Choreography XX: Nicole Haskins stands on the merits

July 4, 2017 – “There was a strong sense of a journey, and of a mutual defense pact between the tribes. The movement and lighting design emphasized the glassy quality of the slick black flooring, rather like the surface of a lake, and the saturated colours of the dancers’ second-skin unitards suggested the sometimes perilous migrations of jewel-toned waterfowl.” Read more

Oregon Artswatch | Choreography XX: Nicole Haskins stands on the merits

June 29, 2017 – “As a choreographer Haskins has created ballets to a variety of music, but she is mostly drawn to orchestral music. For her, the choreographic process begins there.” Read more

Oregon Artswatch | DanceWatch Weekly: Choreography XX in the park

June 29, 2017 – “The choices around language, music, the steps, the attack, the imagery, the energy, the focus, and the costumes, are all aspects of who the choreographer is, and it is all reflected in the dance.” Read more

Portland Monthly | Oregon Ballet Theatre Debuts 3 World-Premiere Dances By Women

June 28, 2017 – “The dance came together through workshops where she wanted dancers to explore and invent new movements and ways their bodies could connect. She also loves working with a diverse group of dancers, whose different personalities and strong individuality can add to the collective work.” Read more

Fox 12 (KPTV) | Oregon Ballet Theater celebrates female choreographers with outdoor show

June 20, 2017 – “There is still a long way to go. It would be nice to be recognized as a choreographer and not a female choreographer, but I think if this [Choreography XX] is what it takes for people to recognize that they need to take a second to look beyond the standard.” Read more

Oregon Artswatch | DanceWatch Weekly: Helen Simoneau’s work in progress

June 15, 2017 – “For two weeks now the dancers at Oregon Ballet Theatre have been in the studio rigorously working out new, exciting choreography by Gioconda Barbuto, Helen Simoneau, and Nicole Haskins. The three talented choreographers were selected in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s Choreography XX competition.” Read more

The Oregonian | Oregon Ballet Theatre’s ‘Amore Italiano’ a double bill that delivers on love

October 11, 2015 – “It’s all about love, Italian style, at Oregon Ballet Theatre’s season-opening program Amore Italiano. More specifically, it’s about a modern Canadian dancemaker’s take on adultery and murder (James Kudelka’s Sub Rosa), paired with a 19th-century Danish choreographer’s romantic view of a Neopolitan fishing village (August Bournonville’s Napoli Act III).

But viewers who love Italy, love love, and love ballet can find something to embrace in both of these dramatically different pieces. ” Read more

Huffington Post | The Light and Dark of ‘Amore Italiano’ at Oregon Ballet Theatre

October 8, 2015 – “Oregon Ballet Theatre opens its season this weekend with the slyly titled Amore Italiano – a double bill that bows to the Italian roots of ballet, in both classical and contemporary manner, in moods both light and dark.” Read more

Oregon Arts Watch | Love and death in Naples: OBT’s Mediterranean adventure

October 7, 2015 – “Oregon Ballet Theatre opens its twenty-sixth season on Saturday with a Manichean program of narrative ballets titled Amore Italiano. The Manichean idea of dualism, you might recall, views the world as conveniently divided between good and evil, light and dark, or love and hate.

And that’s the great divide of Amore Italiano. Both ballets on the program at Keller Auditorium, as it happens, take place in Naples – James Kudelka’s Sub Rosa in the 16th century palace ballroom of composer Carlo Gesualdo, who was also Prince of Venosa (part of the Neapolitan kingdom); August Bournonville’s Napoli, Act III, in the city’s sunny harbor.” Read more

The Oregonian | Oregon Ballet Theatre season-closer ‘Impact’ sets the stage for something new

April 21, 2015 – “When the curtain fell on “Impact,” Oregon Ballet Theatre’s season closer, opening night felt more like the start of a new beginning than any sort of end. “…”If you never had one before, “Rassemblement,” with these dancers, is reason to find yourself at the ballet.” Read more

Oregon Arts Watch | OBT dancers: Making an ‘Impact’

From Spaight to Duato, the ballet company’s Newmark program revels in variety and the spice of life.

