Sat., Oct. 8 at 7:30pm
Sun., Oct. 9 at 2pm
Thurs., Oct. 13 at 7:30pm
Blue Ribbon Society Night
Fri., Oct. 14 at 7:30pm
Sat., Oct. 15 at 7:30pm

Fonte helps bend and shape OBT
Portland Tribune | Aug 31, 2016

Oregon Ballet Theatre gets ready to take some giant steps with 2016-’17 season
Oregonlive.com | Mar 10, 2016

Rehearsals for OBT’s GIANTS

Jacqueline Straughan and Brian Simcoe in George Balanchine’s Serenade one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s production GIANTS, running Oct. 8-15, 2016 at Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by Yi Yin.

Brian Simcoe with Kelsie Nobriga in William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s production GIANTS, running Oct. 8-15, 2016 Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by Emily Nash.

Adam Hartley center with OBT dancers in Nicolo Fonte’s world premiere Giants Before Us one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s production GIANTS, running Oct. 8-15, 2016 at Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by Emily Nash.

Brian Simcoe in William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s production GIANTS, running Oct. 8-15, 2016 Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by Emily Nash.

OBT dancers in George Balanchine’s Serenade one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s production GIANTS, running Oct. 8-15, 2016 at Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by Emily Nash.

OBT dancers in George Balanchine’s Serenade one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s production GIANTS, running Oct. 8-15, 2016 at Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by Emily Nash.

OBT dancers in William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s production GIANTS, running Oct. 8-15, 2016 Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by Emily Nash.

Christopher Kaiser and Makino Hildestad in William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s 2016 fall production GIANTS at Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by James McGrew.

From left Kimberly Nobriga, Eva Burton, Peter Franc, and Ansa Deguchi in George Balanchine’s Serenade one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s production GIANTS, running Oct. 8-15, 2016 at Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by Jingzi Zhao.

Peter Franc in William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s 2016 fall production GIANTS at Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by Yi YIn

Jaqueline Straughan and Peter Franc in Nicolo Fonte’s world premiere Giants Before Us one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s production GIANTS running Oct. 8-15, 2016 Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by Yi Yin

Eva Burton and Adam Hartley with OBT dancers in William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s 2016 fall production GIANTS at Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by JingziZhao.

Avery Reiners in William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s production GIANTS running Oct. 8-15, 2016 Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by Blaine Truitt Covert.

OBT dancers in Nicolo Fonte’s world premiere Giants Before Us one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s production GIANTS, running Oct. 8-15, 2016 Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by Jingzi Zhao

Pianist Hunter Noack with Brian Simcoe in the world premiere of Nicolo Fonte’s Giants Before Us, one of three works presented Jingzi Zhao.

Brian Simcoe and Xuan Cheng in the world premiere of Nicolo Fonte’s Giants Before Us, one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s 2016 fall production GIANTS at Portland’s Keller Auditorium

Emily Parker in George Balanchine’s Serenade one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s 2016 fall production GIANTS at Portland’s Keller Auditorium.

Eva Burton in George Balanchine’s Serenade one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s 2016 fall production GIANTS at Portland’s Keller Auditorium.

Pianist Hunter Noack with OBT dancers in the world premiere of Nicolo Fonte’s Giants Before Us, one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s 2016 fall production GIANTS at Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by James McGrew.

OBT dancers in William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s production GIANTS, running Oct. 8-15, 2016 Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by Emily Nash.

Pianist Hunter Noack with OBT dancers in the world premiere of Nicolo Fonte’s Giants Before Us, one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s 2016 fall production GIANTS at Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by JIngzi Zhao.

Eva Burton and Adam Hartley in William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s production GIANTS, running Oct. 8-15, 2016 Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by Blaine Truitt Covert

Eva Burton in George Balanchine’s Serenade one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s production GIANTS, running Oct. 8-15, 2016 at Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by Blaine Truitt Covert

Michael Linsmeier (top) with OBT dancers in Nicolo Fonte’s world premiere Giants Before Us one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s production GIANTS, running Oct. 8-15, 2016 Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by Blaine Truitt Covert.

From left Eva Burton, Kimberly Nobriga, and Peter Francin George Balanchine’s Serenade one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s production GIANTS, running Oct. 8-15, 2016 at Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by Blaine Truitt Covert.

Pianist Hunter Noack with Christopher Kaiser in Nicolo Fonte’s world premiere Giants Before Us one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s production GIANTS, running Oct. 8-15, 2016 Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by Blaine Truitt Covert.

From left Ansa Deguchi, Peter Franc, and Eva Burton in George Balanchine’s Serenade one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s production GIANTS, running Oct. 8-15, 2016 at Portland’s

Makino Hildestad and Christopher Kaiser in William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s production GIANTS running Oct. 8-15, 2016 Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by James McGrew.

Jacqueline Straughan and Martina Chavez in George Balanchine’s Serenade one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s 2016 fall production GIANTS at Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by Yi Yin.

From left Martina Chavez, Candace Bouchard, Thomas Baker, and Jacqueline Straughan in George Balanchine’s Serenade, one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s production GIANTS running Oct. 8-15, 2016 at Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by Yi Yin

Brian Simcoe and Kelsie Nobriga in William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s production GIANTS, running Oct. 8-15, 2016 at Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by Yi Yin

Peter Franc and Xuan Cheng in William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s 2016 fall production GIANTS at Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by Yi Yin

Jaqueline Straughan with OBT dancers in Nicolo Fonte’s world premiere Giants Before Us one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s production GIANTS, running Oct. 8-15, 2016 Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by Yi Yin

Brian Simcoe and Xuan Cheng in the world premiere of Nicolo Fonte’s Giants Before Us, one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s 2016 fall production GIANTS at Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by Jingzi Zhao.

Katherine Monogue in William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated one of three works presented in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s 2016 fall production GIANTS at Portland’s Keller Auditorium. Photo by James McGrew.

Oregon Ballet Theatre,”Giants Before Us”,Nicolo Fonte

Oregon Ballet Theatre,”Giants Before Us”,Nicolo Fonte

In the art form of ballet, there are only a few acknowledged masters whose work we consider ‘iconic.’ In this program we trace the evolution of ballet in the 20th and 21st Centuries with two truly iconic masterworks and a creation by one of the ballet world’s most sought-after artists.

George Balanchine created his celebrated Serenade in 1935 – it was the very first work Balanchine created in America and this work, perhaps more than any other, is forever linked to his legacy of neo-classical dancing infused with the romance and rigor of old Russia. William Forsythe, the American wunderkind, took Balanchine’s legacy and updated its athletic musicality to reflect an even sharper, even bolder attack on the organization of movement in space. The reverberations of Forsythe’s In The Middle, Somewhat Elevated (1989) continue to echo anywhere ballet is performed today, and it is an enormous delight to bring this ground-breaking work to Portland for the very first time. Continuing in the theme of our evolution – we have invited Oregon Ballet Theatre’s newly named resident choreographer, Nicolo Fonte, to create the title work on this program of giants. Fonte, well-known to Portland audiences for his previous works Bolero, Left Unsaid, Petrouchka, and most recently Never Stop Falling (In Love) – which featured the band Pink Martini on stage with OBT – is creating a work that will make it clear that ballet, and your local world-class ballet company, are forever moving forward, forever looking up.