by OBT Historian Linda Besant (This is an excerpt from Béjart’s <span style=”font-style: italic;”>Firebird</span>, performed by the National Ballet of China for its 50th anniversary in 2009) I was twenty-five and all by myself in Budapest when I saw my first ballet performance. I had worked as a music teacher in the Beaverton schools for… Read More
The Rite Riot: The Ballets Russes and The Rite of Spring
By Linda Besant On May 9, 1909, dancers who would come to be known as Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes gave their first performance at the Théatre du Chatelet in Paris. By the time the company dissolved upon Diaghilev’s death in 1929, the “Russian Ballet” had given work to Europe’s best dancers, choreographers, composers and artists,… Read More
Your Daily Dance Break: Trey McIntyre’s Stylishly Sexy Rite of Spring
Check out choreographer Trey McIntyre’s interpretation of The Rite of Spring. You might remember Trey from the Bloodhound Gang inspired “Speak” which is returning as part of our upcoming Song and Dance program. Enjoy! The Rite of Spring (The Engagement) – excerpt from Trey McIntyre Project on Vimeo.
“It’s Exhilarating to be Someone’s Creative Instrument” : The Creation of OBT’s Firebird
From the very beginning of his time with OBT, Artistic Director Christopher Stowell intended that the company would develop a repertoire of works “to scores written specifically for ballet. For the initial effort in that direction,” he says, “I asked Yuri Possokhov to choreograph Stravinsky’s Firebird in 2004. He felt a bit confined at first.… Read More
Your Daily Dance Break: Paul DeStrooper interprets Firebird
Paul Destrooper, who is quoted in our post about the creation of OBT’s Firebird and was Prince Ivan in the premiere of OBT’s version, retired from OBT at the end of the 2006-07 season to become artistic director of Ballet Victoria in Canada. He has choreographed his own Firebird. See what he’s been up to… Read More
