Patrons to the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre will see a new face in the lobby. In his time in the city so far, the company’s new Artistic Director Adam McKinney has made an effort to be visible at performances and interact with residents — which is not always encouraged in the field of ballet. 

“The manner in which I work to welcome people to make sure that people feel appreciated, seen and heard is a contradiction in ballet, right?” McKinney said in an interview with PublicSource. “Because we’re taught not always to speak openly. It has been received, I think, and very much appreciated.” 

On stage, dancers are largely silent while telling the story through movement, but McKinney plans to make his mark on the city through his voice as well as dance. Those are values, he says, he learned outside of dance that he works to bring to the art form.