“Let us read and let us dance – two amusements that will never do any harm to the world.”  ~Voltaire

Join us in the theater as we invite student groups of all ages to experience the joy and excitement of live dance performances during the school day. In age-appropriate programs that feature OBT company artists and School of OBT dancers, students are given an opportunity to see fully produced works of ballet, which often include live music.

In concert with Oregon state standards for competency in the arts, OBT’s Education Outreach Department crafts thematic frameworks for each performance that support literacy in academic subject areas. Participating groups may download multi-media support materials and OBT Education Outreach Study Guides free of charge.

School groups may apply to receive a pre-performance presentation in their classroom by an OBT teaching artist that includes student participation and a post-performance reflection designed to get students thinking about how the arts impact our lives. This is great for groups that are new to ballet or for those who wish to expand and deepen the experience. Call today to schedule your school group—limited availability.

FALL 2018: Napoli

Dive into dance that dramatizes a time in history.

Thursday, October 11, 2018 – Noon
Keller Auditorium

Danish Choreographer August Bournonville’s Napoli is known for its vibrant depiction
of Neapolitan street life. This iconic and beloved Danish ballet tells the story of Teresina,
a beautiful Italian girl, who falls in love with Gennaro, a poor fisherman. Her mother,
hoping for a wealthy suitor, is against the match. But the young couple cannot be kept
apart, even when Teresina is lost at sea and lured to an underwater world ruled by
an evil sea spirit. It is the couple’s true love for each other that breaks the spell and
saves them. Powered by Bournonville’s signature mix of grace and technically thrilling
footwork, it’s easy to see why this uplifting and joyous ballet has become a symbol of
the Royal Danish Ballet. Napoli is sure to win your heart.

WINTER 2019: Cinderella

Explore enduring life lessons in a fairy tale’s retelling.

Thursday, February 21, 2019 – Noon
Keller Auditorium

Everything starts with a wish in everyone’s favorite fairy tale. Against the backdrop of Prokofiev’s luscious score, Ben Stevenson’s ballet brings Cinderella to life with both slapstick humor and lush romanticism.

Cinderella suffers cruelly at the hands of her step-mother and two step-sisters, and yet is loving enough to offer a poor beggar woman some bread when she knocks at the door. Little does she know that the beggar woman is really her Fairy   Godmother, prepared to grant her most fervent wish – to go to the Prince’s ball. Cinderella’s magical night unfolds against the backdrop of gorgeous sets and spirited dancing.
But when the clock strikes midnight, Cinderella must make a choice – to tell the Prince who she really is, or return to a life overshadowed by her   stepmother’s cruelty. A triumphant tale of courage, hope, wishes … and magic.

SPRING 2019: Director’s Choice

Discover dance as its own language to be read.

Friday, April 12 – Noon
Newmark Theatre

Artistic Director Kevin Irving’s unique approach to 21st century American ballet reflects the vigor of an ever-evolving art form. In Director’s Choice, he has curated some of the company’s most loved contemporary works in an intimate program at the Newmark Theatre.
Gioconda Barbuto’s BringingOutsideIn, one of three works created for 2017’s Choreography XX in Washington Park, was a standout hit that thrilled audiences. And Spanish choreographer Nacho Duato’s most famous work Jardí Tancat electrified the theater in Terra.

We hope you’ll plan to join us!

SUMMER 2019: The Americans

Be carried away by a choreographer’s poetic voice.

Friday, June 7 – Noon
Newmark Theatre

This show will include the masterwork Night Creature, created by dance pioneer Alvin Ailey to music by Duke Ellington, as well as Trey McIntyre’s Robust American Love set to music by the Fleet Foxes At once wistful and vibrant, Night Creature is “…a bubbly champagne cocktail of dance, the
perfect fusion of Ailey’s buoyant choreography and Duke Ellington’s sparkling music.” We
follow that with the return of Trey McIntyre’s Robust American Love with music by Seattle’s famed indie folk band, Fleet Foxes. In this work, McIntyre creates a dance scape evoking the spirit of exploration and freedom of the Wild West. Describing McIntyre’s work, The Washington Post wrote, “He knows how to hit all our pleasure buttons…”

We hope you’ll plan to join us!

Right Brain Initiative Arts Integration | K-8

Oregon Ballet Theatre is an arts provider for the Right Brain Initiative—a program of the Regional Arts and Culture Council. Participating schools in the Right Brain Initiative program should please contact Kasandra Gruener at 503.290.0012 or Kasandra.Gruener@obt.org to discuss RBI residencies and set planning sessions. Find out more