April 19, 2015 – “’The rhythm of my dancing is the same as the beat of my heart. I think. I imagine. I hear. I feel. I do it for you.’ That is a translation of the American Sign Language the dancers “speak” in Dennis Spaight’s Crayola, the second piece on Oregon Ballet Theatre’s 25th anniversary season wrap-up, which opened at the Newmark Theatre on Thursday.” Read more

Oregonian Preview: Breathe! Stretch! Choreographer who added bounce to Beyonce world tour whips up OBT dancers

April 6, 2015 – “Legs whip. Arms snap. Bodies collapse to the floor where they crawl on elbows and knees. Raging music swirls over their heads. Darrell Grand Moultrie snaps his fingers, eyes flicking from dancer to dancer. ‘Breathe! Stretch!’ Moultrie is the man in charge. He’s a Harlem-based choreographer who was one of a dozen choreographers who worked with Beyonce on her ‘Mrs. Carter’ world tour two years ago. He has also worked with the Tony-winning dancer Savion Glover. Today, he is rehearsing a dozen dancers at Oregon Ballet Theatre. His ‘Instinctual Confidence’ will be one of four works on a program called ‘Impact’ at the Newmark Theatre.” Read more

The Oregonian | Oregon Ballet Theatre’s ‘Cinderella’ offers spectacle, magical transformations, lush live music

March 1, 2015 – “…for sheer spectacle, it’s hard to outdo Oregon Ballet Theatre’s new production…”

“[Xuan Cheng as Cinderella] conveys the emotional shift from despair to excitement beautifully…”

“[Choreographer Ben Stevenson] gives the company a chance to waltz and gavotte (at the Prince’s ball), creating a moment of joy in motion.”

“OBT’s orchestra, under the baton of music director Niel DePonte, shows why live music trumps a recording every time.” Read more

The Oregonian | Children from School of OBT adorn “The Nutcracker” with energy, enchantment

December 14, 2014 – “(Oregon Ballet Theatre’s production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker) had musicality and neoclassical precision in spades.”

“[Second Act] standouts were Jordan Kindell (as Candy Cane) in effortless-looking acrobatics with a hoop, Ye Li’s pristine jumps [as Tea] and Dewdrop’s Candace Bouchard, all grace and light in an extremely difficult roll.”

“[The Snowflakes] unison precision in Balanchine’s choreography was seven minutes of pure magic.”Read more

Oregon Arts Watch | ‘Nut’: doin’ what comes naturally

December 15, 2014 – “There’s much to love in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, and in the way it is performed by Oregon Ballet Theatre.”

“Chauncey Parsons as Herr Drosselmeier [was] avuncular in the party scene when he presented the dancing dolls and the Nutcracker, and deliciously sinister as he sets the stage for Marie’s dream, proved himself as good a character dancer as he is a bravura technician.”

“Candace Bouchard… [as Dewdrop]… has made this role her own in the last couple of years, and on Saturday she really nailed it, dancing it with such musicality and delicate strength … ”

 

“… it is the dancers, after all, with the help of their ballet masters (in this instance Lisa Kipp and Jeffrey Stanton), who at the end of the day are responsible for providing this Nutcracker much to love.” Read more

KATU News segment | Nutcracker Ballet opens in Portland

December 13, 2014 – “It’s one of the most treasured holiday traditions. Oregon Ballet Theatre gave KATU an exclusive backstage look at their rehearsals before opening day on Saturday at Keller Auditorium.” Watch News Segment

The Oregonian: Sugar Plum Fairy is a ‘Nutcracker’ dream come true for 3 Oregon Ballet Theatre dancers

December 9, 2014 – “The Sugar Plum Fairy is the queen of George Balanchine’s ‘The Nutcracker.’ She presides over the ballet’s second act with regal grace, and her breathtaking duet with her Cavalier is one of the evening’s most-beautiful moments. For years, principal dancers Alison Roper and Yuka Iino dominated the role in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s annual production, which kicks off its run this Saturday and continues through Dec. 27. But their retirements in recent years has opened the door for three ballerinas who are getting their first chance to dance the Sugar Plum Fairy this year. For Candace Bouchard, Eva Burton and Martina Chavez, it’s a “Nutcracker” dream come true.” Read more

Oregon Arts Watch | Creating ‘The Nutcracker’: It’s kids’ stuff

Gavin Larsen and a ballet school’s worth of students get ready for OBT’s annual holiday ballet, opening Saturday

