JoAnna Schmidt

JoAnna Schmidt joined Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre in 2012 and was promoted to soloist in 2018. She was born in Eustis, Florida and received her training from Vasile Petrutiu, Vladimir Bykov and Heather Fryxell at Central Florida Ballet. After that, she trained in PBT’s graduate program for two years before joining the company. She also received training from summer intensives at Miami City Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet Academy and Jacob’s Pillow. Since joining PBT, JoAnna has had the pleasure of dancing Cupid in Don Quixote; Princess Florine in The Sleeping Beauty; Tinker Bell in Peter Pan; the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker; Bomb Squad in Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room; Jerome Robbins’ The Concert; William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated; Jiří Kylián’s Petite Mort; and principal roles in George Balanchine’s Divertimento No. 15 and Rubies. In 2018, JoAnna was commissioned to choreograph her first ballet, Lightworks, for PBT’s New Works program.