Linda Besant has been busily assembling the photographs, posters and memorabilia for this Emerald Anniversary retrospective program, which will all be displayed in the lobby of the Keller auditorium throughout the run of performances. I snuck out front this evening to take a look. It’s not at all completed yet, but I got a nice chance to chat with Blaine Covert, who was there helping Linda determine photographic credits for some of the older photos. Blaine’s been shooting OBT since before it was OBT, meaning that he has seen it all. Quite literally, he has observed more closely the evolution of this company than just about anyone else. Here he is, adjusting the placement of one of his photos of a Canfield ballet called Neon Glass.

Right now the rest of the lobby looks like this, but come Saturday night the displays will be completed. I was tickled to see that my Sleeping Beauty tutu is on display! (It’s really worth a look— it’s gorgeous. OBT’s costume shop did an extraordinary job crafting it).

Our first tech rehearsal this afternoon struck me as momentous, even though it was treated just as any other working rehearsal. The last time we were all in this theater was June 12, the night of Dance United. At that point, it was questionable whether we would again all assemble there to dance on that stage. But here we are, dancing and working again. Last June seems like years ago now, kind of blurred in the flurry of activity that’s surrounding our new season. What a wonderful feeling to be able to look behind us to pay tribute to OBT’s past, and look forward to our future as well.