Last fall, the COVID-19 pandemic was surging with no end in sight. But Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre artistic director Susan Jaffe was optimistic that a year from then things would be better, so she started planning for the 2021-22 season.
“In my mind, it was going to happen,” she said.
With vaccination rates on the rise and restrictions relaxing, it looks as if her wish will come true. PBT announced Thursday a main stage program for next season that kick offs in October with a return to Downtown’s Benedum Center.
The 2021-22 lineup is the first full season that Jaffe has planned since joining the company as artistic director. She took over the role last summer when longtime artistic director Terrence Orr retired after 23 years with PBT.
Next season, audiences can expect a blend of classic story ballets and cutting-edge contemporary works, along with a focus on female choreographers.
It will open with a mixed repertory program with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Orchestra at Benedum Center. Ballet’s innovation will be spotlighted in Helen Pickett’s vivacious “Petal” (2008), new to PBT’s repertoire. It’s choreographed to music by Philip Glass and Thomas Montgomery Newman.
The season opener also will feature a world premiere by Jennifer Archibald, founding artistic director of Arch Dance Co. in New York City and an in-demand choreographer who’s created works for several companies — such as Atlanta Ballet, Ailey II and Ballet Nashville — and commercial clients, including Tommy Hilfiger, NIKE and MAC Cosmetics.
“She’s a really powerful choreographer,” Jaffe said. “To get a world premiere from a hot-on-the-scene choreographer, that’s really great for us.”
The more classical portion of the season premiere will include the dazzling “Diamonds” from George Balanchine’s “Jewels” (1967). PBT planned to stage it for its 2019-20 season closer, but it was called off because of the COVID-19 shutdown. The last time the company danced it was in March 2000. Rounding out the opener will be Victor Gsovsky’s “Grand Pas Classique” (1949), another new work for PBT. It’s set to Daniel-Francois Auber music.
In December, PBT will resume its tradition of holding nearly three weeks of performances of “The Nutcracker” at Benedum Center. Jaffe will stage Orr’s Pittsburgh-themed adaptation of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 1816 tale, accompanied by Tchaikovsky’s signature “Nutcracker” score.
PBT will begin 2022 with more works audiences missed because of the pandemic. Derek Deane’s “Alice in Wonderland” was scheduled for earlier this year but now will be staged next February. The story ballet, danced to a whimsical Tchaikovsky medley, promises dreamy scenery, deranged tea parties and more madcap fun.
In March 2022, PBT will return to the August Wilson African American Cultural Center for “Here + Now,” a mixed repertory program celebrating female choreographers. After a two-year delay because of COVID-19, audiences will finally get to see the world premiere of Staycee Pearl’s “SKIN + saltwater,” inspired by The New York Times’ 1619 project, named for the date when the first African slaves were brought to North America. Her husband, Herman “Soy Sos” Pearl, created the soundscape.
Other “Here + Now” highlights include a new work by internationally acclaimed choreographer Aszure Barton, Anabelle Lopez Ochoa’s intimate “La Pluie” (2006; Bach and Hildegard von Bingen music), Gemma Bond’s expressive “Depuis le Jour” (2012; Gustave Chapentier music), and another Pickett piece.
“Being a female artistic director is still somewhat of an anomaly,” Jaffe said. “I thought it was very fitting to celebrate women who have brought tremendous creativity and are powerful forces in the dance world.”
PBT will close its 2021-22 with one of Jaffe’s favorite ballets, “Swan Lake.” She will stage at Benedum Center her own adaptation of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov’s choreography. The PBT Orchestra will play the Tchaikovsky score.
During her professional career, which included 22 years as a principal with American Ballet Theatre, Jaffe was a star in the leading Odette-Odile role.
“To be able to do this work is going to be just so thrilling for me,” she said. “I know the ballet so well.”
Ahead of the season opener in October, PBT will share safety measures that will be in place and other expectations for guests regarding COVID-19 guidelines. The company’s been working with MSA Safety as its safety sponsor and also will follow the lead of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s venues and its safety guidelines, Jaffe said.
Subscription packages start at $81 at pbt.org or 412-454-9107. Single tickets start at $28 and will go on sale in September at pbt.org or 412-456-6666.
Sara Bauknecht: sbauknecht@post-gazette.com or on Twitter and Instagram @SaraB_PG.
First Published: May 6, 2021, 11:00 p.m.
Updated: May 6, 2021, 11:03 p.m.