On Stage: An Evolving PBT

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre has had the most difficult transition of local dance groups, spanning a pandemic and three artistic directors over the past few years. The latest, Adam McKinney, armed with a wealth of new ideas, introduced a number of changes, both artistic and staff members.

The season began with Trey McIntyre’s Peter Pan! Normally I enjoy seeing dance that perpetuates questions, ones that encourage me to mull over a piece of choreography in the days ahead.

But this Peter Pan!, which opened the PBT’s 55th season, posed so many uncertainties that it struggled to establish its identity. Was it a fairy tale? Children’s entertainment? A psychological twist on a familiar story?

All of the above and more.

I happen to like a good psychological twist on a story, but this confused version detracted from any immediate enjoyment, unlike Michael Pink’s delirious, sometimes comical, horror story take on “Dracula.” Given PBT’s penchant for full-length ballets like “Swan Lake” and “Coppelia,” which have been seen in numerous versions, there is room for diversity.

But McIntyre began with the premise that Peter is the fourth Darling Child, one who tumbled out of his pram, only to be swept into the trash by a giant monster (with amateurish costuming reticent of regional theater). To underscore that, Peter spent the rest of the ballet with dirt marks.

There was no Nana, the lovable nurse/dog. She was replaced by the servant Liza, who was promoted to a stern quasi-villainess, her face covered by a stern mask. Unfortunately the Mother and Father also wore them. Did this indicate the repressive late Victorian Age?  Maybe.They moved with a stiffness that belied any emotional attachment, resulting in a paranoid approach to their children. (And not very comforting for the children in the audience.)

The low-budget production used miniature puppets to indicate Peter and the children flying in the background, most likely to keep the real flying to a minimum. (I missed seeing Flying By Foy, which was used in the Jorden Morris’ production at PBT in 2014. And, of course, the Broadway versions definitively captured the soaring feeling at the heart of the story.) 

But there were plenty of shadows, six to be exact, with some of the men’s better dancers encased in black from head to toe during the first act. They were used to transport props and execute some jumps, without making much of a distinct impression. Using McIntyre’s misguided format, they contributed little to move the story forward. 

A viewer had to realize that, although McIntyre is now a respected choreographer, this piece was created early on in his career and could have benefitted from a dramaturge to provide a more cohesive story line.

As a young choreographer, McIntyre appeared to have a multitude of new ideas that he inserted into his ballet. But it was odd to see Pirates pushing the ships around in the seas surrounding Neverland, literally walking on water. Unfortunately Tinker Bell’s role was demoted— she was surrounded by eleven other fairies, all with bustles in place of wings. Actually this made them definitely more seaworthy than the trio of mermaids, who had pants that emphasized a separation of their legs rather than a tail effect (their dance style, though, was impeccable). I could see no need for more fairies that diminished Tink’s role — they all had identical costumes and punk rock green wigs, so she didn’t contribute to the overall entertainment value. It appeared that McIntyre did this to make room for Captain Hook’s son (Kurtis Sprowls) in an attempt to explain his villainous behavior. 

PBT has always had strong production values in emphasizing full-length ballets. But McKinney has shown a penchant for a more contemporary bent. In May 2023, when Ronald Hynd’s “Sleeping Beauty,” a magical version that featured flying fairies, was axed because of costs, the PBT staff patched together traditional choreography to save money. McKinney, however, opted for a new Carabosse look. The evil fairy has been portrayed before by men, which it was here. But Kristin McLain was tapped to design a new costume, giving the male-identifying dancer a gender-neutral appearance with a tiara, a short, snazzy bedazzled leotard and a wiry bird-cage of a skirt, where the wheels were readily visible at the bottom. However, the company performed in designer Peter Docherty’s costumes from Hynd’s original, which had a decidedly British historical style, so this Carabosse did not fit, both choreographically and style-wise.

Grace Rookstool lead her small army of Tinks.

However, it might have played a part in defining McKinney’s artistic plan. In May 2024, he decided to bring in a new version (another first time full-length ballet) of Cinderella by little-known Australian choreographer Jayne Smeulders. Again, Pittsburgh audiences were seeing someone just starting to explore their artistic path.

This was a cartoon of a ballet, everything hugely overdone, with costumes that bore little connective tissue.

Although there was little to recommend most of the productions (granted, Israeli choreographer Barack Marshall’s Monger made a strong impression), the PBT dancers continued to give it their all. That has been the case with the transition to the McKinney era. These dancers have been through a lot of change and many are not here as a result. But those veterans who still are dancing on at PBT have been able to compartmentalize their art and concentrate on their performances. And for that, they deserve our respect.

As a result, we saw some breakthrough performances. Tommie Lin Kirsten was promoted to principal after her final performance in The Sleeping Beauty and made the most of this opportunity. She always had a naturally charismatic personality and strong technique, sometimes overwhelmingly so. Since her promotion, though, she has learned to shape her movements, more with a lyrical nuance and depth. Where before she simply relished flitting about the stage, she has established herself as a leader in the company.

Jack Hawn finally physically embraced his height, which is an achievement in itself, something that takes time, patience and talent. He has become a particularly strong character dancer. Ariana Chernyshev and Amanda Morgan now represent splendid examples of the versatility of the PBT corps dancer these days, performing principal roles in one ballet, soloist in another and a Snowflake in The Nutcracker.

We were waiting to see how the new dancers fostered under McKinney, already numbering a third of the company, fill in the spaces. So on to Romeo and Juliet, a ballet that the company previously had performed and one of my favorites. Would it remain so?