Pre-Professional Division

The Pre-Professional Division (High School & Graduate) is the keystone of the School, training the next generation of professional dancers.

• High School Program
• Graduate Program

 

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 PBT School faculty, guest teachers and choreographers are brought in throughout the year to enhance the PBT School 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.

 

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School Alumni

2009-2010

Amanda Whites, Dance Theatre of Tennessee

Kristie Latham, Ballet Met (Trainee)

Katie Miller, Sacramento Ballet (Apprentice)

Molly Wright, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre

Becca Cross, Rochester City Ballet

Ava Chatterson, Sacramento Ballet

Kelly Ford, Sacramento Ballet (Apprentice)

Jordan Richardson, Nevada Ballet Theater

Shanna Gayer, University of Pittsburgh

Meghan Wright, Sacramento Ballet

Amber Runyan, North Carolina Dance Theater (Trainee)

Christina Gratton, Boston University

Caitlin Mayes, University of Texas

Ted Henderson, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre

Erik Johnson, Rochester City Ballet

Yoshiaki Nakano, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre

Anna Porter, Columbia City Ballet

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