From a Dancer’s Perspective: The ballet Jardí Tancat, part of Director’s Choice

By Skye Stouber Company Artist, Oregon Ballet Theatre Jardí Tancat’s Catalan folk music offers an element of peculiarity, like the unexpected flavor of a fruit that is not readily available in the West. It’s a treat! The whole Director’s Choice program is composed of artists taking their license to a completely new level in a quest to… Read More

From a Dancer’s Perspective: The ballet Presto, part of Director’s Choice

By Skye Stouber Company Artist, Oregon Ballet Theatre Presto takes hold of you and doesn’t let you go until the climactic finish — only then allowing you to reflect on it, like an appetizer that’s so good you eat it too quickly. It’s satisfyingly short and pulsating, with a sustained visual reward. Both the neoclassical… Read More

Photo Essay – Andy Batt on Alison Roper

Andy Batt was the photographic genius behind the OBT Season Brochure from 2003-2012, and has shot our dancers from the wings as well. The relationship between a photographer and a dancer is truly a collaboration, and working with the same subject for an extended period of time can bring out the best in both artists. Alison Roper and… Read More

Maintaining Your Instrument

How do you maintain your instrument? Do you dust it every once in a while? Do you tune it? Do you replace mallets, old strings? We dancers do all of these things in order to maintain our body (although the less replacing we have to do, the better), and for all of us, maintenance is… Read More