Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre has named Susan Jaffe as its next artistic director. The former American Ballet Theatre principal and ballet mistress — hailed by The New York Times as “America's quintessential American ballerina” — will succeed Terrence Orr, who announced last year his intent to retire this summer after 23 years.
Ms. Jaffe, a native of Bethesda, Md., will be the seventh artistic director in PBT's 50-year history and only the second woman in the position. Patricia Wilde was artistic director from 1982 to 1997.
“I am thrilled to take the helm of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre as its new artistic director,” Ms. Jaffe said in a prepared statement Tuesday. “Leading PBT artistically is a dream come true for me, and I look forward to working with the dancers and everyone in the organization to bring it to its future. Additionally, I am honored to be in the lineage of the artistic directors of PBT who have developed a vast array of repertoire, from the classics to contemporary ballet.”
Ms. Jaffe danced as a principal for 22 years with American Ballet Theatre. She also was prominent in the international dance scene, performing with The Royal Ballet, The Kirov Ballet, Vienna State Opera Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet and English National Ballet.
She has worked with celebrated classical and contemporary artists such as Jiri Kylian, Twyla Tharp, Merce Cunningham, George Balanchine, Irina Kolpakova and Natalia Makarova. One of the highlights of her career was performing her first “Swan Lake” in the role of Swan Queen with Mikhail Baryshnikov.
She retired from the stage in 2002 at age 40 and went on to serve as an adviser to the chairman of the board of American Ballet Theatre. From 2003-10, she taught in the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of American Ballet Theatre and co-founded, owned and directed a dance studio. From 2010-12, she worked with American Ballet Theatre as ballet mistress. Also a choreographer, she has created works for American Ballet Theatre and many other arts organizations across the country.
Since 2012, Ms. Jaffe has been the dean of dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. She's also a board member for the Youth America Grand Prix and Dance Magazine Awards. In 2003, Dance Magazine honored her with a lifetime achievement award.
PBT began its search for its next artistic director last summer, said board chair Dawn Fleischner, who co-directed the search committee with vice chair Mary McKinney Flaherty, assisted by Management Consultants for the Arts. Between October and December, the search firm “spoke to more than 150 people as part of their research,” Ms. Fleischner said.
In January, the top eight candidates each completed a 90-minute video interview. Three of the finalists were people of color, and half of the candidates were women, Ms. Fleischner said. The final four applicants spent two days in Pittsburgh. The last in-person interview took place in March, just as COVID-19 closures and restrictions began.
PBT was looking for “someone who understands the needs of what it means to be a ballet organization in 2020, which includes robust community education and outreach in addition to excellence in artistry and training,” Ms. Fleischner said, adding that diversity, equity and inclusion were also important.
Beyond Ms. Jaffe’s career as a dancer, she impressed PBT with her background in studio management and education.
“That's invaluable experience she'll bring to [the PBT School] that's doubled in size in the past 10 years,” Ms. Fleischner said. “We want to continue building on the strong foundation we have and that was built during Terry's leadership.”
Ms. Jaffe has been widely quoted in dance publications on the subject of meditation. She developed a six-hour online program, “The Effect of Intention,” that introduces dancers and others to some of the science and research behind meditation. She was in Pittsburgh last month to speak on the topic at the inaugural dancer wellness fair presented by Minding the Gap, a Pittsburgh-based social good startup that aims to bring attention and support to mental health in dance.
“I think Pittsburgh community is going to love her, and she's going to love Pittsburgh,” Ms. Fleischner said.
Sara Bauknecht: sbauknecht@post-gazette.com or on Twitter and Instagram @SaraB_PG.
First Published: April 14, 2020, 6:08 p.m.
