Raising the Bar

Barbara Bears, the new rehearsal director at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, brings her career as a principal ballerina to the role of perfecting a performance.

Like many girls, Barbara Bears began dance lessons at the age of 6. But unlike most young ballerinas, she realized she wanted a career in dance by the age of 12. At 16, she continued her studies with the Houston Ballet, where she quickly moved up through the ranks to principal dancer. In her 20-year career, she created more than 30 roles with the ballet, which were choreographed expressly for her.

She has worked with several prestigious luminaries of the ballet world, including legendary Dame Margot Fonteyn, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Justin Peck of the New York City Ballet, Christopher Wheeldon and Christopher Bruce. The longevity of her dance career has afforded her the opportunity to work with two generations of dancers and choreographers.

That doesn’t mean it was always easy or injury-free, however.

“I’ve actually had multiple foot surgeries,” says Bears, “but we had a really good physical therapy department at the Houston Ballet.”

In addition to her time in front of the footlights, she’s also been a valued teacher, coach and ballet master. When Adam W. McKinney was named the new artistic director of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (PBT), he tapped Bears for rehearsal director.

“We had a mutual friend,” explains Bears. “Adam is really what sold me on the job. He’s a kind and compassionate person. I think he’s going to take PBT to the next level.”

Bears and her husband, Garrett Gadbois, were living in Washington, D.C., at the time.

When they made the trek to Pittsburgh to check out the city, they were pleasantly surprised.

Her first impression came from going through the Fort Pitt Tunnels and seeing the city on the other side. “Coming out of that tunnel and seeing the city, I had to adjust my thinking. I had this idea it was an industrial city. But seeing the rivers and the bridges, the classic architecture of downtown and the old train station—it’s really a beautiful city! I really love how they have respect for the architecture here and preserve it and repurpose it, rather than tearing it down.”

Her son Ethan, who is a student at Rensselaer Polytechnic in Troy, New York, traveled to Pittsburgh as well and they visited the Andy Warhol Museum where they sat on the famous couch for a photo.

Bears and her husband have also bonded with Mt. Lebanon. “We knew the minute we saw it that it was where we wanted to live. It’s so walkable! It’s a five-minute walk to a coffee shop or hardware store. I also like that a lot of the businesses are family owned. It’s great to go to work, and come home to this charming, artsy little town.”

Pittsburgh is fortunate to have Bears’ talent and experience contributing to the beautiful art of ballet. She’s also a great advocate for the art form, and often gives tickets to friends and neighbors who have never visited the ballet.

“It’s such a family-friendly event—especially ‘The Nutcracker.’ People sometimes get a little intimidated by ballet, thinking that it’s this high-brow form of entertainment. But we work very hard to create a show that anyone can enjoy, even those who know nothing about dance. I just wish everyone would go see the ballet and give it a try. I think they will be pleasantly surprised.”