George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker - Oregon Ballet Theatre by Artslandia

O R E G O N

B A L L E T

T H E AT R E

P R E S E N T S ®

Dec. 10 – Dec. 26, 2016 Keller Auditorium

Peter Franc as Drosselmeier | Photos by James McGrew

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OREGON BALLET THEATRE WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS OUR MOST SINCERE THANKS TO OUR MOST GENEROUS SPONSORS.

THANK YOU!

LETTER FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

WELCOME TO OREGON BALLET THEATRE’S PRODUCTION OF GEORGE BALANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER !

PRESENTING SPONSORS

Photo by Joni Kabana.

There is something about seeing through the eyes of a child that brings even the most world-weary adult into a blissful state — and renews that certain sense of wonder that children everywhere share. Experiencing The Nutcracker is one of the best opportunities we have to connect to that willingness to suspend belief that is a cherished part of the holidays. Another cherished part of the holidays is of course the beautiful music of Tchaikovsky, so well known to us all. The uncanny way that the composer captures the outsize feelings of hope, excitement, fear, and triumph that are a part of every child’s journey is one reason we are so transported by this masterpiece. When we hear the trumpets sound the battle cry in Act I, or the swelling of the string section that comes in the grand pas de deux for the Sugar Plum and her Cavalier in Act II — it connects us to the heart of the story in just the right way. Which is why OBT is so excited that this season we follow The Nutcracker with Swan Lake, perhaps the most beloved ballet of all time and again one of Tchaikovsky’s masterworks. Our new Swan Lake retains the traditions of a pristine classic while infusing the work with the theme that love, even if it begins in a fairytale, is its own magic — love transcends illusion. We hope you will join us on another unforgettable journey in ballet in February. But for now, before you sit back and delight in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker — think about this: every year, Oregon Ballet Theatre lovingly prepares this wonderful holiday confection for you to share with the ones you love. It is without doubt one of our happiest traditions! And an integral part of creating this magic for as long as we have performed it is former OBT Principal Dancer and current Children’s Coach Gavin Larsen, who leaves us (and Portland!) at the end of this run. Gavin has groomed generations of children for their roles in the ballet and in doing so has passed along the lessons she learned when she herself was a child in the production with Mr. Balanchine’s own company, New York City Ballet. Gavin’s ability to communicate the essence of each child’s role is a big reason why our performances have been so highly acclaimed, and we will miss her tremendously. So please take an extra moment to appreciate just how wonderful the children of our school are in this performance, won’t you? And enjoy the chance to see the world through their young eyes!

SEASON SPONSORS The Regional Arts & Culture Council, including support from the City of Portland, Multnomah County, and the Arts Education & Access Fund.

OBT is supported in part by a grant from the Oregon Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Work for Art, including contributions from more than 75 companies and 2,000 employees.

OBT is supported in part by a grant from the Oregon Cultural Trust

THOMPCORP

KEVIN IRVING

Artistic Director Oregon Ballet Theatre

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GET YOUR SUNDAYS STARTED RIGHT AT The School of Oregon Ballet Theatre is excited to launch a new Sunday series of classes • Drop-in ballet with OBT Principal Dancer, Chauncey Parsons • Jazz classes • Pilates mat workshops All available with convenient payment options.

Join us Sunday January 8th for a free dance day to try out our new classes.

Photo by Natalie Behring

FREE DANCE DAY

Photo by Blaine Truitt Covert

THE SCHOOL OF OREGON BALLET THEATRE

KEVIN IRVING, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

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ANTHONY JONES, SCHOOL DIRECTOR

Visit our website to see the full Sunday lineup: school.obt.org/sunday

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Photo by Blaine Truitt Covert

TODAY’S PROGRAM

OREGONBALLETTHEATRE PRESENTS

GEORGE BALANCHINE’S

THE NUTCRACKER

BALLET IN TWO ACTS, FOUR SCENES AND PROLOGUE Based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s tale, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (1816) MUSIC: PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY CHOREOGRAPHY: GEORGE BALANCHINE © The George Balanchine Trust ORIGINALLY STAGED BY: ELYSE BORNE & DARLA HOOVER SET AND COSTUME DESIGN: PETER FARMER LIGHTING DESIGN: MICHAEL MAZZOLA The children appearing in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker are students of The School of Oregon Ballet Theatre (Gavin Larsen, Children’s Coach) OBT PREMIERE: December 11, 2003 PREMIERE: February 2, 1954, New York City Ballet, City Center of Music and Drama in New York. The performance of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker ®, a Balanchine® Ballet, is presented by arrangement with The George Balanchine Trust® and has been produced in accordance with the Balanchine Style® and Balanchine Technique® Service standards established and provided by the Trust.

