Oregon Ballet Theatre On Point for Next Season

by Elisa Klein | Apr 7, 2016 | Lifestyle

Portland, April 7th, 2016. Oregon Ballet Theatre is dubbing next year its chance to “Unleash a Season of Giants.” The 2016-2017 season, which includes a unique adaptation of Swan Lake, traces the evolution of ballet through iconic works from the giants of the field including Petipa, Balanchine, Forsythe, and Duato. The season also includes world premieres by two innovative creators: Helen Pickett and Nicolo Fonte. In addition to this “season of giants”, Oregon Ballet announced, due to capacity crowds last year, the company has extended its Nutcracker run/ Further, the OBT Orchestra will be performing with the company for three programs this season and the company is delighted to welcome Nicolo Fonte as Oregon Ballet Theatre’s resident choreographer. (Tickets are also still on sale for Beautiful Decay, Apr. 14–23, 2016 at the Newmark Theatre.)

Candace Bouchard and Artur Sultanov were featured in 2017 in Forsythe’s “Virtiginous Thrill of Exactitude”. Next season will also include Forsythe with the OBT premiere of “In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated.” (Photo credit, Blaine Truitt Covert)

Artistic Director Kevin Irving points out: “With this ‘season of giants’, OBT simultaneously exalts the significance of American choreography – which can be traced from Balanchine’s Serenade through Forsythe, Pickett, and Fonte AND the continuing appeal of our classical traditions. The season is a dance-lover’s dream!” 

Here’s a video about OBT called the Art of Making Art:

The Art of Making Art from OREGON BALLET THEATRE on Vimeo.

Here’s a more detailed look at the 2016 – 2017 season.

The fall repertory program begins with George Balanchine’s celebrated Serenade. This was the first work that Balanchine created in America and established his legacy of neo-classical choreography infused with the romance and rigor of old Russia. Serenade is set to Tchaikovsky’s sweeping Serenade for Strings which will be performed live by the OBT Orchestra at every performance.

Next on the program is the OBT premiere of William Forsythe’s groundbreaking In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated. Created for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1987, In The Middle pushes Balanchine’s neoclassical style to the limit and indeed became an instant classic and the cornerstone of post neo-classical dance upon its premiere. Thom Willem’s powerful score sends electronic shudders throughout the piece as dancers prowl the stage insolently sizing each other up, throwing themselves into technically exhilarating movement.

The evening closes with a world premiere and the title work for this program, Giants, by OBT’s newly named resident choreographer, Nicolo Fonte. Well-known to Portland audiences for a roster of works including Bolero, Left Unsaid, Petrouchka, and last season’s exciting collaboration with Pink Martini Never Stop Falling (In Love), Fonte is recognized throughout the world as a choreographer equally comfortable with classical and contemporary dance forms. He has worked with companies as varied as The Dutch National Ballet, The Australian Ballet, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet and BalletX.

Oregon Ballet Theatre’s thrilling “season of giants” continues with one of the company’s most ambitious projects yet – a unique adaptation of Swan Lake. While remaining true to the pure classicism of the Petipa / Ivanov original, Artistic Director Kevin Irving weaves in nuances which are sure to connect audiences more deeply with the story, reinvigorating the traditional narrative ballet from the inside out. This adaptation goes beyond the established Odette/Odile fantasy to focus on the prince, a young awkward figure ignored and left to his own devises until he is drawn into a web of illusion designed to hasten his passage to adulthood. This incredible work is set off by Tchaikovsky’s glorious score which will be performed live by the OBT Orchestra.

The season closes with TERRA a mixed repertory program that welcomes the spring and light back into our lives with double helpings of works by Nacho Duato and Helen Pickett. From Duato the company adds an important piece to its repertory, Jardí Tancat. This work is every bit as iconic as Balanchine’s Serenade or Forsythe’s In the Middle. Jardí was Duato’s very first ballet and catapulted him to fame. Also on the bill is Duato’s El Naranjo, a gorgeous pas de deux from the longer work Gnawa which Duato is allowing to be performed on its own for the very first time. From Pickett OBT is thrilled to return Petal. This wonderfully colorful ballet was an instant success with Portland audiences at its Portland premiere in 2014. The evening closes with a world premiere from the American born Pickett, who has been hailed by critics as among a new generation of boundary-pushing choreographers. OBT eagerly awaits this latest creation.

