OREGON BALLET THEATRE’S 2009/2010 EMERALD ANNIVERSARY SEASON TO OPEN WITH A RETROSPECTIVE OF 20 YEARS OF SIGNATURE WORKS

Portland, Ore…Oregon Ballet Theatre Artistic Director Christopher Stowell announced today that the company’s 20th anniversary season will open in October with a retrospective of works created for OBT during its first two decades. A wide range of choreographers who have had a major influence on the history of the company will be represented on the program. In honor of the milestone, OBT’s opening program will also include the company premiere of George Balanchine’s Emeralds.

Other season highlights include:
• OBT’s first work by 2008 Kennedy Center Honors recipient Twyla Tharp.
• Nicolo Fonte’s breathtaking Bolero.
• Christopher Stowell’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
• And the return of Trey McIntyre’s breezy, bossa nova hit, Like A Samba, last seen at OBT in 2003.

The 2009/2010 20th Anniversary Season:

PROGRAM 1: EMERALD ANNIVERSARY
October 10-17, 2009 / Keller Auditorium / Full Orchestra

PROGRAM 2: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
February 27-March 6, 2010 / Keller Auditorium / Full Orchestra

PROGRAM 3: DUETS
April 17-May 2, 2010 / Newmark Theatre / Soloist Musicians

PROGRAM 4: BOLERO
June 4-6, 2010 / Keller Auditorium / Soloist Musicians

GEORGE BALANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER (1954)
December 12-27, 2009 / Keller Auditorium / Live Orchestra (8 of 20 performances)

Founded in 1989, OREGON BALLET THEATRE is a not-for-profit, professional ballet company, with a school, based in Portland, Oregon. On July 1, 2003, Christopher Stowell became OREGON BALLET THEATRE’s artistic director and Damara Bennett joined OBT as school director. OREGON BALLET THEATRE offers the highest quality ballet, in a repertoire of classic and contemporary work, to the people of Oregon, the Pacific Northwest and the United States.

For more information, visit www.obt.org.