We are thrilled to announce that celebrated ballerina and choreographer Danielle Rowe has been named the new artistic director of Oregon Ballet Theatre.

Rowe began her career in 2001 with the Australian Ballet where she quickly rose to the rank of principal dancer. After a ten-year career in Australia, Rowe went on to dance with Christopher Wheeldon’s Morphoses and Houston Ballet before joining the world-renowned Nederlands Dans Theater. There she worked intimately with respected dance luminaries such as Jiří Kylián, Crystal Pite, Mats Ek, Paul Lightfoot, and Sol León among others. Her rich career of performing, choreographing, and directing at the highest levels of classical and contemporary dance worlds has cultivated in her a curatorial aesthetic that we know will bring Portland a dazzling mix of innovative and cutting-edge programming.

“I am thrilled to join the Oregon Ballet Theatre team to cultivate the inquisitive and progressive energy of the company and the Portland community as we work together to thoughtfully re-imagine a more inclusive and exhilarating future for ballet,” says Rowe.

Rowe’s most recent work MADCAP for San Francisco Ballet last month was hailed a “triumph” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Rachel Howard. OBT fans were treated to Rowe’s choreography with her titular work Dreamland on the Spring program. Interim Artistic Director Peter Franc invited Rowe to stage the work and is delighted that this “new powerhouse talent,” will be coming to Portland. OBT is deeply grateful to Franc for helping successfully navigate the company through this transition period and delighted he will stay on as Artistic Consultant.

Rowe begins her tenure with OBT on February 27th, 2023, joining newly named Executive Director Shane Jewell. Together they will build on OBT’s legacy of artistic excellence and grow the overall impact of the organization in the community and region.

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