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Wednesday, November 01, 2023
Black-led Community Spotlight: Adam W. McKinney, artistic director for The Pittsburgh Ballet Theater
Pittsburgh City Paper: Growing up in Milwaukee, Adam W. McKinney performed in musicals and choreographed dance routines on the playground, including in the third grade for the hit song "Rock Steady" by The Whispers. When he took his first formal ballet class at 16, McKinney discovered his passion for the art form.
1 comment:
Luna
said...
I thought that this article was very inspiring and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It is so crazy that he is the first person of color to be the artistic director of the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Though this is crazy it is not very hard to believe, which is very sad. However, this change to be a ballet company is definitely a step in the right direction. One thing that I have noticed about the entertainment industry is that, oftentimes the people that you see on the stage are diverse in race and ethnicity. On the contrary, the backstage jobs like creatives, choreographers, designers, and technicians, the people who you normally do not see, are usually white. Hopefully with Adam W. McKinney, he can change this at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and inspire other theatres to do the same. I really liked what he said about dance being more than just a performance, You can also use it to build community and fight for social justice, which are both so important in our current society.
1 comment:
I thought that this article was very inspiring and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It is so crazy that he is the first person of color to be the artistic director of the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Though this is crazy it is not very hard to believe, which is very sad. However, this change to be a ballet company is definitely a step in the right direction. One thing that I have noticed about the entertainment industry is that, oftentimes the people that you see on the stage are diverse in race and ethnicity. On the contrary, the backstage jobs like creatives, choreographers, designers, and technicians, the people who you normally do not see, are usually white. Hopefully with Adam W. McKinney, he can change this at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and inspire other theatres to do the same. I really liked what he said about dance being more than just a performance, You can also use it to build community and fight for social justice, which are both so important in our current society.
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