Upcoming: Ballet Under The Stars at Hartwood Acres on Sunday, July 25th
One of our favorite end-of-summer traditions is back! Gather friends and family, pack your picnic blankets and head over to beautiful Hartwood Acres for some late afternoon family fun, followed by an evening of outdoor ballet – free to the public!
PBT Company Updates
The Company Announces Six New Artists and One Promotion
The changes will take place for the upcoming 55th Emerald Anniversary season, which runs from August 2024 to June 2025. In the celebratory tradition that artistic director Adam W. McKinney began last year, he announced an artist promotion onstage following the final performance of the season, Cinderella, on Sunday, May 19, at the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts. Ariana Chernyshev was promoted from Apprentice to Corps de Ballet for the 2024-25 season.
Chernyshev trained at PBT School for 11 years before joining the company for 2022-2023. In 2019, at The Washington School of Ballet, she danced lead roles in classical and contemporary works. With PBT, she has had the honor of performing in George Balanchine’s Rubies, The Sleeping Beauty, Terrence S. Orr’s The Nutcracker, and Jayne Smeulders’ Cinderella, among others. Her bio is here.
Company Retirements
At the end of the season, PBT will see the retirements of three artists: Principal Artist Yoshiaki Nakano, Soloist William Moore, and Corps de Ballet member Danielle Downey. Nakano has danced with PBT for 14 years, Moore for 11 years, and Downey for 17 years.
“It has been my pleasure and honor to work with these talented dancers while at PBT,” said Adam W. McKinney. “I know that they will find continued success in their lives. Everyone at PBT wishes them all the best in their future endeavors.”
New Hires
Six talented new artists join the company for the 2024-25 season. The new hires resulted from PBT company auditions in March, which saw more than 900 applicants in Pittsburgh and online. PBT’s newest members are:
- Magnoly Batista, Corps de Ballet, from Houston Ballet
- Anya Chiu, Apprentice from The Washington Ballet
- Rylan Doty, Corps de Ballet, from Houston Ballet
- Andre Gallon, Corps de Ballet, from Ballet Memphis
- Amelia McGravey, Apprentice, from Houston Ballet
- Madison Russo, Corps de Ballet, from Houston Ballet
Magnoly Batista will join Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s Corps de Ballet beginning in the 2024-25 season. She joined Houston Ballet as an apprentice at the Houston Ballet Academy in 2020 and was promoted to a member of the Corps de Ballet in 2021. Born in the Dominican Republic, Magnoly began ballet training at four years old. She participated in the Youth American Grand Prix in 2014, 2015, and 2016, where she earned a scholarship to join Houston Ballet Academy’s Professional Program. Magnoly danced with Houston Ballet II from 2018-2020. Her favorite roles include Kitri in Ben Stevenson’s Don Quixote, the principal role in Claudio Muñoz’s Raymonda, and Stanton Welch’s Blue.
Anya Chiu will be an Apprentice at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre beginning in the 2024-25 season. She was born and raised in Washington, D.C., and trained at The Washington School of Ballet. She was accepted into the Trainee Program under the direction of Xiomara Reyes in 2022 and performed alongside the company in various ballets, including Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and Balanchine’s Theme and Variations. Anya’s favorite roles include Kitri in Don Quixote, Aurora’s Friend in The Sleeping Beauty, and the female lead in Balanchine’s Tarantella.
Rylan Doty will join the Corps de Ballet for Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s upcoming 2024-25 season. He was formerly an Apprentice at Houston Ballet and trained with Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Houston Ballet Academy, and Houston Ballet II.
Andre Gallon will join Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre as a member of the Corps de Ballet for the 2024-25 season. Andre was a company member of Ballet Memphis, which he joined in 2021, and was also a member of Orlando Ballet Company. Gallon grew up in Fernandina Beach, Florida, and trained at Florida Ballet in Jacksonville and the Pre-Professional program at Orlando Ballet School. Some of Andre’s favorite ballets in which he has performed include Jorden Morris’s Moulin Rouge and Victoria Morgan’s Cinderella.
Amelia McGravey will join Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre as an Apprentice for the 2024-25 season. She was born in New Jersey and trained in Philadelphia at the Rock School for Dance Education from 2015 to 2021. She then joined Houston Ballet Academy for the 2021-2022 school year before being promoted to Houston Ballet’s Second Company, where she danced from 2022-2024. Amelia’s favorite role is Carabosse from The Sleeping Beauty, and her favorite ballet she has performed is Stanton Welch AM’s Play.
Madison Russo will join Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre as a member of the Corps de Ballet for the 2024-25 season. Madison joined Houston Ballet as an Apprentice after being promoted from Houston Ballet II in 2018. She left her home in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 2015 at 15 to train on a full scholarship with Houston Ballet Academy. Madison became a member of Houston Ballet II two years later, where she performed with Houston Ballet in productions such as Don Quixote, Mayerling, and Swan Lake. She was promoted to Houston Ballet’s Corps de Ballet in 2019.
“Words cannot express my excitement about welcoming these new artists to PBT,” said Adam W. McKinney, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s artistic director. “Each one of them makes a fabulous addition to our company and the PBT team, and I look forward to working with them beginning in August.”
“Words cannot express my excitement about welcoming these new artists to PBT,” said Adam W. McKinney, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s artistic director. “Each one of them makes a fabulous addition to our company and the PBT team, and I look forward to working with them beginning in August.”
April Berry joins PBT as Director of Education and Community Engagement.
She will lead PBT’s Education Initiatives for Bringing Ballet into Pittsburgh Communities.
Berry joined PBT in July from the Kansas City Ballet, where she most recently served as their Director of Community Engagement & Education.
“I am excited to join Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and to have the opportunity to work with Adam, Nicholas and the PBT team to propel PBT’s education and community engagement to new heights,” said Berry.
Berry is a dance director, master teacher, educator, and former internationally acclaimed dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She has actively participated in dance education and community engagement for over thirty years. Learn more about April Berry in this PBT blog.
“I am delighted to welcome April to the PBT team,” said Nicholas Dragga, executive director of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. “April’s storied career and work have shaped the field.
“April and I both feel passionately about education being a critical component of every ballet company,” said PBT artistic director Adam W. McKinney. “I look forward to working with April to develop PBT’s Education and Community Engagement department, and to create an even broader reach into the Pittsburgh communities.”
The PBT 2024-2025 Season
- Peter Pan: October 25-27, 2024 at the Benedum Center
- The Nutcracker: December 6-27, 2024 at the Benedum Center
- Romeo and Juliet with the PBT Orchestra: February 14-17, 2025, at the Benedum Center
- Spring Mix: 5 for 55: April 4-6, 2025, at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center
- The Wizard of Oz with the PBT Orchestra: May 9-18, 2025 at the Benedum Center
PBT Tickets are available at here.
Categories: Arts and Ideas, Feature Stories
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