 Artistic Director Kevin Irving points out: “With this ‘season of giants’, OBT simultaneously exalts the significance of American choreography – which can be traced from Balanchine’s Serenade through Forsythe, Pickett, and Fonte AND the continuing appeal of our classical traditions. The season is a dance-lover’s dream!” 

From Oregon Ballet Theatre:

Oregon Ballet Theatre is committed to sharing our passion for the expressive power of ballet, inspiring an enduring appreciation of dance, and connecting in meaningful ways to our community through excellence in performance, training and educational programs. OBT is the largest professional ballet company in Oregon, employing nearly 200 people and attracting artists from around the globe with a reputation for excellence. The company is rooted in the traditions of classical ballet, with a repertoire that ranges from the great classics to premieres from some of the most exciting choreographic voices in the field today. Our mission is dedicated to the vitality of, and access to, world-class ballet performance and training in our region. Founded in 1989 by James Canfield, a former principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet, OBT quickly developed a distinctive style and unique repertoire that grew to comprise over 80 ballets. From 2003-2012, under the direction of Christopher Stowell, OBT presented nearly 350 performances and added 51 ballets, including 20 world premieres, to its diverse body of work. In June 2013, we were delighted to name Kevin Irving as the company’s third Artistic Director. Irving brings over 25 years of experience performing with and managing worldrenowned cultural organizations and dance companies, including The Gö teborg Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, and Compañ ia Nacional de Danza (Spain). His tenure has been marked by a commitment to collaborative partnerships with other Portland artists and organizations, including the Portland Art Museum, Multnomah County Library, Kenji Bunch, and Pink Martini. He has expanded the company’s classical repertoire – with the premieres of Ben Stevenson’s Cinderella and August Bournonville’s Napoli – while preserving OBT’s legacy and restoring major works such as James Canfield’s Romeo & Juliet. At the same time, he continues to build a diverse body of work with world premieres from internationally acclaimed, contemporary choreographers such as Nicolo Fonte, Darrell Grand Moultrie, and James Kudelka. Irving isworking with OBT to develop a unique approach to 21st century American ballet that reflects the vigor of the art form as it continues to evolve.

0

GRIMM 100th Episode Ceremony and Cake Cutting a Rose City Celebration

by Elisa Klein | Nov 14, 2015 | Lifestyle

Portland, November 10th, 2015. Actor David Giuntoli (Grimm’s Nick Burkhardt) carved into the 100th eposide cake surrounded by cast members and state leaders. Governor Kate Brown was on hand to celebrate the 100th episode of Grimm and the $250 million of direct spending and hundreds of jobs the production contributes to Oregon. On had were cast members Bree Turner, Reggie Lee, Claire Coffee, Silas Weir Mitchell, David Giuntoli, Bitsie Tulloch, Sasha Roiz, Russell Hornsby. (Photo Credit, Scott Green/NBC)

Govoner Kate Brown told the crowd, “Thanks to shows like this, film and media production in the state has increased 75% in the last two years.”

In its fifth season Grimm hit a huge milestone when it filmed its 100th episode, a major coup for any TV show. The 100th episode of the NBC will air in March of 2016. The evening cake-cutting ceremony was attended by NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt who talked about the value of filming in Portland. “The show is distinctive and unique because it’s shot in this city. It doesn’t look like any other show on television, and that’s what makes it special, and we couldn’t be happier to be here,” Greenblatt told the audience assembled in Grimm’s Portland Police Department set. There was time for many cast members to pose with the cake.

Bree Turner plays the role of Rosalee on Grimm.

The Grimm story line is centered on a homicide detective, actor David Giuntoli playing Nick Burkhardt, who discovers he is a descendant of hunters who fight supernatural forces.

The co- creator of the show told the assembled group the following:

0

The Depression in Oregon Comes to Life Thanks to Yale Researchers

by Elisa Klein | Oct 16, 2015 | Lifestyle

Portland, October 15th, 2015. Lunch at a migratory labor camp in Odell, Oregon is the caption given to the photograph of a mother feeding her children. It’s one of over 170,000 depression-era photos recently sorted and organized by a team of Yale researchers. Quite a few of the photos were taken in Oregon and can be seen at this website.  From 1935-1944, the Farm Security Administration — Office of War Information undertook the largest photography project ever sponsored by the federal government. We’ve selected some compelling images which show Oregonians struggling through the depression and people drawn to the state in hopes of a better life in an area with abundant natural resources.

