Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School Cancels End-of-Year Student And Pre-Professional Performances

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School (PBT School) has cancelled its annual end of year performances - the Pre-professional Showcase and Spring Performance - in response to ongoing concerns regarding the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and new safety regulations from Pennsylvania's Governor Wolf. Both performances were to be held for the first time at Point Park University's new, state-of-the-art PNC Theatre from May 21-24, 2020. Additionally, the school has extended the suspension of in-person classes for the duration of the ballet academic year.

"As difficult as it will be to not see all of our talented students demonstrate their achievements on stage," Director of Operations Aaron Rinsema said, "there is no responsible way to continue classes and prepare for or hold our performances this year. We look forward to seeing our students back in the studios as soon as possible."

The school is hopeful that studios will be reopened in time for summer programs, including Company Experience and the Intensive Summer Program, but is prepared to make adjustments based on the latest public safety guidelines, the status of the stay-at-home mandate and steps outlined for the reopening of non-essential businesses.

Since PBT School's original closure on March 14, 2020, the school's faculty and staff have collaborated to provide top-caliber dance education through live-stream classes and digital content, including wellness materials, pre-recorded class demonstrations, dance history lessons and more. This content is being created for every level of the Children's, Student and Pre-professional Divisions. PBT School will continue to provide this virtual training through the remainder of the ballet academic school year. Through this virtual training, faculty have been able to continue fostering relationships with the students and encouraging their growth so that they will be able to more easily transition back into the studios when the time comes.

The school has also transformed its Community Division classes, offered to ages 14 and up, into virtual classes for the public, accessible through the Mindbody app. More than 10 dance and fitness classes are offered virtually each week starting at $5. These classes will continue to be offered until the school is able to resume in-person classes at the studio. Virtual private training sessions are also available. Additionally, the School provides free weekly live dance classes on Facebook and Instagram.

PBT School is actively monitoring the situation around COVID-19 and will adapt its operations as necessary to ensure the safety of students, company dancers, staff and guests, and to adhere to best practices and recommendations set forth by the Allegheny County Health Department and Centers for Disease Control. The PBT building at 2900 Liberty Ave. in the Strip District remains closed until further notice. As new information becomes available, any changes will be communicated to patrons, parents and the public through email, social media and pbt.org/healthupdate

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