CULTURAL DISTRICT - Steelers tight end Matt Spaeth will make his professional dance debut with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre this weekend, subbing in for an injured Mikhail Barishnokovski. He will play the lead role in a new production of 'Dracula,' despite having only limited time training for the position.
"We've had a lot of injuries to our principal dancers this season," PBT director Terrence Orr says. "We've been using a lot of different combinations, and we rotated guys in and out during our southern tour to keep them fresh. But we need Matt for sure this weekend."
Orr says Spaeth has proved to be a pretty good dancer. "He's got quick feet, and he's great at lifts," Orr says. "Sometimes he holds the ballerinas a little too close to his body, like someone from the corps de ballet is going to come over and tackle him. But we'll review the film with him and work on it in class."
Spaeth is looking forward to the challenge. "Tight end, tackle, kicker, soloist - it doesn't matter to me," he said. "Luckily, we play Sunday night, so I can do all the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday matinee performances," the tight end/tackle/dancer says. "I should be able to get to the stadium in plenty of time, assuming I don't get a bunch of curtain calls."