Unloading boxes of salmon from fishing boat at docks of Columbia River Packing Association, Astoria, Oregon

Fisherman, Astoria, Oregon

Packing tuna into cans, Columbia River Packing Association, Astoria, Oregon

Oregon, Marion County, near West Stayton. Bean pickers’ children in camp at end of day

Migratory boy, aged eleven, and his grandmother work side by side picking hops. Started work at five a.m. Photograph made at noon. Temperature 105 degrees. Oregon, Polk County, near Independence.

Oregon, Marion County, near West Stayton. Migrant pickers harvesting beans. Farm people came from South Dakota

Oregon, Marion county, near West Stayton. Father and children came from Albany, Oregon, for a season’s work in the beans

Oregon, Marion County, near West Stayton. Weighing beans at scales on edge of field. Rate – one dollar per 100 pounds.

Independence (vicinity), Polk County, Oregon. Wife of an ex-logger, now a migratory field worker, resting in the shade of the hop vine at noon.

Seven of the eight farmers shown with their cooperatively owned ensilage cutter on the Miller farm, where they are working filling the silo. Yamhill County, Oregon.

A Warm Springs Indian chief at the Molalla Buckeroo. Molalla, Oregon

Lumberjack forming log raft in slough, Tillamook, Oregon

Log booms in Willamette River. Portland, Oregon

Squatter’s shack on Willamette River. Portland, Oregon

A part-time fruit worker in his squatter’s shack under the Ross Island Bridge. Portland, Oregon

Rehabilitation client. McMinnville, Oregon

The massive effort  to photograph people during the depression was aimed at justify government programs. The photographers set out to document America, often at her most vulnerable, and the successful administration of relief service. The Farm Security Administration—Office of War Information (FSA-OWI) produced some of the most iconic images of the Great Depression and World War II and included photographers such as Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, and Arthur Rothstein who shaped the visual culture of the era both in its moment and in American memory. Unit photographers were sent across the country. The negatives were sent to Washington, DC. The growing collection came to be known as “The File.” With the United State’s entry into WWII, the unit moved into the Office of War Information and the collection became known as the FSA-OWI File. Visit the website to see more.

1

Portlandia Crew Excited About two Emmy Nominations

by Elisa Klein | Aug 7, 2015 | Lifestyle

Portland, August 16th, 2015. It’s already been a month since the Portlandia crew learned they were nominated for an emmy, but it hasn’t gotten old.  They shared their joy in the following statement:

We are thrilled to learn that Portlandia has been nominated for two Emmy® Awards: Outstanding Production Design For Variety, Nonfiction, Reality or Reality-Competition Program and Outstanding Variety Sketch Series. Naturally, we are feeling outstanding over the news.

Congratulations to Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein, Jonathan Krisel and the entire cast and crew that earned this honor and recognition from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

It’s a great honor and an incredible way to kick off the sixth season of Portlandia, which is filming now and we made sure to relay the news to them even though they are on location far, far away. Clearly they were over the moon.

It was just a few years ago (2011) that the Independent Film Channel darlings, Fred Armisen (also of SNL fame) and his co-creator, Carrie Brownstein, came to town and welcomed reporters with a special luncheon .

Portlandia lunch at the Firehouse Restaurant on Northeast Dekum

Jonathan Krisel-co-creator, writer and director of the show, also works on SNL directing digital shorts. In the past, Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein have actively supported Portland non-profits, including the Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls and the In Other Words Feminist Community Center.  Portlandia  is created, written by and stars Armisen and Brownstein. According to IFC, “Each episode’s character-based shorts draw viewers into Portlandia, the creators’ dreamy and absurd rendering of Portland, Oregon.” An assortment of guest stars inhabit the city, including Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks, Sex & The City). MacLachlan plays Portland’s fictitious mayor. For several years on media day Reporters watched the cast and crew filming. We took these images in 2011.

Kyle MacLachlan gets doused with water before filming

Portlandia filming on NE Dekum

Setting up for the filming with Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen

Fred Armisen in an interview with KINK’s Dave Scott and Sheila Hamilton

Annie Clark who performs under the moniker, St. Vincent, was a guest actor

The Emmy Awards will take place on September 20th.

0