an apprentice from the PBT School Graduate Program in 2021. Madeline received early dance training with the Arlington Center for Dance and The Washington School of Ballet. She attended summer programs with American Ballet Theatre: New York, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell.
About PBT’s New Hires
Gustavo Ribeiro has been hired as a Soloist artist at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Gustavo was born in Vitoria, Brazil, and received full scholarships to Palucca Hochschule for Tanz Dresden- Germany, Joffrey Academy of Dance, and Orlando Ballet School. Ribeiro was a soloist and former member of the Washington Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, and, most recently, Miami City Ballet. Ribeiro is now a principal guest artist, teacher, choreographer, and coach.
Matthew Griffin will join PBT’s Corps de Ballet for the 2023-24 season. Matthew began his ballet training in Sarasota, Florida, at the International Ballet of Florida under the direction of Sergiy Mykhaylov and Darya Fedotova. Matthew graduated from Butler University (Indianapolis, IN) in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Dance Arts Administration degree. Griffin began his professional career with Cincinnati Ballet as an Apprentice for the 2017-2018 Season. He was promoted to New Dancer in 2018 and the Corps de Ballet in 2019.
Emry Amoky is joining Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre as an Apprentice for the 2023-2024 season. Emry trained at the Houston Ballet Academy and was a member of Houston Ballet ll.
Nathan Smith is joining Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre as an Apprentice for the 2023-2024 season. He trained in the pre-professional program at Miami City Ballet School and the American Academy of Ballet.
PBT’s 2023-2024 Season:
- Light in the Dark: October 27-29, 2023, at the Byham Theater
- The Nutcracker: December 8-28, 2023, at the Benedum Center
- Beauty and the Beast: February 16-25, 2023, at the Benedum Center
- Spring Mix with the PBT Orchestra: April 5-7, 2023, at the Benedum Center
- Cinderella with the PBT Orchestra: May 17-19, 2023, at the Benedum Center
Visit https://www.pbt.org for more information and tickets
Categories: Feature Stories
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