DANCERS AGES 14 AND UP GATHER IN A BEGINNING BALLET CLASS ON A RECENT MONDAY NIGHT AT THE PITTSBURGH BALLET THEATRE. | PHOTO BY AVERY JERINA

On a Monday night in the Strip District, the trill of a piano carries down the hallways of the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. In one of the mirrored studios, adults of all ages line the barres as live accompanist Aida Olarte plays. For most community dance studios, recorded tracks suffice. At PBT, every adult ballet class includes a live pianist — something usually reserved for professional companies, not hobby dancers in T-shirts and socks.

It’s a small difference that points to something bigger: here, ballet isn’t just about steps and technique. It’s about belonging.

PBT’s adult program has existed for more than 20 years, beginning with just one to two ballet or contemporary classes a day. After PBT’s Byham Center for Dance opened in 2016, the program grew rapidly. By 2018, the program had expanded to three to four classes each evening.

Today, the program includes around 30 classes per week across multiple styles — from ballet to Bollywood — along with private Pilates sessions. Enrollment, managed through a new PBT Dance & Fitness app, is first-come, first-served, with class sizes typically capped between 20 and 35 depending on the studio.

“It’s not tied to an audition; it’s not tied to looking a certain way. It’s not tied towards the things that we feel as dancers growing up,” says Marcella Day, PBT’s dance and fitness manager. “The people who walk into this room come in and share their lives. I just love how everyone makes the effort to support everyone.”

For some, PBT’s classes have rekindled a teenage passion. Glenn Lewis, 63, of Oakland, first studied ballet as a teenager before pursuing a career in music. Today, he’s the head of music at Pittsburgh Opera, and since returning to ballet at age 56, he has leaped back in full force.

GLENN LEWIS, 63, PREPARES FOR A PIROUETTE IN THE BEGINNING BALLET CLASS IN THE PITTSBURGH BALLET THEATRE COMMUNITY PROGRAM. | PHOTO BY AVERY JERINA

“I loved doing it when I was a teenager,” Lewis said. “I came back here and just signed up for a class and came to it.”

Lewis now tries to take classes twice a week, balancing rehearsals with the opera.

“I’m 63 years old and I’ve got friends who’ve already had hip replacements,” Lewis says. “It’s not happening to me. Not even close. And it’s because the classes are great here.”

Other students, like Karleen Preator, 70, of the North Side, describe ballet as a return to joy. A retired psychologist, she first took ballet when she was 5 but gave it up as a teenager to pursue skiing. Decades later, during a session with a life coach, she was asked what made her feel alive. When she answered that it was moving her body in ballet classes, the coach pressed further: “Why can’t you take ballet class now?”

Now, she calls Monday night class her sanctuary.

“It is so good for the soul,” Preator says with a smile. “This is my happy place. I love this class. I won’t miss my Monday night class.”

But not every student comes from a dance background. Susannah Ellsworth, 46, a radiation oncologist who lives in Oakland, tried ballet for the first time during the pandemic.

“I was looking for something to get me out of the house and be mentally and physically challenging,” Ellsworth says. “I tried it, and I was hooked.”

Ellsworth says it wasn’t easy at first. “It’s hard to not compare yourself to other people in the class, but it gave me some confidence that I didn’t have before just to try things and not be self-conscious about it.”

Ana Luisa Palminha, 43, of the South Side Flats, a compliance analyst who moved to Pittsburgh from Portugal, said PBT’s studios quickly became her social anchor while she was waiting for her work visa.

“This became the place where I knew I was going to be able to talk to people other than my husband,” Palminha says. “To me, one of the best things that we have is the sense of community. Even when I’m lazy, I force myself [to attend] because I know it will be good for me.”

Palminha says she also values the professional atmosphere. “We are able to take classes with professional dancers. We have live music, which is a privilege [that] should not be taken for granted.”

PBT BALLET INSTRUCTOR MADELINE GRADLE WORKS ON A POSTURE WITH STUDENT KARLEEN PREATOR. | PHOTO BY AVERY JERINA

At the front of the studio, ballet instructor Madeline Gradle moves easily between demonstrating steps and offering gentle guidance. A Corps de Ballet dancer with PBT who has taught adults since 2016, Gradle says the most rewarding part is watching students grow. “I really love seeing people discover and build confidence and explore. Ballet really is that discovery that I enjoy.”

Gradle also values the variety of people who come to class.

“Everyone is so different,” Gradle said. “Some people need more metaphor. Some people need more technical analysis. As I learn more about their outside life, it could be a bigger wealth of knowledge.”

Day, who has led PBT’s Dance and Fitness program since 2020, says she cares deeply about giving the adult division room to grow. One of the most popular additions has been a weekend-long summer intensive, a format usually reserved for young pre-professional students.

At PBT, it’s been reimagined for adults.

Over three days, participants rotate through ballet, Pilates, contemporary, Bollywood and jazz classes, while also learning a choreographic variation — most recently “Waltz of the Hours” from “Coppélia.” The weekend ends with a performance for friends and family.

“I think having that performance opportunity is really important,” Day says. “[Our] goals are finding ways for people to reach their ceiling, then open it up to make a new floor and keep growing.”

The program’s impact is best measured by the dancers. The health benefits are clear — balance, flexibility, posture — but students say the classes offer something deeper.

“When I get here, I can just be Luisa. I’m not a compliance analyst, I’m not a wife, I’m not a daughter, I’m nothing,” Palminha says. “I can be a clown; I can be goofy. And this is my space of being.”

Classes for teens and adults start at $5 for your first class, with single classes at $22. Monthly memberships range from $65 for four classes to $240 for unlimited dance classes (unlimited access does not include Pilates equipment classes). For class schedules and further details, visit pbt.org.

Avery Jerina is a student reporter with the Point Park News Service.