ARTS GUIDE THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2019 • 5
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PittsburghBalletTheatre,
DanceCouncilmark50years
A pair of anniversaries
will give dance a special aura
during the 2019-20 season.
Both Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
and Pittsburgh Dance
Council are celebrating their
50th birthdays this season
with vibrant offerings.
The ballet stages classic
ballet and contemporary
dance performed by its roster
of world-class dancers. Dance
Council is a presenting organization
which brings in top
modern dance shows from
around the world with an eye
toward newkinds of experiences.
In addition, a handful of
other excellent companies
add their distinctive voices to
the dance scene in Western
Pennsylvania.
“Giselle” opens Pittsburgh
Ballet Theatre’s season (Oct.
25-27), with Adolphe Adam’s
score played live by the company’s
orchestra. “Giselle” is
a Romantic-era classic about
a village girl deceived by a
philandering prince. After her
death, the prince is saved by
Giselle’s spirit from the Wilis,
the ghosts of women who died
of broken hearts and who
seek vengeance by dancing
men to their death.
“The Nutcracker” with
music by Peter Ilyich
Tchaikovsky (Dec. 6-29) is
America’s most popular ballet.
The story of a teenage girl’s
magical Christmas Eve is
presented in artistic director
Terrence Orr’s Pittsburgh
based production. Orr will
retire at the end of the season,
having led the company to
newheights during his 23
years at the helm.
“Beauty and the Beast”
(Feb. 14-23) will be seen in Lew
Christensen’s staging which
is set to Tchaikovsky’s music.
Three contemporary choreographers
with strong ties to
Pittsburgh will be presented
in “Here and Now” (March
20-29). Pittsburgh native Kyle
Abraham, a MacArthur
“genius” award winner, is
represented by “The Quiet
Dance,” which is performed to
jazz great Bill Evans’ take on a
Leonard Bernstein song. Local
choreographer Staycee Pearl
will create a newballet for this
program. Dwight Rhoden’s
ballet set to music by Paul
Simon completes the program.
The season’s grand finale
is “Balanchine and Tchaikovsky”
(April 17-19), celebrating
the genius of iconic choreographer
George Balanchine
building on the music of
Tchaikovsky performed live by
the PBT Orchestra.
Pittsburgh Dance Council
opens its subscription series
with Momix (Sept. 21), one
of the most spectacularly
successful and innovative
modern dance companies.
The program includes both
iconic pieces from its repertoire
and new works by its
director Moses Pendleton.
ODC/Dance will perform
“Path of Miracles” (Nov. 6-9)
about Catholic pilgrimages
across northern Spain, with
the Mendelssohn Choir performing
music by Joby Talbot
which inspired the ballet.
Tap dance and jazz are united
in the work of Sarah Reich
(Jan. 16-18), which places tap
rhythms as the leading voice
in the musical ensemble.
The Cuban Malpaso Dance
Company (Feb. 22) will
present a mixed program,
including “Tabula Rasa” by
Ohad Naharin which was
first performed by Pittsburgh
Ballet Theatre in 1986.
Spanish choreographer
Rocio Molina (March 25)
offers a new take on Flamenco
dance and music by blending
traditional elements with
avant-garde sensibility.
Alvin Ailey American Dance
Theatre (May 5) was the first
company brought to Pittsburgh
by Dance Council 50 years
ago and closes the season. Its
repertoire will include one of
its classics, “Revelations.”
The continued success
of smaller local companies
speaks to both their strong
creative personalities and
local enthusiasm for dance as
an art form. Attack Theatre,
Corning Works and Texture
Contemporary Ballet have all
built devoted audiences and
are well worth experiencing.
Mark Kanny is a Tribune-Review
contributing writer.
by MARK KANNy
Alvin Ailey American
Dance Theatre was the
first company brought to
Pittsburgh by Dance Council
50 years ago and closes the
season.
COURTESY OF DUANE RIEDER
The Pittsburgh
Ballet Theatre
will close its
season with
“Balanchine and
Tchaikovsky” on
April 17-19.
COURTESY OF ANDREW ECCLES
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