Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Postpones Performances Of BNY Mellon Presents HERE + NOW

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (PBT) has postponed performances of its BNY Mellon presents "Here + Now" program at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center in response to ongoing concerns about the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus). The performances, scheduled for March 20-29, have been postponed until further notice.

"Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre is committed to the health and safety of our Pittsburgh community, including our audiences and our artists," Executive Director Harris Ferris said. "It's our goal to be able to present the hard work of our dancers, choreographers and artistic staff as soon as possible."

All ticket holders for BNY Mellon presents "Here + Now" performances will receive a phone call from PBT to discuss ticketing options. PBT asks that ticket holders refrain from calling the box office until they have been contacted by a PBT representative. Community Day, masterclasses and audience education programs around BNY Mellon presents "Here + Now" have also been postponed until further notice.

In addition to performances at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, PBT's 50th Anniversary Festival Gala, scheduled to take place on April 4, 2020, has been impacted by the closure of Stage AE through the end of April.

"PBT is currently exploring options to creatively continue the celebration of our 50th Anniversary Season and the long career of Artistic Director Terrence S. Orr," Ferris said.

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School (PBT School) has canceled in-person classes for students in the Children's Division, Student Division, and Levels 6 and 7 of the Pre-professional Division. PBT is working to develop remote learning content and opportunities to continue the training and engagement of our students until in-person classes can resume. Students in Level 8 and the Graduate program will continue to have modified classes in the studio through April 3, 2020, with extra precautions taken to ensure the health and safety of PBT School students and faculty. All classes in the Community Division and Adaptive Dance are canceled beginning tomorrow, March 14, 2020. Classes are scheduled to resume after April 12, 2020. If this changes, PBT will communicate any updates to students and families via email, social media and pbt.org/pbt-school/health-update.

Mindful Movement and Dance for Parkinson's programs were canceled earlier in the week to protect vulnerable populations. The continuation of these programs will be reevaluated the week of Monday, March 30, 2020. Programs taking place in schools and community centers, including Pittsburgh Public Schools, will continue as scheduled barring cancelations from the schools or updated recommendations from the Allegheny County Health Department.

PBT Company Auditions scheduled for March 21, 2020 at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre have also been canceled.

PBT is actively monitoring the situation around COVID-19 and will adapt its operations as necessary to ensure the safety of dancers, students, staff and guests, and to adhere to best practices and recommendations set forth by the Allegheny County Health Department. PBT asks that no one come to PBT if they are feeling ill. As new information becomes available, any changes will be communicated to patrons, parents and the public through email, social media and pbt.org/healthupdate.

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