Pittsburgh Ballet's new artistic director a 'quintessential ballerina'

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School have announced that Susan Jaffe will succeed Terrence S. Orr as artistic director.

Last summer, Orr announced his intent to retire in June, following the ballet’s 50th anniversary season.

Jaffe will assume her role for PBT’s 2020-21 season, opening in October. She is currently dean of dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

“Leading PBT artistically is a dream come true for me, and I look forward to working with the dancers and everyone in the organization to bring it to its future,” Jaffe said. “Additionally, I am honored to be in the lineage of the artistic directors of PBT who have developed a vast array of repertoire, from the classics to contemporary ballet.”

“Susan brings a dynamic set of skills and valuable experience gained working in the arts since retiring from her illustrious dance career,” said board chair Dawn Fleischner. “In her most recent role at UNCSA, she built a thriving program centered on dancer health and well-being, creating strong community connections while striving for students to achieve high-quality artistry.”

‘Quintessential ballerina’

Jaffe joins the ranks of the PBT’s distinguished artistic directors, including founding artistic director Nicolas Petrov; Patricia Wilde, who, during her tenure from 1982 to 1996, invigorated the company with works by modern masters; and Orr, who has led the company since 1997, elevating its repertoire through his artistic vision and creative collaborations, the company said.

“I have known Susan for a very long time, and I’ve been proud to know her all these years,” Orr said. “I think that she will be a wonderful artistic director for Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and we are very lucky to have her leadership for the years to come.”

Jaffe, called the “Quintessential American Ballerina” by The New York Times, was a principal dancer for American Ballet Theatre for 22 years. She also performed with the Royal Ballet, Kirov Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, La Scala Ballet, Vienna State Opera Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet and the English National Ballet. She frequently danced with Mikhail Baryshnikov.

After her retirement from the stage in 2002, Jaffe was appointed adviser to the chairman of the board of ABT and also served as its ballet mistress. In 2012, she was appointed dean of dance at the UNCSA in Winston-Salem.

Jaffe has created works for ABT, American Ballet Theatre Studio Company, Grand Rapid Ballet’s Move Media, Company C Contemporary Ballet, Configurations Dance Theatre, DanceVision Youth Ensemble (a non-profit organization she co-founded in Princeton, N.J.), New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Texas Christian University, Princeton University, UNCSA, Youth American Grand Prix Gala, University of Utah and Goucher College.

Jaffe was New York Magazine’s Woman of the Year in 1998.