SYNOPSIS ACT ONE It is Christmas Eve in Germany 150 years ago, and Doctor and Frau Stahlbaum, along with their children Marie and Fritz, are hosting an elegant holiday party. In a festive parlor with a splendid Christmas tree, they entertain their friends and relatives with games, dances, and gifts. At the stroke of eight, an owl suddenly flaps its wings over the grandfather clock in the corner of the room and the lights flicker and fail. The party is swept with a sense of wonder as Marie’s godfather, the mysterious Herr Drosselmeier, makes a dramatic entrance with his young nephew. They have brought with them life-sized dancing toys that they unveil to the delight of the assembled guests. Drosselmeier then presents Marie with a special gift: a Nutcracker. Marie proudly shows off her new toy until Fritz, in a jealous tantrum, seizes the doll and breaks it. Drosselmeier mends the Nutcracker with his handkerchief and gives the doll to Marie, who tucks it into a toy bed beneath the Christmas tree. After a final dance, which Marie shares with the nephew, the guests say goodnight and the family goes off to bed. At midnight, Marie sneaks back to look for her Nutcracker. She soon falls asleep and, when she does, the room begins to change. Giant mice scurry through the shadows while the Christmas tree and the toys beneath it grow bigger and bigger. Under a now towering tree, the mice, led by their fierce King, do battle with the Nutcracker and

his army of toy soldiers. It seems the mice will be triumphant until, at the very last moment, Marie throws her slipper at the King, distracting him long enough for the Nutcracker to run him through with his sword and seize victory. Exhausted, Marie falls onto her bed and is magically transported to the Land of Snow. There, where snowflakes dance, she is reunited with the Nutcracker, now transformed into a handsome young Prince.

ACT TWO The Nutcracker Prince leads Marie on a journey to the Palace of the Land of Sweets, where the Sugar Plum Fairy reigns. There, the Prince tells the court how Marie saved him in his battle with the Mouse King. As a reward, the Sugar Plum Fairy seats them both upon a special throne to enjoy the dancing of Spanish Hot Chocolate, Arabian Coffee, and Tea from China. Candy Canes also perform for the two, along with Marzipan Shepherdesses, Mother Ginger and her Polichinelles, and the beautiful Dew Drop Fairy and her Flowers. As a final honor, the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier dance a majestic pas de deux. Marie and the Nutcracker Prince thank the Sugar Plum Fairy for her grand entertainment and everyone in the Land of Sweets gathers to bid them farewell.

GEORGE BAL ANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER • OREGON BALLET THEATRE

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A NEW VISION OF

SWAN LAKE Dancer: Brian Simcoe. Photo: Patrick Weishampel/blankeye.tv

FEBRUARY 18–25, 2017 | KELLER AUDITORIUM ARTISTIC DIRECTOR KEVIN IRVING’S NEW STAGING OF SWAN LAKE DRAWS AUDIENCES DEEPER INTO THE DRAMA THE STORY OF SWAN LAKE

Dancers: Peter Franc and Xuan Cheng. Photo: James McGrew

is inextricably connected with Tchaikovsky’s music. In his new adaptation of the ballet, Artistic Director Kevin Irving takes inspiration from Tchaikovsky’s childhood. Tchaikovsky’s nanny observed that, as a boy, he was loved by all “because people felt how much he loved them. His sensitivity knew no bounds.” And so Irving’s Prince Siegfried is loved and doted on in a way that has arrested his development until destiny intervenes. Suddenly, the young prince is thrust into a position to marry and ascend to the throne — responsibilities for which he is completely unprepared. Irving further grounds the work by removing the traditional character of the sorcerer Von Rothbart. Instead it is Siegfried’s father, the frail and dying King, who conjures up the famous Odette/Odile fantasy to teach his son to distinguish between reality and illusion. By the ballet’s conclusion, Prince Siegfried has matured into a strong and capable leader. In an ending overflowing with hope, he realizes love is its own magic and the beautiful swan princess may have been by his side all along. Irving is directing the new staging in collaboration with OBT Resident Choreographer Nicolo Fonte, School of OBT Director Anthony Jones, and OBT Rehearsal Director Lisa Kipp. The production will premiere February 18-25 at the Keller Auditorium, featuring the OBT Orchestra performing Tchaikovsky’s score. Come experience this world-renowned ballet as you’ve never seen it before.

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FEATURE

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Gavin Larson as the Sugar Plum Fairy in OBT’s 2004 production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker ®. Photo by Blaine Truitt Covert.

