Reflecting three distinct eras of OBT’s repertory. Each of these ballets is a masterwork in its own right, yet together they represent the heart and soul of OBT’s past and future.

Choreography by William Forsythe
Music by Thom Willems

The season opens with William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated – a work that changed ballet forever. Performing to a jolting crash of electronic sound, the work continues as a thrilling high-voltage shock to the world of ballet, spreading from stage to stage. OBT audiences raved about its memorable 2016 company premiere. Commissioned by Rudolf Nureyev in 1987 for the Paris Opera Ballet and immediately recognized as a masterpiece of contemporary work, this inventive piece has become Forsythe’s most famous ballet.

Stravinsky Violin Concerto
Choreography by George Balanchine
Music by Igor Stravinsky
Nelly Kovalev, violin soloist

The second work on the program features the captivating Stravinsky Violin Concerto. Choreographer George Balanchine and Composer Igor Stravinsky both born in Russia — and both took New York and the ballet world by storm — have been described as the “Eternal Partnership.” No ballet better exemplifies their virtuosity than this abstract ballet. Performed twice before over the course of OBT’s history, Stravinsky Violin Concerto will be presented for the first time with live music, under the baton of Maestro Niel DePonte, showcasing the full genius of both Balanchine and Stravinsky.

Choreography by Dennis Spaight
Music by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

OBT is pleased to present the revival of Dennis Spaight’s Scheherazade. Steeped in OBT history, and last presented in 1993, this storied ballet was created by OBT’s associate director and resident choreographer in 1991. It was the first ballet choreographed for the combined companies of Pacific Ballet Theatre and Ballet Oregon and featured renowned dancers Patricia Miller and James Canfield. “With sets by Henk Pander, costumes by Ric Young and lighting design by Peter West, it was a collaboration made in heaven.” – Oregon ArtsWatch

A technicolor tour de force, this one-act ballet is based on One Thousand and One (Arabian) Nights of which Scheherazade, the legendary Persian queen, is the storyteller. A formidable woman stuck in a less than loving marriage has a husband, the Sultan, who has a ghastly habit of marrying a woman at night and killing her in the morning. Keeping her wits intact, she avoids certain death by telling him a story every night, which she never intends to finish. Scheherazade’s inspired diversions are legendary.

Featuring the OBT Orchestra

Choreography by Christopher Stowell (after Marius Petipa)
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Enter the dreamy and unforgettable world of The Sleeping Beauty. This production was a high point of Christopher Stowell’s tenure as Artistic Director of OBT. This iconic ballet is considered to be the epitome of classical ballet and made its debut at OBT with fanfare! Now a new generation of stars and stars-in-the-making bring you a brilliant “happily ever after” with the grandest of dancing.

“The most beloved of the 19^th-century ballets. No other dance classic has a score so endlessly fragrant and varied. No other work has so rich an idea of what ballet theater can be.” – The New York Times

Featuring the OBT Orchestra

With a multi-generational cast, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons as a vivid backdrop, and sets by Tony Award winner Mimi Lien, Beautiful Decay, by OBT Resident Choreographer Nicolo Fonte, is an experience unlike any other. You are taken on a journey through life at full throttle with the sensations of time rushing by and time standing completely still – a performance that is a creative thunderbolt.

“Beautiful Decay is not only an evening of explosive, athletic dance that leaves the audience speechless after just the first act but also a witty and sophisticated meditation on the passing of time.” – The Dance Journal

“Vividly alive” – Fjord Magazine

Thoroughly American and returning for its second season, The Americans 2.0 is OBT’s annual series that explores the unique voices and rich history of American choreographers. These three ballets capture the spirit of American dance in form, style, and music.

Baker’s Dozen
OBT Premiere
Choreography by Twyla Tharp
Music by Willie “The Lion” Smith

In this company premiere, Baker’s Dozen is the first full work by Twyla Tharp to enter the OBT repertory. The movement expresses harmony, playfulness and easy virtuosity. An American original, Twyla Tharp has changed the face of dance with disarming boldness.  She is, as the San Francisco Chronicle noted, “deadly serious as an artist and distinctive as a dancemaker. Tharp has created a monumental legacy. Virtually all dance techniques are mutually compatible in Tharp’s universe, where the classical and the unclassifiable tend to smile side by side.”

Choreography by James Canfield

Music by TBD

OBT is thrilled that James Canfield, OBT’s founding artistic director, will return to choreograph a new work for its World Premiere performance. James Canfield choreographed more than thirty ballets as the founding Artistic Director of OBT and established the School of Oregon Ballet Theatre in order to provide the best classical training to dancers throughout the Northwest. Canfield put OBT on the map thirty years ago and he returns to celebrate Oregon Ballet Theatre’s anniversary season by again adding to the repertory with a new work.

Choreography by Agnes de Mille
Music by Aaron Copland

Composed by Aaron Copland, Rodeo is Agnes de Mille’s most beloved and most frequently presented ballet; it is the ballet that launched her career. De Mille danced the leading role and received twenty-two curtain calls with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo at the Metropolitan Opera House on October 16, 1942. The ballet was the beginning of her success as a choreographer of worldwide reputation and was the first ballet to feature American tap dancing and indigenous folk dance, along with classical ballet.The ballet displays bravura dancing in a unique style derived from horseback riding and cattle roping. The work is robust, tender, and full of optimism. Rodeo is a celebration of the pluck and spirit of the American character.