Fear No Music

By Gavin Larsen No one should ever fear music, but if you are especially curious and excited by it, I have an event to recommend. Local chamber music group Fear No Music has a concert this coming Sunday, March 13, at the Aladdin Theater in Southeast Portland. FNM is known for their bold explorations into […]

Gavin Larsen in Fertile Ground Festival 2011

Fertile Ground 2011 is a ten-day arts festival celebrating new work by Portland artists. This year’s festival will feature over 50 Portland-generated new works, along with a myriad of other arts events from Portland’s creative community. From fully-staged world premieres in theatre, to ensemble and collaborative driven work, dance, comedy, visual art and film, this […]

Act 4

The (rarely staged) final act of Sleeping Beauty includes the reconciliation of the Lilac Fairy and Carabosse… We’ve had three great performances so far, plus one equally great student matinee, and are in the final stretch of the last three shows. The dancers are more than just hanging in there through their fatigue, which must […]

The Celebration of Gavin Larsen

I snagged a photo of Gavin’s final curtain call this afternoon. It was beautiful to be a part of. The principal women honored Gavin with a hand-crafted tiara and the men each presented her with a rose, along with countless bouquets, hugs and kisses from the whole company. Flowers flooded the stage from the box […]

Tolstoy’s Waltz Pas de…

Deux? Trois? Quatre? Adrian and I have been rehearsing Tolstoy’s Waltz for about four weeks now, and are learning that although the costume seems to have a mind of its own, it can be trained to obey commands. In the photo above, we imagine the worst-case scenario and possible mishap. Adrian also pointed out that […]

My horoscope

“You are capable of extra physical effort, with the added bonus that you are dedicated to seeing things through to the end.” Yes! I like it!

No End to Listening

I read David Stabler’s beautifully thought-provoking and insightful column in The Oregonian on Thursday, “A Year of Playing Bach”. He describes his resolution to re-dedicate himself to daily practice of Bach’s “Well-Tempered Clavier” after many years away from not just that particular piece, but piano practice in general. Although, of course, the specifics of piano […]

Family Portraits

Around the studio and theater, we are rarely without our water bottles. Most everyone has their own, and since they are such an indispensable accessory (and now are available in so many unique shapes, sizes, colors, and patterns) we could probably identify everyone’s bottle if a “match the canteen to the dancer” contest were held. […]

YES!!

This box is sitting on the reception desk, awaiting musicians to come pick up their music for Midsummer. Need I say more?

Ringing in the New Year

2009 was a remarkable year for Oregon Ballet Theatre. While we’re happy to put it behind us, I think we can all agree that this past year also saw some of our most triumphant, exciting and hopeful moments. Thank you to everyone who has supported us in every way, small or large, from near or […]