THE NUTCRACKER’S FIRST-CLASS COACH BY MARTY HUGHLEY

EACH HOLIDAY SEASON,

the artistic success of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker by Oregon Ballet Theatre depends on the efforts and energies of dozens of people, from Sugar Plum Fairies to stagehands, Cavaliers to costumers, militarized mice to musicians. But there might be no one who’s played a more crucial role over the past several years than Gavin Larsen. Though she retired as an OBT principal dancer in the spring of 2010, her impact only has increased through her role as coach for the platoon of children cast in the beloved annual spectacle. The use of real children for child characters is a key premise of Balanchine’s version of

the oft-adapted “Nutcracker” tale, and it’s an especially potent element in America, where the piece is so thoroughly tied to the Christmas season, providing a vivid representation of seasonal wonder and transformation. For 2016, OBT has cast 144 students in at least one role in The Nutcracker. The students are divided into two casts, and some students will perform two or even three different roles through the course of the run. For the children’s coach, it all amounts to a complicated regimen of auditioning, teaching, rehearsing, scheduling, organizing, and guiding that Larsen not only has excelled at but relished, no matter how much repetition it involves.

“I’m never going to be sick of The Nutcracker,” she says. “I’m never going to get bored. I know every part so well that there are always so many details to look at. This ballet, I wear it: I’m inside of it and it’s inside of me.” But beyond this season, Larsen’s further adventures in the Stahlbaum Family home and the Kingdom of the Sugar Plum Fairy won’t be with OBT. The New York native, whose 18-year professional-dancing career took her throughout North America, will return to the East Coast to take a teaching position at the Ballet Conservatory of Asheville, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina. She says she’ll miss Portland after 13 years here but was lured away by the full-time faculty post. Larsen admits she fell asleep the first time she saw Balanchine’s Nutcracker as a young child, in New York City Ballet’s storied version. Yet, “like every stereotypical ballerina,” she says, it got into her blood, especially once she enrolled in the School of American Ballet (New York City Ballet’s associate school) at age 11. She remembers being cast first as a baby mouse, and falling in love with the whole experience. She talks of “the seriousness of it, and the smell of it”—the canvas-leatherand-glue scent of new pointe shoes, the dyes in the costumes, the distinctive fragrance of rosin dust heated by stage lights. “It was a turning point that decided the path of my life, even though I didn’t know it at the time,” she recalls. “All I knew was this sense

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that the theater—not only the stage itself, but the wings, the halls, the costume shop, the dusty corners of backstage, the elevator, everything about it—was my world. Being coached as intensely as if we were preparing for starring roles, and then standing there on stage next to major professional dancers, watching them in the wings, how they prepared themselves, eavesdropping on their conversations, seeing them in between entrances and exits—all of it was endlessly fascinating. It was hard, hard work, but it was a satisfying kind of work that rewarded in a million ways.” Having performed numerous roles in the Balanchine Nutcracker and other versions throughout her career, Larsen began coaching, in collaboration with her predecessor, during her last year as a full-time dancer, and got further into the details when OBT took The Nutcracker and other works on a tour of South Korea shortly after she retired from performing. “That was a huge learning curve,” she recalls. The first task with the start of rehearsals just after Thanksgiving is getting everyone solid on the step and the counts. She’s a stickler for precision lines and sharp movement. “The feet should be daggers on the floor,” as the young dancer Colin Trummel recalls her instructions. Then there’s what she stresses isn’t acting but stagecraft: “How do you hold your body so that the audience sees your emotion?” The truly essential lessons, though, aren’t about technique. “What I’m most proud of is getting the kids to realize that each one of them matters,” Larsen says. “I realized even as a child performer myself that we were integral to the whole. And that’s one of the things we try to instill—that feeling of responsibility.” Of the hundreds of young dancers Larsen has worked with, only a few will go on to dance professionally; not many will even move up the ranks from being an angel to a role in the Act I party scene. Yet Larsen can readily spot the most promising students. “It’s their focus,” she says. “You can see that they’re never distracted. When I’m working with someone else, they’re the ones who go in a corner and do the movement again and again by themselves.” One such student is Annastasia Beller, who Larsen lauds as “a natural actress; she knows how to be dramatic without over-emoting.” At 16, Beller already has a decade of Nutcracker experience. “Sometimes it is really hard to balance ballet, school, and homework, not to mention all of the physical activity and how tired your body gets,” she says. “There are definitely times in the middle of the season where I wonder, why am I doing this again? But that all goes away once we get to the theater...I get this big goofy grin on my face, because I know this is exactly where I want to be.” Beller says Larsen taught her how to be diligent and efficient, not just with dance tech-

