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

Xuan Cheng Chases Classical Ballet: A dancer’s journey to Oregon Ballet Theatre

By Martha Ullman West Published in Dance international, Spring 2019 Xuan Cheng, wearing a rehearsal tutu and worn pointe shoes, lies cradling a guitar, seemingly unconscious, across the lap of another dancer. Cued by the sound of a horn, she wakes up, looks around, rises to her beautifully articulated feet and starts to run soundlessly… Read More

“In My Heart, I’m An Artist”: A Tribute to Candace Bouchard

BY GAVIN LARSEN THROUGHOUT HER 15 YEARS WITH OBT, Candace Bouchard has defined herself as a sort of renaissance ballerina. Her classic, iron-clad technique, spliced with Balanchinian speed and attack, have brought brilliance to the company’s most challenging repertoire, while her ability to portray every type of onstage persona — from spritely to regal to… Read More