School of Dance students experience professional dance life at Pittsburgh Dance Workshop

This summer, students from OHIO’s School of Dance traveled to Pittsburgh to participate in the Pittsburgh Dance Workshop, an intensive that brings together dancers, choreographers and companies from throughout the Pittsburgh dance community for a week of classes and performances.

For students such as Libby Shoemaker, the experience offered a chance to step outside the classroom and immerse herself in a larger dance community.

“This June, I got the opportunity to attend Pittsburgh Dance Workshop with a group of Ohio University Dance Program students. Throughout the week, we got to immerse ourselves in many different styles of dance; it was so fun to dive into dance for the week with everyone,” Shoemaker said.

The Pittsburgh Dance Workshop was founded in 2025 by Pittsburgh-based choreographer and OHIO Professor of Instruction in Dance and Musical Theater Anthony Alterio, who wanted to create a space where the city's dance community could come together.

After returning to Pittsburgh in 2023, Alterio noticed a lack of performance opportunities for individual artists and a disconnect among the city's various dance companies, choreographers and dancers. Drawing on his experience as a choreographer and producer, he created the workshop as a neutral gathering place for the Pittsburgh dance community.

Unlike university-affiliated dance festivals in the region, the Pittsburgh Dance Workshop focuses exclusively on Pittsburgh-based artists. The six-day event featured classes and performances and is designed to make professional dance training accessible to a wide range of dancers.

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This year, OHIO students were able to take advantage of that opportunity through funding from the College of Fine Arts’ Professional Activity Award. The grant helped provide housing for the students and allowed them to participate in the festival at no cost.

“It was really cool to see how many companies, choreographers and dancers came together for this celebration of dance throughout the week,” Shoemaker added. “This workshop not only gave me the opportunity to learn new things and to dance, but it also allowed local dancers around the city to come together with all the attendees and do what they love to do most: dance. I am so grateful for the opportunity to attend this workshop through Professor Anthony Alterio and Ohio University for making it happen!  

Alterio also incorporated an additional professional component into the students’ experience, with four OHIO students having the opportunity to learn and perform a seven-minute work by Shana Simmons, artistic director of Shana Simmons Dance, a professional Pittsburgh company that has been active for more than 20 years. Three additional students premiered a new work choreographed by Alterio as part of the festival as well.

Rather than just watching, the students gained direct experience working alongside professionals and seeing what it takes to perform as a career. Students also participated in the workshop’s repertory component, where they were expected to learn choreography in a matter of hours and perform it at the end of the week.

For Mya Francisco, that experience was one of the highlights of the trip.

“At PDW we got to learn from multiple different choreographers and do different styles of dance every time,” Francisco said. “My favorite memory was when we found out that we were learning a combo to ‘stupid song’ by Olivia Rodrigo. Besides that, I really enjoyed being a part of the repertory pieces. I love the experience you get when having to learn a dance in eight hours or less. It builds confidence, respect, responsibility, and trust within your teammates.”

That accelerated process also gave students a realistic look at the demands of professional dance.

The days were long and physically and mentally demanding. Students had to adapt quickly, learn choreography, rehearse, perform and continue training, all while ensuring they were taking care of themselves as well. They saw firsthand that a career in dance requires more than technical ability, but also how cross-training, strength training, yoga and Pilates can all become part of the routine of maintaining a dancer’s body.

For some students, the intensity of the experience prompted them to think differently about what a career in dance might look like.

According to Alterio, some students began asking themselves questions about whether the professional dance performance life was right for them, not necessarily as a rejection of their major or their goals, but as a valuable opportunity to consider those questions while still in college. 

“That is one of the benefits of experiential learning,” Alterio said. “Students can encounter the realities of a profession while they still have time to reflect, learn and make informed decisions about their futures.”

The experience also allowed students to see the community that exists beyond OHIO’s campus.

“One of my favorite parts about attending this dance workshop was getting to know the staff, and what the culture of dance looks like in Pittsburgh,” Shoemaker said.

The festival allowed students to engage with 24 Pittsburgh-based individuals, artists and companies, including 11 artists who led 20 classes and 14 individual artists and companies whose performances gave students an opportunity to experience the breadth of Pittsburgh’s vibrant dance community.

For students who had never visited Pittsburgh, the trip also provided an opportunity to experience a new city and make connections outside of Athens.

“Pittsburgh Dance Workshop was an amazing opportunity for all dancers to come together and make memories that will last a lifetime,” Francisco said. “Overall, I loved being a part of PDW and I hope I can return next year.”

For Alterio, the goal is to continue finding ways to connect students' classroom experiences with the professional world. Before taking students to Pittsburgh, he brought School of Dance students to Columbus for the Ohio Dance Festival through the same funding opportunity. 

He hopes to continue pursuing funding that will allow OHIO students to travel to other cities, meet working artists, experience different dance communities and ultimately prepare students for the realities of the profession while also giving them room to discover what kind of dancer and artist they want to become.