“What I’m most proud of is getting the kids to realize that each one of them matters. I realized even as a child performer myself that we were integral to the whole. And that’s one of the things we try to instill—that feeling of responsibility.” –GAVIN LARSEN

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nique, but with anything she does. “No matter how tired or discouraged I got, she has been there with corrections or encouragement to get me where I want to be. I know now that nobody gets anywhere taking the easy path.” Trummel’s path, on the other hand, was neither focused nor easy. Larsen recalls him initially as “sweet, but so hyperactive I didn’t know what to do with him.” But she’s gone from gritting her teeth every night when he played the mischievous young Fritz, to watching him last year as a prince and “shedding tears of motherly pride over this kid who I’d thought a couple of years before that I’d never be able to put on stage. He’d developed a dignity, but never lost that childlike exuberance.”

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GEORGE BAL ANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER • OREGON BALLET THEATRE

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ARTISTIC STAFF

Photo by Tom Geibel

KEVIN IRVING

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Kevin Irving began dancing with jazz classes in his hometown dance school (Long Island, New York), and later joined the school and training ensemble of Alvin Ailey. From 1982 to 1985, he danced with The Elisa Monte Dance Company of New York, but, at 24, he took a sharp turn toward classical dance and joined Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, in Montréal. Promoted first to soloist and then to principal dancer, Irving became a well-known figure wherever LGBC performed. In 1993, Irving joined Twyla Tharp Dance for a project that included performances at L’Opera de Paris and the PBS television film of In the Upper Room. From 1994 to 2002, Irving was ballet master and associate director with Nacho Duato’s Compañía Nacional de Danza in Madrid, Spain. From 2002 to 2007, he was Artistic Director of The Göteborg Ballet in Sweden. The company, under Irving’s tenure as director,

Photo by Tatiana Willis

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DENNIS BUEHLER

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Dennis Buehler was named Executive Director for Oregon Ballet Theatre in August 2014 and could not be more excited to be a part of the dynamic Portland community. Buehler joins OBT after leading Milwaukee Ballet in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as its Executive Director for seven seasons. During that time, Milwaukee Ballet not only significantly improved its organizational and financial health, but grew to be recognized as a national leader in the development of new work and for their strong commitment to training and community outreach. Buehler previously led the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts, also in Wisconsin, for six years, where he was credited with successfully guiding one of the region’s fastest growing arts organizations through its initial strategic, artistic, and organizational development phases. He has served on the board for The United Performing Arts Fund in Milwaukee, been an active leader within the Creative Alliance of Greater Milwaukee, the Creative Coalition for Greater Milwaukee, served as a local advocacy captain for Arts Wisconsin, and a planning committee member for the Milwaukee 7 Project, a regional collaboration initiative. Early in his career, Buehler held various producing roles with a number of theatre groups in both Florida and Wisconsin, including the Skylight Opera Theatre in Milwaukee from 1998 to 2002. He graduated from the Professional Theatre Training Program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1992. Buehler currently lives in West Linn with his wife Treena, an independent artist, and their two daughters.

was named the most important dance company in Sweden in Ballet International’s critics’ poll. From 2007 to 2013, he was a frequent guest ballet master with The Royal Danish Ballet and has been a guest teacher with numerous other companies and schools. He has staged ballets by Nacho Duato and Nicolo Fonte on companies such as The Royal Ballet Covent Garden, Nederlands Dans Theater, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and The Australian Ballet, among many others. Irving was also Associate Director at dance company Morphoses (2011–2012), coordinating special initiatives aimed at defining the company’s unique brand and profile in the dance world. In 2010, Irving founded I-DANCE (Inspiring Dance: American Nation Choreographic Exchange), a non-profit organization that has sent teachers and choreographers to dance communities in Central and South America. He was named Artistic Director of Oregon Ballet Theatre in July 2013.

LISA KIPP

REHEARSAL DIRECTOR Lisa Kipp began studying ballet in Olympia, Washington and finished her training at Pacific Northwest Ballet School. She By Tatiana Willis danced with Pacific Northwest Ballet, Pacific Ballet Theatre, Ballet Oregon, Ballet of Los Angeles, Ballet Chicago, and James Sewell Dance, and also performed in the touring company of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera. Kipp danced principal roles in George Balanchine’s Rubies, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Square Dance, Concerto Barocco, and Apollo, and appeared as the Cowgirl in Agnes de Mille’s Rodeo. Prior to joining OBT in 2004, she was the Ballet Department Head for the school of Spectrum Dance Theater in Seattle, as well as the company’s Rehearsal Director. Kipp has been the ballet master for OBT for 9 years, and the company’s rehearsal director for 2 years. As a ballet master she has assisted James Kudelka, Lar Lubovitch, Lola de Ávila, Nicolo Fonte, Francia Russell, Bart Cook, Christine Redpath, Christopher Stowell, Yuri Possokhov, and Helgi Tomasson. She has staged George Balanchine’s Rubies, Square Dance, and Who Cares? for OBT and is responsible for the corps de ballet in OBT’s classical repertoire.

