Pittsburgh’s father of professional ballet and Point Park’s dance program retires — Conservatory Dance Company honors longtime teacher by staging his ‘Romeo and Juliet’

By Steve Sucato When Nicolas Petrov assumed the directorship of the Pittsburgh Playhouse‘s ballet school, in 1967, no one could have foreseen that within a few years, the Yugoslavian-born dancer and choreographer would forever alter the Pittsburgh dance landscape by founding two of its major institutions: Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Point Park University‘s renowned dance department.  Now, on the eve of Professor Petrov’s retirement from Point … Continue reading Pittsburgh’s father of professional ballet and Point Park’s dance program retires — Conservatory Dance Company honors longtime teacher by staging his ‘Romeo and Juliet’

Another strong outing for Point Park’s ‘Contemporary Choreographers’ showcase

Reviewed by Steve Sucato One thing I have learned over a decade of reviewing Point Park University‘s Conservatory Dance Company’s shows is that they rarely contain a dull moment. The 2013 version of CDC’s annual Contemporary Choreographers program, this past Saturday, was no different. Fate brought former Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre soloist Terence Marling back to Pittsburgh — or at least the subject did. Of his new work … Continue reading Another strong outing for Point Park’s ‘Contemporary Choreographers’ showcase

Attack Theatre returns to the scene of the crime in ‘The Chalk Line’

Reviewed by Steve Sucato Apparently it wasn’t case closed for Attack Theatre choreographers and artistic directors Peter Kope and Michele De La Reza after their 2011 crime-drama-inspired What?…This is What. Their latest production, The Chalk Line, re-envisions that 2011 dance-theater work. In the Nov. 2 performance, dancer Dane Toney opened the show by running onto the stage to a back wall, where he wrote in chalk, “Season 2 … Continue reading Attack Theatre returns to the scene of the crime in ‘The Chalk Line’