December 9, 2014 – “It is 3:45 p.m. on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Chattering children in various sizes and shapes, dressed in practice clothes, mill around the lobby outside the main studio in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s current digs on Southeast Sixth Avenue, where Nutcracker rehearsals will soon take place. There isn’t a whole lot of time left before OBT’s annual run of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker opens at the Keller Auditorium on Saturday, December 13. The crowd spills over into the corridor outside the company’s second studio, where children’s ballet master Gavin Larsen is coaching Ruby Mae Lefebvre, one of the Maries, in the first act transition scene between the party’s end and the battle of the mice and toy soldiers. Two more Maries, Malia McClanahan and Zaida Johnson, sit quietly on the studio floor, backs against the wall, intent on what Lefebre is doing and what Larsen is saying about it.” Read more

Willamette Week | Live Review

October 14, 2014 – “Oregon Ballet Theatre is turning 25, and it wants to celebrate. The company’s season opener, OBT/25, acts as its party, and with it comes a reflective mix of past works paired alongside a world premiere. This, understandably, leads to a night of truly diverse dances, all connected by a common feeling of festivity. One thing is for sure: OBT knows how to throw a party.” Read more

Critical Dance | A Golden Silver Anniversary

October 11, 2014 – “Mr. Balanchine is quoted as saying that a good dinner has a little something for everyone… Kevin Irving, entering his second year and first full season as Artistic Director, smartly and wisely chose a program that had a little something for everyone, including an iconic Balanchine ballet, three pas de deux as a set, and a terrific new commission.” Read more

The Oregonian | Oregon Ballet Theatre celebrates its past, present with Pink Martini collaboration: Dance review

October 12, 2014 – “[T]here’s plenty of shimmer to this silver anniversary.”

“[Love x 3] revealed OBT’s heart and soul… The works, joined together with a theme of love, featured some of the best dancers from the company’s current roster, along with the return of Alison Roper, who retired just last spring, in a passionate duet from Stowell’s ‘Carmen.’”

[About the pas de deux from James Canfield’s Romeo & Juliet] “Deguchi and Simcoe radiated both passion and innocence as young lovers awakening to forbidden desire. In the duet’s final moment, Simcoe’s Romeo flees to avoid discovery, and Deguchi flings herself on her bed with just the right mix of joy and despair.” Read more

Portland Monthly | Review: Oregon Ballet Theatre Turns 25 with a Stage Extravaganza

10/13/2014 – [About Nicolo Fonte’s Never Stop Falling (In Love)] “big, joyous…”

“[Nicolo Fonte’s Never Stop Falling (In Love)] is all about old school grandeur and glamour paired with contemporary movement”

“[Jordan Kindell’s] lower center of gravity and muscular grace [in Nicolo Fonte’s Never Stop Falling (In Love)] lended him a sort of raw power that makes him impossible to ignore…”

[About Nicolo Fonte’s Never Stop Falling (In Love)] “The elegiac choreography highlighted Chauncey [Parson’s] delicate lines as well as Colby [Parson’s] brute strength… It was one of those moment where practice, technique, and creativity merge to beautiful affect.”

“Martina Chavez and Brian Simcoe nailed [Agon’s] toughest pas de deux, a deceptively cool piece of choreography peppered with blind drops that flirt with brain injury and a lasting image of Simcoe firmly bending Chavez’s lithe body into a sort of standing swan origami.” Read more

Oregon Arts Watch | OBT25: the Agon and the ecstasy

Oregon Ballet Theatre leaps into its 25th season with a Balanchine masterpiece, salutes to its past, and a creative new venture with Pink Martini

October 10, 2014 – “There’s been considerable passage of time since George Balanchine and Igor Stravinsky made Agon, which opened the show, and yet there’s definitely no sign of wear in this work that expresses the jittery, cocky, competitive atmosphere of post -World War II New York – and when danced well, which it was here, is equally reflective of our own increasingly terrifying times.”

“Candace Bouchard [in George Balanchine’s Agon], who is an experienced performer, danced Dewdrop in Balanchine’s Nutcracker with the speed, musicality and limpid clarity that the role demands, and did likewise with the Spanish-tinged details of the solo that is part of the second Pas de Trois, partnered by Jordan Kindell and Adam Hartley.”