JEFFREY STANTON BALLET MASTER

Jeffrey Stanton trained at San Francisco Ballet School and the School of American Ballet. In addition to classical ballet, he By Tatiana Willis also studied ballroom, jazz, and tap dancing. He joined San Francisco Ballet in 1989 and left to join Pacific Northwest Ballet in 1994. He was promoted to soloist in 1995, made a principal in 1996, and retired from PNB in 2011. He originated leading roles in Susan Stroman’s TAKE FIVE…More or Less; Stephen Baynes’ El Tango; Donald Byrd’s Seven Deadly Sins; Val Caniparoli’s The Bridge;

Nicolo Fonte’s Almost Tango and Within Without; Kevin O’Day’s Aract and [soundaroun(d) ance]; Kent Stowell’s Carmen, Palacios Dances, and Silver Lining; and Christopher Stowell’s Zaïs. Stanton has performed as a guest artist for Le Gala des Étoiles in Montréal, Prague Gala of Stars, and the TITAS Command Performance of International Ballet in Dallas, Texas. In 2000, he participated in the George Balanchine Foundation’s Interpreters Archive series, dancing excerpts from Balanchine’s Episodes, coached by Melissa Hayden.

NICOLO FONTE RESIDENT CHOREOGRAPHER Choreographer Nicolo Fonte is known for his daring and original approach to dance. His work has been noted by critics for a unique By Jana Cruder movement language as well as a highly developed fusion of ideas, dance and design. Born in Brooklyn New York, Fonte started dancing at the age of 14. He studied at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York as well as at the San Francisco Ballet and New York City Ballet Schools while completing a Bachelor Degree of Fine Arts at SUNY Purchase. Upon graduation he danced with Peridance in NYC and later joined Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in Montreal, dancing in the works of Balanchine, Tudor, Kudelka and Spaniard Nacho Duato. Fonte subsequently joined Duato’s Compañia Nacional de Danza in Madrid and forged a strong identity in the Spanish company for seven years —for both his dancing and his choreography. En los Segundos Ocultos, (In Hidden Seconds), one of three ballets Fonte made for the Spanish company, was hailed as a breakthrough work of great impact with the poetic vision of a mature artist and indeed this ballet established his presence on the European dance scene. In 2000 Fonte retired from performing to devote himself full-time to his choreographic career. Since that time he has created or staged his ballets for companies large and small all over the world, such as The Dutch National Ballet, Houston Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Ballet West, and Royal Ballet of Flanders, among many others. Fonte received a Choo San Goh award for his 2002 collaboration with Pacific Northwest Ballet, Almost Tango, of which R.M. Campbell of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer wrote, “Fonte is a thinker, an architect who creates the new rather than reinvent the old. He is a master of manipulating space and creating relationships.” Almost Tango was also voted as one of Dance Europe’s “Best Premiere’s when it was re-staged for The Australian Ballet in 2004. From 2002 to 2006 Nicolo enjoyed an ongoing creative partnership with The Göteborg Ballet in Sweden, creating and staging numerous works that helped establish the company’s distinct profile. Fonte has also played an important role in the ongoing development of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet as one of that company’s most popular guest choreographers. In

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addition to Oregon Ballet Theatre, Nicolo Fonte is currently the Resident Choreographer for Ballet West, in Salt Lake City, which began with the 2012-2013 season.

NIEL DEPONTE By Joni Kabana

MUSIC DIRECTOR & CONDUCTOR Niel DePonte has been the Music Director for OBT and its predecessor, Pacific Ballet Theatre, since 1985. He has guest conducted for Boston Ballet, the Ballet of the Mussorgsky (Maly) Theatre in Russia, and at the Nureyev Ballet Festival. He has also conducted symphonic, pops, and youth concerts with the symphonies of Oregon, Syracuse, and Charlotte, among others. He is Artistic Director and conductor of the Young Artists Debut! concerto concert. He was a 2003 Grammy Award nominee for “Best Instrumental Soloist Performance with Orchestra” for his performance of Tomáš Svoboda’s Concerto for Marimba with the Oregon Symphony. His compositions and arrangements written for the ballet stage include: Christopher Stowell’s Adin, Carmen, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Ekho; Houston Ballet’s 2002 production of Peter Pan; and OBT’s 1993 version of The Nutcracker. DePonte holds a Master’s degree and Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music and a degree in Education from the State University of New York.

