By Hannah Krafcik Helen Pickett strolled into the cafe of Powell’s Books on a surprisingly sunny afternoon in March, smiling brightly through her green-rimmed sunglasses, which were set off by her fiery curls. We were meeting at this quintessentially Portland locale, per Pickett’s suggestion, to discuss her new work, “Terra,” commissioned by Oregon Ballet Theatre.… Read More
Nicolo Fonte by Linda Besant, OBT Archivist Nicolo Fonte has accepted the position of Resident Choreographer with Oregon Ballet Theatre starting with our upcoming “Season of Giants.” This is joyous news for all who treasure great choreography and for the dancers in the company. Ever since Fonte made Bolero on OBT in 2008, his work… Read More
The Sets and Costumes of Beautiful Decay by Brook Manning For Beautiful Decay’s set design, Mr. Fonte chose to work with Mimi Lien, a New York-based designer of sets and environments for theater, dance, and opera. Approaching set design from a background in architecture, Ms. Lien is known for her inventive interpretations, creating signature… Read More
Martina Chavez Rehabilitates from Injury Interview and photos by Brook Manning Ballet dancers are not only artists, but also athletes whose agility, stamina and strength are tested on a daily basis. For OBT soloist Martina Chavez the risk of injury became a reality last fall. Two days before opening night, while in the middle of… Read More
OBT’s Next 25 Years: Bold Steps toward an Exciting Future With two new buildings opening in January to house the company and expanding ballet school, two major grants from local foundations to invest in bold new programming, and a renewed focus on sustainability, OBT’s future has never looked brighter. It wasn’t long ago that the… Read More
