Not just dancers
7 Pittsburgh Ballet members will debut choreography in ‘PBT: New Works’
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre will premiere seven new pieces during the run of its next mainstage production.
Who are the choreographers? Look no further than PBT’s own dancers.
“PBT: New Works” will feature dance creations by principals Amanda Cochrane, Julia Erickson and Yoshiaki Nakano and corps de ballet members Jessica McCann, William Moore, JoAnna Schmidt and Cooper Verona. Beyond developing their own works, the choreographers will be performing ina piece by one of their peers.
The mixed repertory program opens Friday and runs through March 25 at the August Wilson Center for African American Culture, Downtown.
“This earmarks Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre as different from most,” says artistic director Terrence Orr. “I think it just shows the scope of talent that’s in Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and that [its dancers] can do this. I look and see us doing something like this, and most companies don’t or can’t for whatever reasons.”
“PBT: New Works” marks the first time the company has mounted a full showcase of dancers’ choreography for a mainstage performance. However, nurturing emerging choreographers on PBT’s roster has been a mission for Mr. Orr for the past few years. He has encouraged its dancers to set pieces for the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School spring performance, intensive summer programs and “company experience” workshops.
In 2016, PBT presented choreography by Mr. Moore, Mr. Verona and principal Alejandro Diaz in “Millennial Movement” at Slippery Rock University. Earlier that season, Mr. Nakano debuted “A Fellow Feeling,” his neoclassical ballet set to music by Mozart, on a program with Antony Tudor, Michael Smuin and James Kudelka works at the Byham Theater, Downtown. It was the first time a piece by a current company dancer was included in a mainstage lineup during Mr. Orr’s tenure.
PBT presented another “Millennial Movement” program in 2017 at Seton Hill University with more choreography from Mr. Moore, Mr. Nakano and Mr. Verona, along with contributions from Ms. Cochrane and Ms. Erickson.
The dancers Mr. Orr selected to make something for “PBT: New Works” bring a varied range of experience to the program. Beyond sharpening their choreographic chops, this is a chance for them to try their hand at the full scope of tasks that goes with staging a dance, from selecting the music to coming up with a concept for costuming.
“My biggest challenge has been interpreting to the dancers what I envision in my head and translating what I picture for them and finding the right vocabularly for that,” says Ms. Schmidt. Her piece “Lightworks” is a contemporary twist on a story ballet set in the ’60s to Raymond Scott music. “I want to uplift people. I want to make them laugh, and I want to help them see a little bit of themselvesin my piece.”
For Ms. Cochrane, it has been a lesson in set design. Her piece “Interlaced Motifs” is inspired by the art of Liebermann, Monet, Van Gogh and Whistler, accompanied by a Claude Debussy score.
“I’m trying to project on to the stage the paintings as a backdrop,” she explains. “I’m going to have the dancers painted so they look they’re part of an Impressionist painting. I’m trying to make it a beautiful work of art.”
Having multiple chances to create new works also gives dancers the opportunity to build upon their skills each time. That’s been the case for Mr. Nakano, who has choreographed several pieces back home in Japan in addition to what he has done for PBT in recent years.
“The rehearsal process has gone better this time with things like time management,” he says, adding that he also feels more confident giving direction to his peers this time around. His latest piece, “Infusion,” is another ballet rooted in the neoclassical style.
Historically, it has been tricky for PBT to get audiences excited about mixed repertory programs, unlike story ballets that often draw their narratives from popular tales such as “Romeo and Juliet,” “Peter Pan” or “Sleeping Beauty.” While “PBT: New Works” has been a learning process for company dancers, Mr. Orr hopes people who come to see it will discover something, too.
“It’s really important to do new works for the art form. It keeps it alive and fresh and new,” he says. “We’re educating our public, and hopefully they’ll want to come back even more.”