Oregon Ballet Theatre

Oregon Ballet Theatre (OBT) is a classically based professional ballet company with a school, established in 1989 and located in Portland, Oregon. The company performs an annual home season and also conducts regional and national tours.

History:

Oregon Ballet Theatre (OBT) is a classically based professional ballet company established in 1989 and located in Portland, Oregon. The company performs an annual season of five programs at the Portland Center for the Performing Arts and also conducts regional and national tours. Through its many programs, OBT’s continuing goal is to provide its constituency with performances, education, and training of the highest caliber.

Under Founding Artistic Director James Canfield, a former principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet, OBT developed a unique repertoire and distinctive style. With a firm foundation in classical technique, the company's dance inventory grew to comprise over 80 ballets including evening-length classics, 20th-Century masterpieces and innovative contemporary works. Mr. Canfield was especially committed to showcasing the inventive in modern ballet, and he continued to provide creative opportunities for emerging American choreographers until his retirement in 2003.

On July 1, 2003, following a distinguished, 16-year career as a principal dancer with San Francisco Ballet, Christopher Stowell joined Oregon Ballet Theatre as the company's second Artistic Director. The son of celebrated Pacific Northwest Ballet Artistic Directors Kent Stowell and Francia Russell, Mr. Stowell possesses an impressive ballet lineage. His extensive training and experience, deep knowledge of the repertoire, and dedication to the discipline’s exacting classical and contemporary vocabulary are all reflected in his programming – as is his commitment to the presence of live music at each performance. Programs during Mr. Stowell’s tenure have included works marking the centenary celebrations of the births of George Balanchine and Sir Frederick Ashton; the company’s first performance of a Jerome Robbins ballet; and premieres by renowned contemporary choreographers James Kudelka, Trey McIntyre, Christopher Wheeldon, Yuri Possokhov and Julia Adam.

In 2006, OBT performed Mr. Stowell's own full-length Swan Lake, which premiered to sold out houses. Additionally, he choreographed a smash-hit tribute to Cole Porter, Eyes On You, which earned rave reviews and an encore in OBT's 06-07 Season. In 2004, Mr. Stowell choreographed the critically acclaimed Adin, a world-premiere work danced to four songs by Sergei Rachmaninov - three of which were newly orchestrated for the performance by OBT Music Director Niel DePonte. In 2005, Mr. Stowell choreographed The Impending Hour, a new ballet set to the music of Ravel and created in collaboration with multi-media artist James Buckhouse.

In 2003, Damara Bennett was named Director of The School of Oregon Ballet Theatre. During the first year under Mr. Stowell and Ms. Bennett’s leadership, school enrollment increased 30% to nearly 200 students. The School of OBT performs highly successful shows each year, presenting a sophisticated repertoire of ballets by esteemed choreographers such as George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins and Auguste Bournonville.