Phone: 724.969.6000 | Email: info@pybco.org | Fax: 724.969.6900
The Pittsburgh Youth Ballet School & Company celebrated its 25th Anniversary in June, 2009 and we now begin our 26th year. Over those years, PYBC has built a reputation unparalleled among other national schools, offering the finest instruction and professional performing opportunities. PYBC dances a repertoire many professional companies cannot acquire the rights to perform, in a tradition of excellence. While many dancers have graduated and moved on, the foundation of PYBC has remained and has only grown stronger over the years. This will continue to be true.
This year has been so wonderful with our "25th Year Celebration" at the Byham Theater in collaboration with the CAPA Symphony for The Nutcracker and for Coppélia at the Byham Theater. Many former students were offered contracts from professional companies. For example, Emily Chalmers has been offered a contract with Ballet Magnificat in Jackson, Mississippi right from graduation in our High School program. Amy Barker secured a professional contract from The New York City Ballet after being an apprentice for a year, joining former PYBC's students Faye Arthurs and Stephanie Zungre. Pam Swaney was promoted to principal dancer at Louisville Ballet, Allison DeBona is dancing principal roles at Ballet West. Alexis Greenberger is touring the world with the Israeli Ballet, Simon Ball is a principal dancer at Houston Ballet and April Ball is now a principal dancer with Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo. Brooke Moore is now dancing with The Pennsylvania Ballet, Christine Rennie is dancing principal roles with Nashville Ballet, and Erin Halloran, our first Swanhilda from our first ballet Coppélia, is a principal dancer with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.
Our present students have surpassed all expectations, dancing in George Balanchine's Serenade and Waltz of the Hours, with 48 children dancing in Jerome Robbins' Circus Polka. The Classical comedy ballet Coppélia was danced with the CAPA symphony with dancers ranging from four year old students to PYBC Senior Company Members. Ruth Leney-Midkiff's Living the Dream left the audience in awe and most in tears while watching the slide show behind the dancing, bringing back memories of their children growing up. Of those who were looking for summer school experiences, five girls age 8 to 11 years were selected to dance with the New York City Ballet at Saratoga Springs, and five were invited to join the prestigious American Ballet Theatre, NYC. A group of 17 studied at Chautauqua's prestigious summer program, along with several studying at the North Carolina Dance Theater, Joffrey Ballet, The Rock School Philadelphia, Ballet Met, and SAB. Over 150 students studied at PYBC's Summer Intensive benefitting from wonderful teachers including Katrina Killian, Erin Halloran, April Ball, Daniel Ulbricht, Amy Barker, Allison DeBona and Ruth Leney-Midkiff, plus our regular faculty keeping all four studios running.
Renovations have been progressing over the summer and we now also have a sprung floor in the upstairs studio III. Studio IV is now newly painted with a new sound system and barres to accommodate our increasing enrollment. Although funding for the Arts is at a critical point right now, we have always been able to be self-sustaining and the standards of excellence you have come to expect from PYBC will never be compromised.
Please do not hesitate to contact me at jean@pybco.org if you have individual concerns you would like to address. We are looking forward to working more closely with all of you this coming fall. We hope to see you soon.
Sincerely,
Jean Gedeon
Artistic Director