Texture Contemporary Ballet Marks 200+ Original Works In 15 Years

Pittsburgh-based Texture Contemporary Ballet has announced its 15th anniversary season, featuring four programs of predominantly new works – three of which include interactive Children's Performances. Opening in July, the season embodies Texture's commitment to pushing the boundaries of ballet by developing original works that give dancers a voice in the creative process.

To date, Texture has premiered 208 works by 47 different choreographers – more than 30 of whom are women. While many dance companies base their seasons on existing repertoire, Texture primarily presents premieres that it creates collectively in the studio or commissions from guest choreographers.

“Audience members tell me they are continually astonished by the bold range of movement and emotion we span in a single production, and I believe it's made possible by the collaboration we embrace in the studio,” says Pittsburgh native Alan Obuzor, Texture's artistic and executive director. “Over our 15 years as a company, I am most proud of creating a home where dancers are valued as individuals and empowered to take artistic risks."

Running from July 2025 to March 2026, the company's 2025-2026 Season will feature three mixed repertory productions at the North Side's New Hazlett Theater and the Texture Choreography Project, which culminates in a performance at the Greer Cabaret Theater in the Cultural District. The application process for the choreography project opens June 1st to artists interested in presenting their own work or choreographing new work on Texture's dancers.

Productions at the New Hazlett Theater will feature premieres by Obuzor and the company's new resident choreographer Madeline Kendall Schreiber, who both double as resident dancers. Audiences also can look forward to returning favorites, evocative storytelling, and works by guest choreographers.

Each production at the New Hazlett Theatre will feature an interactive Children's Performance, which Pittsburgh Magazine calls one of the “Best Places to Introduce Children to the Performing Arts.” These accessible, one-hour experiences invite children and their families to not only view excerpts from the main performance but also to dance onstage with the artists and enjoy photo opportunities after the show.

Obuzor–a former Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre dancer and one of Dance Magazine's 2013 “25 to Watch”—founded Texture in 2011. The company is now home to nine classically trained resident dancers and to Texture Ballet School, which Obuzor launched in 2019 to support young artists with training, mentorship, and performance opportunities.

With its unique fusion of classical ballet and contemporary dance, Texture is “known across the region—and beyond—for taking classical ballet and tilting it on its axis in innovative ways” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Beyond Pittsburgh, touring performances in the prestigious Jacob's Pillow Inside/Out series, at Ailey Citigroup Theater in New York City, and others have made Texture an emerging name on the national stage.

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