Get ready to dance the summer away!
Pittsburgh’s arts calendar is packed with things to do and performances to see. From classic to contemporary — on stage and in the street — here’s a sampling of shows sure to satisfy the dance enthusiast in your family and perhaps create some new ones.
STAYCEE PEARL dance project: The life of jazz vocalist/composer and civil rights activist Abbey Lincoln is the inspiration for choreographer Staycee Pearl’s latest production, “ABBEY: In the Red” (7 p.m. May 25 and 8 p.m. May 26-27; August Wilson Center for African American Culture, Downtown). Beyond rich contemporary movement, sound designer/producer Herman “Soy Sos” Pearl has put together selections from Lincoln’s album “Straight Ahead” and her work with Max Roach. New arrangements by Ben Opie and performances by vocalist Anqwenique Wingfield and a live music ensemble will be part of the mix. Tickets: $25 for general admission; $15 for students, seniors and artists at trustarts.org/Abbey.
Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival: Dance will reach new heights thanks to Blue Lapis Light, an aerial dance company from Austin, Texas. At 9 p.m. June 2-3, these daredevil dancers will rappel down the facade of Fifth Avenue Place, Downtown, in a balletic-infused performance choreographed just for Pittsburgh. The appearance is a special presentation of the Pittsburgh Dance Council. Want to broaden your performing arts palate? “Tracks // Where Will Dance Take You?” (noon June 7; Dollar Bank Stage at Point State Park) is a collaboration between Green Street Studios in Cambridge, Mass., and Jessica Marino of JAMpress management in Pittsburgh that gives artists from both cities a platform to grow their exposure and present what it calls “a mosaic of dance styles,” including modern, contemporary, street, ballet and dance theater. TRAF also will celebrate the next generation of dance talents with Greer Reed’s junior youth dance ensemble Reed Dance II (5 p.m. June 3; Stanwix Stage at Gateway Center). To close the festival, dancers will go head to head in the return of the TRAF Dance Battles. In addition to one-on-one breakdance competitions, there will be an all-styles category open to any kind of dance. Registration will be from noon to 1 p.m. June 11, and the preliminary round will begin at 1 p.m for the open category and 2 p.m. for breaking. The action will unfold on the Stanwix Stage. Information: traf.trustarts.org.
Dance parties: Looking to lace up your dancing shoes? The Kelly Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty will throw its annual Full Bloom summer dance party on June 3. Kick off the evening at 7 p.m. with a V.I.P. experience. Then share the dance floor with some of Pittsburgh’s movers, shakers and influencers at 9 p.m. The event will support East Liberty Live! programming, the theater’s series of family-friendly arts events, youth classes, creative labs and more. Tickets: kelly-strayhorn.org.
On Aug. 4, the In Bed By Ten dance party will take over The Frick Pittsburgh’s north lawn in Point Breeze for its weekly Summer Fridays at The Frick series. Kelly Beall of Design Crush and Matthew Buchholz designed these parties in 2015 for families who enjoy going out but don’t want to literally dance the night away. Plus, the Franktuary, Mac & Gold and Stickler’s Ice Pop Co. food trucks will be on site if all that grooving gets you hungry! Information: www.thefrickpittsburgh.org.
Pittsburgh Pride: There will be dancing in the streets of Downtown Pittsburgh June 10-11 for the Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh’s celebration for the LGBT community. STAYCEE PEARL dance project, Pearlann Porter, the Dana Movement Ensemble 2.0 and The Blanket are slated for the first day. Six more acts -— Texture Contemporary Ballet, Slowdanger, Anthony Williams, KNOwSHADE, the Trevor C. Dance Collective and Weylin Gomez -— will take the stage the next day. The performances, curated by Richard Parsakian of Eons Fashion Antique in Shadyside, will be split between Liberty Avenue and Sixth and 10th streets. Find the full schedule at pittsburghpride.org.
Texture Contemporary Ballet: The troupe under the direction of founding artistic director Alan Obuzor and associate artistic director Kelsey Bartman opens its seventh season with “Resounding Sound” (July 20-23; New Hazlett Theater, North Side). In true Texture style, expect dynamic artistry with a modern twist. If you’re in the Ohio Valley, check out Texture on tour at 8 p.m. May 27 at Oglebay Institute’s Towngate Theatre in Wheeling, W.Va. Information: www.textureballet.org.
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre: For the first time in four years, PBT returns to the Chautauqua Institution in southwestern New York for a one-night engagement with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra at 8:15 p.m. Aug. 12. Excerpts from “Coppelia” and “Le Corsaire,” along with Jiri Kylian’s “Petite Mort,” will be on the program. Tickets: $43 at ciweb.org or 1-716-357-6250. Back home on Aug. 20, the company heads to Hartwood Acres performance area in Hampton for “Ballet Under the Stars,” a free outdoor dance concert featuring a mixed repertory program. Families are invited to arrive early to take part in special activities for all ages. Learn more at www.pbt.org.
Sara Bauknecht: sbauknecht@post-gazette.com or on Twitter and Instagram @SaraB_PG.
First Published: May 18, 2017, 4:00 a.m.
