Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Adds Six New Artists for 2026-27 Season
Ryan Cheng, Jooyoung Kwon and others join as several longtime artists depart the company.
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre has revealed new artist hires to its company roster for the upcoming 2026-27 season. PBT welcomes six new artists into the company and sees several departures and retirements. The changes take place for the current season, which runs from August 2026 to June 2027.
In May, Artistic Director Adam W. McKinney announced three promotions for PBT company members. The artists were all promoted live onstage after an evening performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
PBT's new company members for the 2026-27 season:
Ryan Cheng, Corps de Ballet, from the National Ballet of Canada
Kiegan Kepner, Apprentice, from Milwaukee Ballet II
Jooyoung Kwon, Soloist, from Tulsa Ballet
Jett Lecamu, Apprentice, from BalletMet
Devon Luxton, Apprentice, from Ballett Dortmund, Germany
Ayva Royster, Apprentice, from the School of American Ballet, New York
PBT Artists Promotions:
Amelia McGravey, promoted to Corps de Ballet
Isak Sorenson, promoted to Corps de Ballet
Michael Stadtherr, promoted to Corps de Ballet
PBT will also see several artists depart the company. Soloist Artist JoAnna Schmidt, a 14-year PBT veteran, announced her retirement. Soloist Artist Josiah Kauffman, Corps de Ballet Artists Jonathan Breight, Erin Casale, Christian García-Campos, and Apprentice Anya Chiu also departed the PBT Company at the end of the 2025-26 season.
Ryan Cheng
Ryan, of Union City, CA, began his ballet training at The New Ballet School (formerly Ballet San Jose School) for seven years. Following this, he trained at Canada's National Ballet School before joining The National Ballet of Canada as an Apprentice in 2024. He joins PBT as a member of the Corps de Ballet in 2026.
Kiegan Kepner
Kiegan trained for seven years in Maryland before moving to The Rock School in Philadelphia at age 14, where he trained for three years. He then joined Sarasota Ballet as a trainee. Following his training, Kiegan spent two seasons with Milwaukee Ballet II, performing with both Milwaukee Ballet II and the main company. He joins PBT as an apprentice in 2026.
Jooyoung Kwon
Jooyoung was born in Seoul, South Korea, and started ballet at the Uniballet Academy at the age of 6. She studied at Seoul Arts High School in 2019 and was a finalist at the Prix de Lausanne in 2021. She joined Tulsa Ballet as a Corps de Ballet member the following year before being promoted to Demi-Soloist. She joins PBT as a Soloist in 2026.
Jett Lecamu
Jett began his dance training at the age of six. He continued his training through the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) Preparatory Program for five years before joining the UNCSA high school program in 2020. Jett earned the silver medal at the World Ballet Competition finals in 2021 and was selected as a candidate for the Prix de Lausanne in 2022. Jett joined the English National Ballet School, where he trained for two years. In 2025, he joined BalletMet's Second Company. Jett joins PBT as an Apprentice in 2026.
Devon Luxton
Devon began his ballet training at the age of 12 under the guidance of Jean-Hugues Feray at Paris Ballet & Dance in Jupiter, Florida. Devon joined the Dutch National Ballet Academy for post-graduate training, where he graduated in 2024. Recently, he completed a two-year tenure with a professional contract at Ballett Dortmund in Dortmund, Germany. He joins PBT as an Apprentice in 2026.
Ayva Royster
Ayva Royster is from Burbank, California. She studied at Hasmik Amirian Ballet Academy, The Dallas Conservatory and is a 2026 graduate of the School of American Ballet in New York. She joins Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre as an Apprentice in 2026.
About PBT's Promoted Artists
Amelia McGravey has been promoted to the Corps de Ballet for the 2026-27 season. Amelia grew up in Mickleton, NJ, and trained at The Rock School for Dance Education before joining Houston Ballet Academy as a Professional Level 2 student. In 2022, she was promoted to Houston Ballet II. Amelia attended summer programs at Chautauqua Institution, Boston Ballet School, and Houston Ballet Academy. She also toured with Houston Ballet to Tokyo, Japan in 2022 and with Houston Ballet II to Chautauqua, NY in 2023. She joined PBT as an apprentice artist in 2024.
Isak Sorenson has been promoted to the Corps de Ballet for the 2026-27 season. Isak, originally from Duluth, Minnesota, trained at Stacey's Studio of Dance Education and the Minnesota Ballet School before he was offered a full scholarship to the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School's high school program. He spent the following two years in the PBT School Graduate Program. In 2025, Isak was selected as a candidate for the Prix de Lausanne. Isak joined PBT as an apprentice artist in 2025.
Michael Stadtherr has been promoted to the Corps de Ballet for the 2026-27 season. Michael, from Novi, Michigan, began his classical ballet training at age 11 at Planko Classical Ballet Academy. In 2018, he was accepted into Canada's National Ballet School in Toronto, where he continued his training for the next four years. After graduating in 2022, he joined the Boston Ballet's Graduate Program for a year before heading to Tulsa Ballet's Second Company for two years. He joined PBT as an apprentice artist in 2025.
Photo Credit: Justin Merriman
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