by OBT historian Linda Besant I’m the ballet historian at OBT, and many people know me as a total ballet geek. When they ask me, as they often do, “What’s your favorite ballet?” I’m stymied, because I love so many. But I do have a “must see list.” If a ballet on this list is… Read More
Every once in a while, a dancer and a choreographer just hit it off. A creative spark occurs that can turn into years of inspired partnership. Christopher Wheeldon describes it like this: “There are times in your life,” says Wheeldon, “when you find dancers who speak your language. They start to turn your language into… Read More
On the cusp of his career as a professional ballet dancer, Christopher Wheeldon scored a cheap ticket to New York City that came with the purchase of a Hoover vacuum cleaner. He headed straight for the New York City Ballet. He explains, ”I walked into Peter Martins’s office with a videotape and said, ‘And by… Read More
Give your ears a taste for what they’ll enjoy at Chromatic Quartet with this slide show recording of Stravinsky’s “Violin Concerto in D”, the music that inspired Balanchine’s iconic ballet homage to his longtime creative partner, Stravinsky Violin Concerto. You can see Oregon Ballet Theatre’s company premiere of Balanchine’s homage to Stravinsky, Stravinsky Violin Concerto,… Read More
by Linda Besant, Oregon Ballet Theatre Historian [Igor Stravinsky and George Balanchine in rehearsal while working on Agon in 1957. Photograph: Martha Swope.] George Balanchine made 40 ballets to the music of Igor Stravinsky—the two are considered to have been among the most fertile and brilliant teams in performing arts history. The fruits of their… Read More