MICHAEL MAZZOLA

Michael Mazzola’s critically acclaimed lighting and scenery has been seen in venues all over the U.S., Europe, and Asia, ranging from opera houses to amphitheaters to circus tents to hay barns. The three-time New York Dance and Performance Award winner has designed lighting and scenery for Oregon Ballet Theatre; Pacific Northwest Ballet; San Francisco Ballet, Whim W’Him of Seattle; Queensland Ballet; National Ballet of Finland; Stuttgart Ballet; Grand Rapids Ballet; Ballet West; Ballet Nacional de Cuba; Trey McIntyre Project; The Washington Ballet; Houston Ballet; Rachel Tess Dance at the Wanås Foundation in Sweden; Baryshnikov Arts Center; NYC and LMCC’s River to River Festival; Third Rail Repertory Theatre; Bebe Miller Company— with whom he has worked since the mideighties; and the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. Mazzola has designed scenery and lighting for the National YoungArts Foundation’s 2015 and 2016 Miami Galas and he designed lighting and video at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall for the 2015 and 2016 Presidential Scholars | YoungArts Awards. Mazzola has been senior scenic designer on Comedy Central Celebrity Roasts and the 2015 Lincoln Awards at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall for Uplight, Inc. based in NYC.

GUEST ARTIST By Carlos Silvas Photography

By Alison Roper

RESIDENT LIGHTING DESIGNER

POISON WATERS is not just a personality, Poison Waters is an experience.

Hundreds of thousands have enjoyed the one-of-a-kind entertainment and dynamic presence that only Poison Waters can provide. Over two decades young, the Poison Waters experience continues to grow and update itself with our ever-changing times, while holding tight the unique qualities that this Community Leader has become synonymous with: Dedication, Passion, Humor, Joy and Positive Light! Poison Waters captivates audiences of all demographics at auctions, awards ceremonies, non-profit gala fundraising events, and of course private parties of all sizes from the corporate level to family gathering. Whether dressed as Poison Waters, or her alter ego Kevin Cook, it’s always a perfect fit. Poison Waters is an experience you’ll not soon forget, and for more Poison, check out www.poisonwaters.com

GEORGE BAL ANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER • OREGON BALLET THEATRE

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Get 2-for-1 tickets to hundreds of performances and events in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington Counties. The Arts Card is our way of saying thank you to anyone who donates $60 or more. Learn more at workforart.org Work for Art is a program of the Regional Arts and Culture Council.

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ORCHESTRA & CHILDREN’S CAST ORCHESTRA

CHILDREN’S CAST ACT I

Ayse Conger Josephine Courtney PARTY SCENE Rhoen Flanagan Ashley Gomez FRITZ Angelika Gratchner Johannes Gikas Amanda Gross Elliana Kluherz Zeke Mitchell-Hopmeier Anna Horne Eliška Jelinek MARIE Samantha Kanning Sarah Harmon Elsie Khoehler Ruby Mae Lefebvre Kyra Kuelgen Kemi Olajuyin Yukino Logan * Elliana Kluherz Anna Loving Gwendolyn McGarry MAIDS Scarlett Metzler Karenna Hall Gracie Moffitt Megan Hug Vera-An Nguyen Sarah Rourke Kylin Nine Asia Tran Amelia Rice PARTY GIRLS Anika Sanders Isabel Borossay Annika Vallabhanath Aisha Callahan Anjali Weerasinghe Elsie Koehler Violet Williams Neah Lim Kaitlyn O’Neill ACT II Sophia Pi ANGELS Rhoen Flanagan Mika Blandy Anjali Weerasinghe Madeleine Brooks Eliška Jelinek* Kalysta Castillo PARTY BOYS Evelyn Chan Jack Banks Ayla Conger Josephine Courtney Clare Crawley Ashley Gomez Maia Gronner Twylo Landey Elsie Koehler Yukino Logan Lucy Krug Eli Mitchell-Hopmeier Anna Loving Vera-An Nguyen Scarlett Metzler Jensen Rasmussen Kylin Nine Amelia Rice Kaitlyn O’Neill Annika Vallabhanath Maya Otsuka * Amanda Gross Evelyn Peters Coco Pike GRANDCHILDREN Vivian Proctor Madoka Blandy Addie Rodriguez Ayse Conger Annika Sheridan Angelika Gratchner Lucy Walkush Gracie Moffitt Gracelyn Webert NEPHEW/PRINCE Violet Williams Finnian Carmeci Meilan Xu Johannes Gikas Poppy Yue Eli Mitchell-Hopmeier* POLICHINELLES Madoka Blandy* BATTLE SCENE Isabel Borrosay TRUMPETER Aisha Callahan* Twylo Landey Finnian Carmeci Zeke Mitchell-Hopmeier Emily Cole Josephine Courtney SENTRY Rhoen Flanagan Eli Mitchell-Hopmeier Johannes Gikas Jensen Rasmussen Ashley Gomez* BUNNY Samantha Kanning Dylan Haviv Elliana Kluherz Søren Gillette Ruby Mae Lefebvre * Samuel Loving Neah Lim Yukino Logan SOLDIERS/SABRES Kemi Olajuyin Zoe Abadi Sophia Pi Natalie Becker Jensen Rasmussen Madoka Blandy Amelia Rice Mika Blandy Annika Vallabhanath Isabel Borossay Anjali Weerasinghe* Blakely Bresee Aisha Callahan Emily Cole

