2 Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre dancers perform onstage with their daughters in 'Cinderella'

Audiences at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s production of “Cinderella” will get to share in some sweet family memories.

Two dancers — William Moore and Danielle Downey — will perform with their young daughters in the production, which runs Friday through Sunday.

Even more poignant, both dancers have just announced their retirement from Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, making their daughters’ first performance experiences their last.

Moore has been dancing with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre for 11 years, and Downey has been with the company for 17 years.

Both of their daughters have taken part in the Ballet’s Theatre School’s programs, and the choreographer for Cinderella, Jayne Smoulders, thought it would be a great idea to bring them into “Cinderella.”

“Jayne was speaking to me about my daughter dancing or being involved in ‘Cinderella’ … she generally tried to make it a family affair, which I really appreciate. It’s really special to be able to share the stage with her for my last show,” said William Moore.

Moore will dance for the final time with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre as “Kevin, the Dance Master” in Saturday evening’s performance. His daughter, Vivienne, is 4 years old.

“She’s excited … She’s the older of the two girls — Nova is younger — so I told her to look after Nova even though Nova will probably be looking over her,” he sad.

Danielle Downey’s daughter, Nova, is going to be 3 in June, and has been obsessed with dance for the past year.

“It all started when former PBT costumier Janet Campbell gifted her a little tutu, a pair of tights and the tiniest little pair of Capezio ballet shoes. I remember when I first put it on her, she was like, ‘what is this?’ … Now she dresses up in tutus all day every day on her own and dances around the house,” Danielle Downey said.

Downey spent much of this past season on maternity leave before giving birth to her youngest daughter. This gave her thechance to attend Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School’s “Family and Me” class with Nova once a week.

“We both loved the class, and it was the perfect blend of structure and creative movement,” Downey said.

Downey will dance her last performance as “Queen Katerina” in the Saturday afternoon show of “Cinderella.”

Vivienne, Moore’s daughter, also participates in Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School classes. “They play with wands sometimes, they learn coordination and learn how to do some of the very simple things that are actually very good for a developing child,” Moore said.

He and his wife also play a lot of music in their home. “When we’ve had certain ballets — like ‘Swan Lake’ — I’d play a pas de deux and we’d pretend we’re doing the pas de deux. We spend a lot of time at home kind of reenacting some of the shows.”

Both dancers are feeling bittersweet about their impending retirements, but they both feel that this is the right moment.

“Once I made the decision, I felt really good about it,” Moore said. “I don’t think it was a lack of love for it, but life kind of sends you down a different path sometimes.”

He and his wife, former Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre soloist Gabrielle Thurlow, welcomed a second child recently. Thurlow retired from Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre this past December.

Moore will stay with PBT in a choreographic capacity, putting together a new production of Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” for the spring of 2025.

“I get a little choked up every time I think about it, and yet I’m ready for it at the same time,” Downey said. “I’m not entirely sure how I’ll feel on the final day of the show … I think having Nova there with me will be grounding.”

Moore and Downey will not pressure their daughters to pursue long-term involvement in dance, but try to set realistic examples and let the girls choose for themselves.

“As a mother, I don’t want to put her in any boxes,” Downey said. “I want to help her explore and develop her own interests.”

Moore expressed a similar sentiment. “I think that I would never discourage anything that she wanted to do,” he said.

The girls’ parts in “Cinderella” will be small, and both parents will be interested to see how their daughters handle being onstage.

“She gets to wear a beautiful costume and headpiece and escort Cinderella to the ball. It’s literally a dream come true for her,” Downey said.

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s production of “Cinderella” will run Friday through Sunday at the Benedum Center. To learn more about the show, visit pbt.org.