 

[About the pas de deux from Christopher Stowell’s Carmen] “Parsons, who has performed such oblivious aristocrats as Swan Lake’s Siegfried and Giselle’s Albrecht, is just as convincing at callow cluelessness; and Roper, moving like a female Lucifer in serpentine form certainly did the job on Saturday night. They, and Stowell, were applauded long and hard.” Read more

The Huffington Post | It’s Pink Martini and Balanchine for Oregon Ballet Theatre at 25

October 7, 2014 – “OBT is in the throes of rehearsal for a 25th anniversary program that honors its 20th century past, and also looks ahead to its future as a cultural beacon in a city that boxes way above its weight class in the arts.”

“[Agon Répétiteur Bark Cook] murmured ‘beautiful’ as Martina Chavez maneuvered into a deep arabesque penchée on pointe while Brian Simcoe threw himself to the ground on his back, continuing to support her with one hand. There were thrills aplenty, as when Jordan Kindell and Adam Hartley tossed Candace Bouchard high into the air. But perhaps the greatest pleasure came from watching the ensemble chew up space in low explosive jumps that often twist and change direction unexpectedly in the air – especially the cadre of men (Hartley, Kindell, Simcoe, and Chauncey Parsons)… Apart from the stunning, elegant Chavez, doe-eyed Eva Burton was a revelation in rehearsal – flipping between stark hyperextensions and softly regal classical positions with astonishing ease – as was Candace Bouchard, who pairs the serenity of a Botticelli with the athleticism of a modern American Olympian.”

“Ansa Deguchi is a reckless young teenager in James Canfield’s Romeo and Juliet, trying to prevent the sensitive Brian Simcoe from leaving her bedroom at the crack of dawn. The petite Deguchi radiates clean lines, and communicates with her beautiful arches and delicately expressive fingers and hands.” Read more

The Oregonian | Oregon Ballet Theatre and Pink Martini mark OBT’s 25th anniversary in first collaboration

October 8, 2014 – “When Kevin Irving, OBT’s artistic director, first contacted Lauderdale about collaborating, the pianist hesitated. ‘I was worried about over-saturation’ in Portland, he said. But Irving persisted and Lauderdale is glad he did. ‘All the music the band plays is dance music. I feel like we do our best work with dancers. It’s interesting for the band to work with dancers because we have to breathe differently'” Read more

Oregon Arts Watch | Dance: something old, something new for OBT

October 14, 2013 – “It was proof, indeed, that the company, with newly arrived artistic director Kevin Irving at the helm, is still alive and kicking up a storm.”

“an integrated and quite beautiful expression of …Spanish soul.” (about Por Vos Muero)

“I had a good time. You will, too.” Read more

The Oregonian | OBT debut of artistic director Kevin Irving is filled with romance

October 13, 2013 – “It’s certainly a new era at OBT.”

“Roper inhabits romantic intimacy, free-wheeling comedy and sculptural abstraction with utter command of her craft.”

“‘Por Vos Muero’ is a seamless melding of contrasts” Read more

Portland Monthly | Review: OBT’s ‘Dream’ – Oregon Ballet’s debut of Nacho Duato’s ‘Por Vos Muero’ steals the show in a dance of magic and mystery

October 15, 2013 – “From imaginative daydreams to chilling nightmares, Oregon Ballet Theatre brings the whole gamut of dreams to life in their season opener: a pairing of internationally renowned Spanish choreographer Nacho Duato’s Por Vos Muero with Christopher Stowell’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Read more

Critical Dance | Premieres and Farewells: Oregon Ballet Theatre’s “Dream” Program

October 12, 2013 – “Balanchine used to like to use creating a meal as a programming comparison; balanced, ‘…with a little something for everyone.’ Oregon Ballet Theatre’s new Artistic Director, Kevin Irving, made his debut with a program that meets Mr. B.’s criteria – a company premiere that was bold and meaty and concluding with one that provided more of a buffet-style experience with variety.” Read more

Bach Tracks | Mind-blowing première from Duato kicks off Oregon Ballet Theatre’s new season

October 20, 2013 – “Nacho Duato’s baffling and beautiful Por Vos Muero, little known in the United States, kicked off Oregon Ballet Theatre’s first season under its new artistic director, Kevin Irving. The piece, originally set on Duato’s Compañia Nacional de Danza in 1996, makes a deep visual and emotional impression, a shining rebuttal to all the tedious, empty acrobatics of much contemporary dance.” Read more

The Oregonian | Oregon Ballet Theatre turns up the star power in ‘Reveal’ to open winter season

