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| PBT Artists Kurtis Sprowls, Jonathan Breight, Jack Hawn and André Gallon. Photo Credit: Anita Buzzy Prentiss |
Running for four Pittsburgh Ballet Theater performances
from February 20 to February 22, America 250 will feature four
family-friendly and stunning classical and contemporary Americana-themed
ballets that honor the American spirit. All the works will include live
accompaniment by the PBT Orchestra.
Heading the program, The Mighty Casey was created by
choreographer Lisa de Ribere as an original ballet for Pittsburgh Ballet
Theatre in 1990. This crowd-pleasing work is based on the popular poems “Casey
at the Bat and Casey—Twenty Years Later.”
Told
in flashback, the story depicts Casey, who famously struck out in Mudville in
1888, redeeming himself 20 years later. This fun-filled ballet about America’s
favorite pastime features music selections from John Philip Sousa and Stephen
Foster.
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| Tommie Lin Kesten and Colin McCaslin; photo by Justin Merriman |
Stars
and Stripes Pas de Deux is a patriotic, classical ballet
choreographed by George Balanchine as a tribute to his beloved adopted country
of America. Balanchine is often credited as the “Father of American Ballet” for
his influence and for developing his distinct neoclassical style, which swept
the ballet world.
In
his signature style, Stars and Stripes is a plotless ballet that offers joyous
fun and pure dancing from start to finish. It is set to a buoyant march by John
Philip Sousa.
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| Hannah Carter and Lucius Kirst; photo by Justin Merriman |
Three
Preludes is internationally award-winning work created by Ben
Stevenson, O.B.E., in 1969 and is performed to selections of Sergei
Rachmaninoff’s “Preludes.” This romantic pas de deux centers on two dancers who
fall in love while working at a dance studio. The three movements develop in
both speed and intensity as the dancers' emotions evolve into passion.
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| Caitlyn Mendicico and David O'Matz; photo by Justin Merriman |
Company
B,
choreographed by Paul Taylor, expertly captures the optimistic spirit of 1940s
America amid the sobering shadow of World War II. Choreographed in 1991,
Company B is one of Taylor’s most loved and performed works.
Set to popular music by The Andrews Sisters from the 1940s, Company B blends jitterbug, jazz and an athletic modern dance style, making it both a unique challenge for the dancers and an audience favorite.
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| Amanda Morgan (retired), Josiah Kauffman, Ariana Chernyshev, Abigail Huang, David O'Matz and Caitlyn Mendicino photo by Justin Merriman |
Twenty-one-year-old
dancer, Michael Stadtherr, who joined the PBT in July of last year, is
scheduled to dance the solo in the Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (from Company B)
selection. When asked if he was familiar with the music of the Andrews
Sisters, popular decades before he was even born, he replied that he heard some
of their their songs like “Rum and Coca-Cola” and “Bugle Boy,” but only had a
vague notion of what they looked like.
“When
I dance ‘Bugle Boy,’ it will be my biggest role yet and my most exciting,” he
said.
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| Soloist Josiah Kauffman Courtesy Photo |
Stadtherr
will alternate the role on different performance dates with dancer Josiah
Kauffman. From the start the two dancers talked to each other about the role
and, now that their refining the role, check with one another about details in
technique and execution.
“We’ve
collaborated a lot during rehearsal and, although we perform the same steps and
share the same technique, there’s still a lot of room for individual freedom
and creativity,” he said. “When Patrick Corbin, [who danced Company B with
the Paul Taylor Company], visited us as repetiteur, he said that, while we look
different in our interpretation of the role, it’s really a good thing overall.”
In
the role, Stadtherr said his favorite moments are those when he really gets to
express the character and connect with the audience. “It’s a really fun piece
to do,” he added .
On
the other hand, the most challenging aspect of his solo is to maintain the same
high energy level through the entire three-minute long piece until he gets to
slide across the floor at the end of the piece.
According
to a PBT blog post, choreographer Paul Taylor seamlessly blends popular 1940s
social dances—including the jitterbug, lindy and polka—with his signature
modern dance style to create this emotional ballet.
Getting
to dance outside the balletic framework and venture into modern dace is, for
Stadtherr, “a great chance to do the choreography by such a big name in the
dance world.”
“As
a ballet dancers, we’re trained to perform the classical story ballets,” he
added. “But when we get to do something new, as in Company B, we get to
try a lot of new and different things.”
For
Bugle Boy, he said he’s learned he has to relax into the role. Fortunately,
before he goes into the performance, he has a one song hiatus where he’s not on
stage, which gives him a chance to catch his breath.
“The
bugle boy is such a carefree, happy-go-lucky guy, the pause gives me a chance
to get in the character’s right state of mind,” he said.
Stadtherr
vaguely remembers seeing his first ballet around the age of eight, a
performance in Detroit of Giselle by a Russian troupe.
“I
was super impressed with the girls but thought the men in the corps could have
been better,” Stadtherr said. “At 11, I stopped studying hip-hop, jazz and tap
dance and switched to ballet.”
Like
most other young ballet dancers, he has his eye on performing all or most of
the male roles from the classical story ballets like Siegfried in Swan Lake,
Franz in Coppelia and Albrecht in Giselle.
At
the moment, he’s concentrating on Company B and another in America 250
role, that of the Catcher in the baseball-inspired Casey at the Bat.
“You
wouldn’t expect classic ballet and baseball to go together, but in this ballet
the mix works,” he said. “While the female roles are ballet grounded, the male
roles are looser in movement. As to the Catcher, he’s very character-focused
and fun to do because he’s somewhat over-the-top.”
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| Michael Stadtherr Credit: PBT |
Horoscope Pisces
Social Media
Instagram: @michael_stadtherr
Hometown
Novi, MI
Training
Planko Classical Ballet Academy
Canada’s National Ballet School
Boston Ballet Graduate Program
Other Professional Companies
Tulsa Ballet II
PBT
Joined PBT as an Apprentice in 2025
Q&A
What has been your favorite role?
Tweedle Dum in Kenneth Tindall’s Alice in Wonderland because it was such a fun character to play. You get to connect with the audience, dance freely and play with the character in such a unique way.
What’s your perfect day?
It would be a day when I was performing something on stage or just spending time with close friends and family. I also love to try new things and push myself to places I haven’t been before. Those are always some of the most exciting days.
If I weren’t a ballet dancer, I would be…
I might be in school to become an architect or a priest. I have many interests, but ballet is definitely number one right now.
More About Company B
Read more about company B at https://pbt.org/blog/paul-taylors-company-b/
Schedule
PBT
will perform America 250 with the PBT Orchestra at the Benedum Center on the
following dates and times:
Friday, February
20, 2026 – 7:30 PM
Saturday, February
21, 2026 – 2:00 PM
Saturday, February
21, 2026 – 7:30 PM
Sunday, February 22, 2026 – 2:00 PM
Ticket
Information
Single
tickets for America 250 with the PBT Orchestra start at $33.50, including all
fees, and are available at pbt.org or by calling 412-456-6666. Season
subscription packages are also available. More information is available at
pbt.org or by calling 412-454-9107.
Groups
purchasing eight or more tickets save up to 50%. More information is available
at pbt.org/groups.
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