Oregon Ballet Theatre honors International Persons with Disability Day (12/3) by celebrating our OBT and PHAME partnership! Oregon Ballet Theatre has partnered with PHAME for the past two years. Before the pandemic OBT Teaching Artist Sarah Ward-Brown taught in person on PHAME’s campus. She now has been teaching class through zoom for the past year.

Even in a digital format, PHAME students learn the fundamentals of a ballet barre and explore their own movement voice. “We all have different bodies and we all have something unique and beautiful to say,” Sarah says. In living rooms and through screens, PHAME dancers choreograph an original ballet to Saint-Saens Carnival of the animals, practice ballet terminology, explore themes of emerging and becoming, write and talk about ballet performances, and tell both familiar and original stories through ballet.

This summer OBT and PHAME collaborated to create Emerging, an original ballet video. The project included PHAME students, OBT2 dancers, music by OBT musician Western-Li Summerton, filming and video editing by artist and PHAME instructor Jason Rouse. PHAME students met bi-weekly for virtual ballet class and rehearsal. The project culminated with an in-person filming at a park.

Sarah has always had the philosophy that everybody can dance and experience the joy of movement. “PHAME classes are my favorite classes of the week! PHAME students are focused and engaged in the work of dance.”