PITTSBURGH (AP) - When actress and Tony Award-winning choreographer Ann Reinking was thinking about an idea for a short ballet about two piano keys falling in love, she chose a small, not-so-well-known university in this city to try it out.

The suggestion to experiment with Point Park University students came from longtime friend and composer Jeff Saver, a teaching artist-in-residence. It was a decision Reinking didn’t regret.

‘‘A little miracle happened today and it happened in Pittsburgh,’’ Reinking told the students after choreographing and rehearsing the ballet’s finale a day before the performance last month. ‘‘It makes me want to come back to Pittsburgh. This is what makes choreographers want to hire you.’’

This 3,500-student university is gaining a reputation for turning out talented stage performers.