OBT LIVE | June 5 – 12, 2021
Oregon Ballet Theatre’s reimagined season OBT MOVES concludes on a jubilant note with an outdoor, and in-person performance – OBT LIVE!
More than a year has passed since any of us experienced the thrill of live performance – a thrill we’ve all been missing. In honor of OBT’s return to an actual stage and in a special partnership with Portland Opera and OMSI, we are delighted to present two world premieres thematically inspired by the sheer joy we feel in reconnecting with you. The program features an OBT first-time commission from the powerful and dynamic Canadian-New York based choreographer Jennifer Archibald paired with new work from audience favorite and OBT Resident Choreographer, Nicolo Fonte. Part performance, part celebration, part reunion, we can’t wait to share it all in-person at OBT LIVE.
Schedule & Ticket Information
Performance & Ticketing Schedule
OBT LIVE Premiere Performance + OBT happening
Saturday, June 5 | 8:00 PM SOLD OUT
Visit the OBT happening page HERE to learn about Watch Party options for this event.
June 6 – 12 performances all start at 7:30 PM
Tickets sold in 2-person pods for $80 SOLD OUT
and 4-person pods for $160.
Click on a performance date below to purchase!
Sunday, June 6
Wednesday, June 9 Best availability!
Thursday, June 10 Best availability!
Friday, June 11
Saturday, June 12
Performance Summary
Choros
Choreographer: Nicolo Fonte
Music: Rai and Latent Manifest by Tarik O’Regan | Choros by Ludovico Einaudi
OBT Premiere: June 5, 2021
“Choros” means dance in the Greek language. This word occurs in the names of numerous Greek dances, which may be literally translated as “dance of . . .” or ”dance from . . .”. But “Sometimes you just have to dance” was what I was thinking of when I started to conceive of this new work for this momentous occasion—OBT’s return to live public performances. (It was in fact the working title for the ballet). The simple, most basic fact is that dancers need to perform like birds need to fly.
Dance is a special class of performance that combines movement, rhythm and gesture with music, and has the unique quality of transforming space with the physical body. Whether that space is on a formal stage, the intimacy of your own bathroom or the inner sacred space of your heart, there is no more natural an expression of celebration, than to dance.
Dancers need to dance and Choros was made for this moment and for these inspiring dancers to celebrate the occasion with all of you watching.
—Nicolo Fonte
SculptedClouds
Choreographer: Jennifer Archibald
Music: Yulunga (Spirit Dance) by Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard
Lyrics by Lisa Gerrard, Performed by Lisa Gerrard and Dead Can Dance
Awe by Roger Goula
OBT Premiere: June 5, 2021
Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh explains:
What does a revolution in consciousness look like? How do we look at our earth today? “So to breathe in and be aware of your body and look deeply into it and realize you are the Earth and your consciousness is also the consciousness of the earth. Not to cut the tree, not to pollute the water, that is not enough.“
You can’t sculpt clouds . . . there’s an air of lightness, and freedom and higher being in our clouds above. Can we learn to not always control, sculpt and take from our environment?
Casting
Saturday, June 5 casting
Sunday, June 6 casting
Wednesday, June 9 casting
Thursday, June 10 casting
Friday, June 11 casting
Saturday, June 12 casting
Image Gallery
Click image to enter gallery of OBT LIVE performance images.
OBT LIVE Program
Venue Location & Additional Information
The Jordan Schnitzer CARE Summerstage
1945 SE Water Ave.
Portland OR 97214
Map link HERE
Seating will be assigned in socially distanced pods of 2’s and 4’s.
Parking: OMSI
IMPORTANT: Click link to learn about important Safety Protocols for this event.
Weather policy: The show must go on! We’ll have a sturdy audience tent set up in case of rain. OBT will only cancel the performance in the event of heavy rain or unsafe conditionsthat preclude the dancers from performing.
