About Oregon Ballet Theatre
OBT is the largest professional ballet company in Oregon, employing nearly 329 people and attracting artists from around the globe with our reputation for excellence. The company is rooted in the traditions of classical ballet, with a repertoire that ranges from the great classics to premieres from some of the most exciting choreographic voices in the field today, including our own Artistic Director, Dani Rowe. Our mission is dedicated to the vitality of, and access to, world-class ballet performance and training in our region.
Oregon Ballet Theatre seeks to inspire beauty and excellence in the hearts and minds of Oregonians through the creation and preservation of the highest quality classical and contemporary ballet performances. In addition to our 5-show main stage season, we introduce students to ballet and the importance of lifelong movement through our education and community engagement programs, and we train dancers from four years old to 80 years old through the professional and recreational classes at the Oregon Ballet Theatre School. Many of our students go on to successful professional careers at companies including the Joffrey, the Dutch National Ballet, and within our own organization.
Mission Statement
Oregon Ballet Theatre is committed to sharing our passion for the expressive power of ballet, inspiring an enduring appreciation of dance, and connecting in meaningful ways to our community through excellence in performance, training, and educational programs.
Vision:
To be an inclusive, relevant, and compelling company that reflects the essence of Portland, with artists of national caliber, a strong unified and enthusiastic board, financial stability, and a reputation for being a great place to work. We are the gold standard for dance in our region, known for articulate, dynamic, and expressive work, on stage and off.
Values:
- Fiscal Responsibility
- Integrity
- Honesty
- Respect
- Innovation
Equity Statement
Oregon Ballet Theatre is dedicated to the vitality of, and access to, world-class ballet performance and training in our region. We are proud to honor and share ballet’s rich traditions, yet we also acknowledge that historical and pervasive inequities – racial, gender-based, socio-economic, and more – have shaped the art form for centuries. The exclusivity of ballet’s origins has, in other words, resulted in the exclusion of many voices.
OBT recognizes that, in order to fulfill our mission and truly serve our community, we must seek to identify and understand where barriers exist, and then actively work to instead create equitable access and opportunity. We believe that the inclusion of diverse perspectives enriches what we do both on and off the stage, strengthens our organization, and makes ballet a more powerful cultural experience.
With the understanding that this will be an ongoing process, our staff, artists, and trustees wholeheartedly commit to the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion at OBT. We commit to the hard work of introspection, and to becoming more representative of our entire community at all levels of the organization. We commit to creating a positive workplace culture that respects differences. And we commit to continued outreach programming that bridges gaps in access and understanding and engages diverse and marginalized populations. By considering all we do through the lens of equity, OBT aims to be a leader in the field and to ensure the vibrancy and relevance of ballet for years to come.
