‘Boléro’ date
PBT dancers heat up Valentine’s Day in museum show
It’s tradition for Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre to hold performances each season near Valentine’s Day. Despite the pandemic, the show will go on this year. Rather than stage a full-length production at Benedum Center, the company will present seven short performances of “Boléro” on Feb. 12-14 in the Carnegie Museum of Art’s Hall of Sculpture in Oakland. Tickets go on sale to the general public Tuesday at pbt.org.
Each show’s audience will be limited to 25 people, who will be seated apart on the second level. They’ll have a bird’s-eye view of the 14 dancers on the lower level.
Prior to COVID-19, PBT had planned to stage Ronald Hynd’s “The Merry Widow” with the PBT Orchestra on Valentine’s Day weekend. Artistic director Susan Jaffe instead choreographed a 15-minute piece to French composer Maurice Ravel’s rhythmic, energetic “Boléro.”
“It’s full of love. It’s full of passion,” she said.
She’s dubbed it a “tennis shoe ballet,” because dancers will wear sneakers instead of their usual ballet footwear. The choreography isn’t typical classical ballet moves, either.
“It’s very kinetic, it’s very off balance,” she said. “I like to create shapes that are not conventional so it’s new and interesting — then string and sew the steps together so it has an organic flow to them.”
Jaffe was mindful of physical distancing, as well, when choreographing the piece. Only dancers who are married or live together are partnered with one another, she said.
The “Boléro” performances are the latest example of how the company is striving to find creative ways to connect with audiences during the pandemic. The PBT performed a short adaptation of “Dracula” in the Hall of Sculpture in October.
The company announced in November that it wouldn’t return to theaters in the Cultural District for the rest of its 2020-21 season. Instead, PBT is planning a series of mixed-repertory open-air performances this spring. It also will offer free access to filmed performances, including this month’s “Boléro,” and other behind-thescenes programming to subscribers who choose to donate the cost of their season tickets to PBT to help support the company during COVID-19.
Visit pbt.org to learn more about “Boléro” and performance times.