February 23, 2014 – “For its winter season ‘Reveal’ program, Oregon Ballet Theatre is counting on two high-wattage homecomings and a firmly contemporary program to draw audiences. Artistic director Kevin Irving has lured former principal dancer Artur Sultanov out of retirement to partner with Alison Roper — soon to retire herself — in Nicolo Fonte’s rousing ‘Bolero,’ which brought the house down at the Keller Auditorium on Saturday’s opening night.” Read more

Willamette Week | Live Review: Oregon Ballet Theatre, Reveal

February 23, 2014 – “Alison Roper begins Bolero with steely energy, surrounded as she was in 2008, when the piece premiered, by metal panels that gradually rise as Ravel’s snare drum-driven score increases in intensity. Within moments, Artur Sultanov bursts gallantly from stage right and rushes to her, completing the time warp to six years ago when the pair first danced the piece by Nicolo Fonte.” Read more

Oregon Arts Watch | Revealed: ballet for the 21st century

February 27, 2014 – “Rooted in our time, performed in the moment, they reveal a traditional art form stretched and kept alive to tell our stories” Read more

Critical Dance | Showing It

March 1, 2014 – “‘Reveal’ indeed revealed a lot about the current and future OBT – one that’s in good hands with the new director and a program that showcased its core of amazing dancers, OBT’s considerable and talented production abilities, and one that left us wanting more.” Read more

The Oregonian | Oregon Ballet Theatre’s ‘Reveal’ showcases contemporary dance rooted in tradition

February 17, 2014 – “‘It really is about the future of ballet,’ says artistic director Kevin Irving. ‘All four choreographers have deep roots in classical ballet and deep knowledge of our traditions, and they each update in their own very unique ways. I think it’s exciting to see how classical traditions can also be contemporary.'” Read more

Dance Informa | Oregon Ballet Theatre to present ‘Reveal’

February 3, 2014 – On the heels of a highly successful run of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, Oregon Ballet Theatre will show a multitude of facets with Reveal at the Keller Auditorium in Portland on February 22–March 1. Four works will appear on the bill, three of which were or will be created on the dancers of OBT. Former Artistic Director Christopher Stowell returns to choreograph his first new work on the company since departing from that post a year ago. Read more

The Oregonian | Alison Roper revels in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s Celebrate

April 18, 2014 – “Oregon Ballet Theatre’s ‘Celebrate’ program… has much to recommend it: the visual feast of Helen Pickett’s ‘Petal,’ the steamy physicality of Nacho Duato’s ‘Cor Perdut,’ the slow-motion moodiness of Matjash Mrozewski’s ‘The Lost Dance.’ Most importantly, it has Alison Roper, the much-lauded principal dancer who is retiring this year at the end of her 18th season with OBT. On Thursday’s opening night, two surprises — a mid-program retrospective and encore — paid tribute to the depth of her artistry. Roper’s performances, not surprisingly, garnered the most rousing ovations of the evening.”

“stunning…” – About Helen Pickett’s Petal

“…Roper is a vision.” Read more

Willamette Week | Live Review: Oregon Ballet Theatre, Celebrate

April 18, 2014 – “So get this: At the end of this show, people throw roses. Roses! As if this were Europe! Point is, bring roses to this show, because you get to throw them. The show, of course, is Celebrate, Oregon Ballet Theatre’s season closer and the last performance for principal dancer Alison Roper, who’s retiring after 18 seasons with the company.”

Helen Pickett’s Petal is, “[a] a vibrant, refreshing opener… It’s a lively piece and a pleasure to watch”

“[The Lost Dance] recalls a really cool party… [it] bends back and forth between soulful electronica and a trace party vibe.”

“…fall in love with [Alison] all over again. Go, and bring roses.” Read more

The Oregonian | Risk and Reward in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s ‘Celebrate’

April 08, 2014 – “A man and a woman embrace on the dance floor. He caresses her back. She clasps his neck. They fold and twirl to the music in sensual intimacy. ‘You could milk that for a little more,’ says Helen Pickett, interrupting their reverie at a recent rehearsal. ‘What are you thinking? What’s your story?’ Story is key to Pickett, a New York choreographer of ‘Petal,’ one of four works on Oregon Ballet Theatre’s ‘Celebrate’ program at the Newmark Theatre. [It’s] called ‘Celebrate’ because it marks the end of an era with the retirement of principal dancer Alison Roper. Roper, who is leaving after 18 seasons, will perform in three pieces on the program.” Read more