Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Announces Performance Schedule For Its June Open Air Event
The series will include performances by the PBT Company, PBT School students and local performing arts organizations.
By: A.A. Cristi Jun. 15, 2023
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's (PBT) popular program Open Air: A Series in Celebration of the Performing Arts returns to the city June 22-25 at a new location at the Westinghouse Academy in Wilmerding (320 Margurite Avenue, Wilmerding). The series will include performances by the PBT Company, PBT School students and local performing arts organizations.
Open Air takes place thanks to generous funding from the Gaming & Economic Development Tourism Fund (GEDTF) and support in part by the taxpayers of Allegheny County through a public grant from the Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD). Artists from Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, as well as several arts and cultural organizations and dance schools throughout Pittsburgh, will provide dancing, entertainment and community activities. Attendees can enjoy food, free community dance and wellness classes and complimentary children's activities at the Open Air events.
“We are excited to welcome the community to our first Open Air performance of the year June 22-25 at Westinghouse Academy,” said Adam W. McKinney, PBT artistic director. “I think everyone will enjoy the festive atmosphere, great performances and our fun surprise finale!”
This year, the mobile stage will once again be shared with a number of local organizations and artists during our Open Air Series. The performance schedule for Open Air 2023 at Westinghouse Academy is as follows:
Thursday, June 22:
- 4:30 pm - Shana Simmons Dance + Texture Contemporary Ballet
- 8:00 pm - Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
Friday, June 23:
- 11:00 am - Westinghouse Summer Music Theatre Camp Preview
- 3:30 pm - Natyakriya & Uma Performing Arts
- 8:00 pm - Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
Saturday, June 24:
- 11:00 am-3:00 pm - Squonk Opera Interactive Play (by Westinghouse Castle)
- 11:00 am - Golden Triangles
- 3:15 pm - Jacquea Mae and Byron Nash presented by the August Wilson African American Cultural Center
- 4:30 pm - Open Air Barre Fitness by Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (class on the lawn by the stage)
- 5:00 pm - Confluence Ballet Company
- 8:00 pm - Lanzi Academy of Dance
Sunday, June 25:
- 12:00 pm - Balafon West African Dance Ensemble
PBT Company and School dancers will take the stage at 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 22 and Friday, June 23. The program for each performance is as follows, subject to change:
- Jewels from The Sleeping Beauty | Choreography by Marius Petipa
- Shadow Self | Choreography by William Moore
- Bluebird Pas de Deux, Puss 'n Boots and The White Cat, Grand Pas de Deux from The
- Sleeping Beauty | Choreography by Marius Petipa
- Community Engagement Activity w/PBT Artists and PBT School Students
- Finale | Choreography by Adam W. McKinney
Later in the summer, PBT will participate in Ballet Under the Stars at Hartwood Acres on August 20 as well as sponsor another series of Open Air events at Hazelwood Green, co-presented with August Wilson African American Cultural Center and Hazelwood Local, from September 29 through October 1. These events allow PBT and other arts organizations throughout the area to bring live outdoor performances to audiences in communities throughout the Greater Pittsburgh region. All the events are free for the greater Pittsburgh community to enjoy.
In the fall of 2020, during the height of the COVID pandemic, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre launched the mobile stage and a brand new Open Air Series to bring live performances to the Pittsburgh community in outdoor settings when indoor performances were not an option. PBT was able to invest in the Stageline(R) SAM450 mobile stage thanks to generous support from the Richard King Mellon Foundation, Edith L. Trees Charitable Trust, Jack Buncher Foundation and Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation. The mobile stage is a shared asset among the seven anchor organizations of the Pittsburgh Cultural District, including the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Pittsburgh CLO, August Wilson African American Cultural Center, Pittsburgh Opera, Pittsburgh Public Theater and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, in addition to Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.
Registration is recommended for all of these performances to ensure seating availability. For more information about performance times, parking, a full list of artists performing at Open Air and information for other performances visit PBT.org.
Coming to PBT in the 2023-2024 Season:
- Light in the Dark: October 27-29, 2023 at the Byham Theater
- The Nutcracker: December 8-28, 2023 at the Benedum Center
- Beauty and the Beast: February 16-25, 2023 at the Benedum Center
- Spring Mix with the PBT Orchestra: April 5-7, 2023 at the Benedum Center
- Cinderella with the PBT Orchestra: May 17-19, 2023 at the Benedum Center
Season subscriptions are now available. 3-ballet packages start at $82.50 per person. More information is available at pbt.org/subscribe or by calling 412-454-9107.
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre has been Pittsburgh's premier professional ballet company since 1969. Today, PBT is a nationally-recognized ballet company of 33 professional dancers, a training institution for over 1,200 students of all ages, and an incubator for education and accessibility programs in classrooms, libraries and community centers throughout the region. The company, under the leadership of Artistic Director Adam W. McKinney and Acting Executive Director Kathryn Gigler, performs a wide-ranging repertoire of classical ballets, contemporary masterworks and new commissions in nearly 50 performances annually.
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