CANDY CANES Zoe Abadi Natalie Becker Emily Cole Sarah Harmon Anna Horne Megan Hug Milana MilošManthey Malia McClanahan Lainie Pennington Sarah Rourke Kayama Stephens Asia Tran CHINESE TEA Zoe Abadi Annastasia Beller Maddie Blessinger Anna Horne Megan Hug Maura Mackin Malia McClanahan Megan McGarry Lainie Pennington Kayama Stephens Asia Tran Milana MilošManthey* *denotes understudy

VIOLIN I Nelly Kovalev, Concertmaster Paloma Hébert, Assistant Concertmaster* Andrea Oh Della Davies Robin Baldino Casey Bozell Elizabeth Peyton Jenny Estrin Eva Richey Sarah Roth VIOLIN II Janet Dubay, Principal Janet George, Assistant Principal Ann Medellin Camilla Scott Linda Vasey Luise Grube Heather MastelLipson VIOLA Angelika Furtwangler, Principal Shauna Keyes, Assistant Principal* Brenda Liu Kim Burton

CELLO Hamilton Cheifetz, Principal Katherine Schultz, Assistant Principal Corey Averill Heather Blackburn Justin Kagan David Eby BASS David Parmeter, Principal Dave Anderson, Assistant Principal FLUTE Georgeanne Ries, Principal Sarah Tiedemann Zach Galatis OBOE Kelly Gronli, Principal Alan Juza CLARINET Sunshine Simmons, Principal Carol Robe, Principal* Melanie Yamada Cris Inguanti

BASSOON Evan Kulmann, Principal* Danielle Goldman, Principal* Joseph Hartman FRENCH HORN Steve Hayworth, Principal Matt Monroe Mike Hettwer Jen Harrison Daniel Partridge Rebecca Olason TRUMPET Dave Bamonte, Principal Steve Conrow, Principal* Robert Rutherford TROMBONE Henry Henniger, Principal Dave Bryan Carson Keeble Lars Campbell TUBA Seth Horner, Principal Mike Grose, Principal*

PERCUSSION Gordon Rencher, Principal TIMPANI Jeff Peyton, Principal HARP Denise Fujikawa, Principal* KEYBOARD Lydia Chung, Principal* ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL MANAGER Janet George MUSIC LIBRARIANS Kirsten Norvell Rachel Rencher denotes acting title Italics denotes substitute

GEORGE BAL ANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER • OREGON BALLET THEATRE

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COMPANY

PRINCIPAL DANCERS

XUAN CHENG

CHAUNCEY PARSONS

PETER FRANC

Sponsored by Sandy & Stephen Holmes

SHEA MCADOO*

ANDREW WINGERT

OREGON BALLET THEATRE • GEORGE BAL ANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER

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COMPANY PRINCIPAL DANCERS

XUAN CHENG

Xuan Cheng was born in Chen Zhou, Hu Nan Province of China. After studying at the School of Guang Zhou Ballet, she joined as a company member and rose to become a principal dancer. In 2006, she was invited by acclaimed Canadian choreographer Lock to join his Montréal-based company La La La Human Steps. She then joined Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. While there, her roles included Juliet in JeanChristophe Maillot’s Romeo & Juliet, Princess Lena in Christian Spuck’s Leonce and Lena and the Sugar Plum Fairy in Fernand Nault’s The Nutcracker. She joined OBT as a principal dancer in 2011. Her major principal roles include Giselle, Cinderella, Odette and Odile in Swan Lake, as well as roles in works by Nacho Duato, Nicolo Fonte, James Kudelka, and Trey McIntyre.

