Dancing partners: At Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Cupid's arrow strikes more than usual
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Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Principal Dancers Chrisopher Budzynski and Alexandra Kochis. -
Eva Trapp and Nicholas Coppula, shown dancing "Uncommon," have been dating for more than two years.
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With all the romance in the air this Valentine's season, it's hard not to long for a loved one to be near.
For about a dozen dancers with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, that wish is fulfilled year-round because they are partners not only on the dance floor, but also in life.
"It's definitely unique to this degree," says artistic director Terrence Orr. "It just kind of happened along the way."
Although it's not unusual for one or two people within a company to be an item, the dancers agree this many is not the norm.
"It just sort of stems from being around these people so much and working so hard and intimately," says principal dancer Alexandra Kochis. "I guess stuff just tends to blossom out of that."
PG VIDEOMs. Kochis and her husband of almost nine years, principal Christopher Budzynski, met while with the Boston Ballet. They joined PBT in 2006 -- a sometimes tricky feat for spouses to find a company in need of dancers with features and strengths they both offer. The couple, in their 30s, now live in the North Hills.
"It figured into our search and making sure those people would have a place [for both of us] in whatever company we ended up in," Ms. Kochis says. "That really was a big reason that drew us to Pittsburgh."
For others, love flourished in Pittsburgh. Corps de ballet dancer Alejandro Diaz, 24, of Miami, started dating his girlfriend of three years, fellow corps dancer Gabrielle Thurlow, 24, of Buffalo, N.Y., shortly after he joined PBT from Boston Ballet II. Ballet requires a great deal of compromise, closeness and openness to critique for partners, he says.
"People ultimately show their true selves to each other," Mr. Diaz says. "It's hard not to fall in love with a friend or a co-worker."
Mr. Orr tries to accommodate couples when he can, but it's not always a possibility or something he looks for when he selects new hires.
First Published February 12, 2012 12:00 am
