Pittsburgh Ballet plans 'Open Air' series, free Hartwood Acres performance
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s “Open Air: A Series in Celebration of the Performing Arts” returns for the second year with performances June 9-12, at a new location on the Allegheny Riverfront along 19th Street in Sharpsburg.
The company also will host its annual “Ballet Under the Stars,” a free performance scheduled for June 26 at the Middle Road Concert Area of Hartwood Acre, in Hampton and Indiana townships.
“Open Air” will feature performances by the PBT Company, along with local performing arts organizations.
The program for the PBT Company performances, subject to change, will include pieces created for the company by top choreographers from around the country, said PBT Executive Director Harris Ferris.
The company also will dance excerpts from “Swan Lake,” choreographed by outgoing Artistic Director Susan Jaffe, which PBT debuted in May.
New to this year’s program is “Open Air: Shared Spaces,” a showcase of prominent regional dance studios and artists, including students of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School performing the pas de trois from “Swan Lake.”
The performance schedule is as follows:
• June 9: Pittsburgh Festival Opera, 4:30 p.m.; Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Company, 8 p.m.
• June 10: “Open Air: Shared Spaces,” 3 p.m.; Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Company, 8 p.m.
• June 11: Attack Theatre, 1:30 p.m.; Shana Simmons Dance, Jamie Erin Murphy and Naina Roy Kathak, 3 p.m.; Texture Contemporary Ballet, 4:30 p.m.; Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Company, 8 p.m.
• June 12: Confluence Ballet, noon.
“Open Air” debuted last year with performances on a mobile stage on Flagstaff Hill in Oakland.
The inaugural series was “well received by the public — in fact, it was jubilantly received not only by the public but by the other arts groups that had a chance to perform on the stage,” Ferris said. “We had more than 10,000 people who attended, unleashing everyone’s desire to get out and see live performing arts in the safety of an open-air setting.”
Performing outside of the Cultural District makes ballet accessible to more people, Ferris said.
“With our mobile stage, we’re kind of like a pop-up performing arts center,” he said. “Our mission is, of course, to inspire the public with our art form and to expand access to the arts; so this is a perfect vehicle to do both of those things.
“We have such beautiful summer weather, it’s nice to be able to take advantage of it.”
General admission seating will be limited; tickets are $20 for PBT Company performances. For more information about all performances, parking and ticketing for other performances, visit pbt.org/openair.
“Open Air” is supported by The Mosites Co., the Gaming and Economic Development Tourism Fund and Allegheny Regional Asset District. Purchase of the mobile stage was supported by the Richard King Mellon Foundation, Edith L. Trees Charitable Trust, Jack Buncher Foundation and Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.
‘Ballet Under the Stars’
“Ballet Under the Stars” will begin at 8 p.m. June 26, featuring young performers from 25 states and Canada who audition to participate in PBT School’s Company Experience, a two-week summer intensive workshop.
“We like to call them the rising stars of tomorrow,” said Marjorie Grundvig, director of the school. “It’s a very elite group, ages 16-22, on the cusp of being professional dancers.
“They could be dancing on stage in New York at this time next year.”
The evening will feature classical, neoclassical and contemporary works from the company’s repertory, along with a world premiere by renowned choreographers Alexander Brady and Rika Okamoto. PBT Company dancers Diana Yohe and Joseph Parr will perform the “Don Quixote” pas de deux as a centerpiece of the evening.
Attendees can enjoy free kids’ craft and dance activities, photo opportunities with costumed dancers, face painting and more. Guests can bring a picnic or purchase items from food trucks.
PBT will host a Picnic in the Park from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Guests can join PBT dancers and artistic leaders in a VIP tent for pre-performance drinks and dinner from Sprezzatura Catering + Cafe in Millvale.
Picnic tickets at $75, or $20 for children, are available at 412-454-9127 or pbt.org.
Advance registration is not required for the free performance and children’s activities.
Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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