Pre-Professional Division
The Pre-Professional Division (High School & Graduate) is the keystone of the School, training the next generation of professional dancers.
Admission to the program is by audition and invitation only. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School students are trained by a highly qualified and internationally renowned faculty in a curriculum that includes Ballet Technique, Pointe, Variations, Partnering, Men’s Class, Repertoire, Character, Contemporary Dance, Modern Dance, Jazz, and Pilates Mat classes. In addition to the PBTS faculty, guest teachers and choreographers are brought in throughout the year to enhance the PBTS experience. Although the primary focus is on the classical and neo-classical repertoire, new works are also created on the students each year. The process of working with a choreographer and the opportunity to experience different styles of movement are integral to training today’s students to become tomorrow’s professional dancers.
In addition to their rigorous schedule of academic classes and dance instruction, these students act as ambassadors for PBT, traveling to local schools and community centers to perform lectures and demonstrations as part of the Education and Community Engagement Programs. These talented students have opportunities to perform on the stages of Pittsburgh’s Byham Theater and Benedum Center, filling corps de ballet roles in several productions each year.
The Rudolf Nureyev Achievement Award
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School is pleased to name two of its pre-professional students, Ted Henderson and Bradley Wong, recipients of the Rudolf Nureyev Achievement Award. Made possible through a grant from The Rudolf Nureyev Dance Foundation, this award strives to commemorate Rudolf Nureyev by ensuring the continuation of exemplary training of male dancers at PBTS.
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Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School Alumni
2008-2009
Elizabeth Ashbaugh, Louisville Ballet (Apprentice)
Amanda Cochrane, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (Apprentice)
Ashley Hamman, Ballet Quad Cities
Caitlin McElroy, Atlantic City Ballet (Apprentice)
Benjamin Rabe, Rochester City Ballet
Amanda Radetzky, Victoria Ballet
Kelsey Schneider, Rochester City Ballet (Apprentice)
Casey Taylor, Pacific Northwest Ballet (Professional Division)
Benjamin Tucker, Richmond Ballet (Apprentice)
Kirsten Wipperfeld, Richmond Ballet (Trainee)
2007-2008
Steven Bain, Ballet Idaho
Sonja Davenport, Cincinnati Ballet (Trainee)
Devon Darrow, Richmond Ballet (Trainee)
Kelly Jarrell, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (Apprentice)
Corynn Miller, Rochester City Ballet (Apprentice)
Joseph Parr, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
Patrick Yokum, Boston Ballet II
Jessica Wheeler, Louisville Ballet (Trainee)
2006-2007
Gauen Alexander, Alabama Ballet
Alexis Antolic, Louisville Ballet
Kaleb Baker, Ballet Quad Cities
Kelsey Bartman, Nashville Ballet
Allison Debona, Ballet West
Patrick DesRosiers, Ballet Quad Cities
Danielle Downey, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
Sasha Edelman, Ballet Arizona
Laurie Lou Garside, Richmond Ballet (Apprentice)
Alana Gergerich, Omaha Theater Ballet
Shannon Hokanson, Louisville Ballet (Trainee)
Temple Kemezis, Connecticut Ballet
Emily Long, Ballet Quad Cities
Gabrielle Thurlow, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
Brittany Waggy, Ballet Quad Cities
Kelly Walsh, Alabama Ballet
Ashley Wegman, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
Aleksandr York, Omaha Theater Ballet
2005-2006
Michelle Joy, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Metropolitan Opera
Kimberly Tasota, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
Nicholas Coppula, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
Roberto Curti, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (Apprentice)
Eva Trapp, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
Brienne Wiltse, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