PETER FRANC

Peter Franc received his early ballet training with Atlanta’s Metropolitan Ballet Theatre, the Louisville Ballet School, and graduated from the Houston Ballet Academy. He then joined Houston Ballet, rising to the rank of demi-soloist. Notable performances include works by Jerome Robbins, George Balanchine, Jirˇí Kylián, Hans Van Manen, and Stanton Welch. He continued dancing 3 seasons with Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, featuring in a variety of contemporary work by choreographers Jorma Elo, Nicolo Fonte, Cayetano Soto and Alejandro Cerrudo. He joined OBT as a soloist in 2015 and was promoted to principal in 2016.

CHAUNCEY PARSONS

Born in Santa Barbara, California, Chauncey Parsons began dancing at age 12, at the Santa Barbara Ballet Center, under Michelle Pearson and Denise Rinaldi. At 15, he was accepted into the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington D.C. where he trained for three years under Vladimir Djouloukhadze. After graduating, he performed for State Street Ballet under Rodney Gustafson for two years. In 2002, he joined Colorado Ballet as a soloist under Martin Fredmann, and in 2004 was promoted to the rank of principal dancer. In 2008, he joined OBT as a soloist under Christopher Stowell, and was promoted to principal in 2009. Over the course of his career he has danced a wide

variety of roles, including Basil in Don Quixote, Count Albrecht in Giselle, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, and Mercutio in Romeo & Juliet. Further, he has danced leading roles in Balanchine’s Rubies, Emeralds, Tarantella, The Nutcracker, and Stravinsky Violin Concerto, Michael Pink’s Dracula and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Agnes de Mille’s Rodeo, Nicolo Fonte’s Bolero and Never Stop Falling (in Love), Paul Taylor’s Company B, and others.

BRIAN SIMCOE

Brian Simcoe was born in Grants Pass, Oregon. He received his training from the School of Oregon Ballet Theatre, Pacific Northwest Ballet School, and Long Beach Ballet Arts Center. He joined OBT as an apprentice in 2004, was promoted to soloist in 2011, and promoted to principal in 2013. At OBT, he has appeared in Christopher Stowell’s Swan Lake, Nicolo Fonte’s Petrouchka, James Canfield’s Romeo & Juliet, and Jerome Robbins’ Afternoon of a Faun.

JACQUELINE STRAUGHAN

OBT’s newest Principal Dancer Jacqueline Straughan is a native of Carson City, Nevada. She studied at the National Ballet School in Toronto, Canada where she was also the recipient of the Peter Dwyer Scholarship and Christopher Ondaatje Award for dance excellence. She began her professional career in 2000 with the National Ballet of Canada under the directorship of James Kudelka. While with the company she performed his works and others by John Cranko, Sir Frederick Ashton, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Glen Tetley and Matjash Mrozewski. In 2006, she joined Ballet West where she quickly moved up the ranks to first soloist, appearing in featured roles in ballets by Jerome Robbins, Twyla Tharp, Mark Morris, Ben Stevenson, Willam Christensen, Val Caniparoli, Matthew Neenan, Helen Pickett, and James Canfield. Her notable principal roles include the title role of Giselle, as well as principal roles in Ulysses Dove’s Red Angels, Jirˇ í Kylián’s Forgotten Land & Overgrown Path, William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, and George Balanchine’s Rubies. OBT Resident Choreographer Nicolo Fonte created Presto and several other ballets on her during

their respective time with Ballet West. While at Ballet West, she simultaneously pursued her higher education goals, graduating in 2016 with a BS in Green & Sustainable Management. SOLOISTS

CANDACE BOUCHARD

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Candace Bouchard began dancing at the age of 5. She joined OBT as an apprentice in 2003, became a full company artist in 2004, and was promoted to soloist in 2008. Some of her favorite roles include William Forsythe’s The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude and The Second Detail, Helen Pickett’s Petal, and August Bournonville’s Napoli.

EVA BURTON

Eva Burton was born in Los Angeles, California. She received her training in Los Angeles from Patrick Frantz and at San Francisco Ballet School before joining OBT for the 2009/10 season. She has been featured in works by George Balanchine, Nacho Duato, Nicolo Fonte, and Ben Stevenson. In the 2014/15 season she debuted as the Sugar Plum Fairy in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, as Cinderella in Ben Stevenson’s production, and in Nicolo Fonte’s Presto.

MARTINA CHAVEZ

Born in San Antonio, Texas, Martina Chavez began her training at age 9 under the direction of Buddy and Susan Trevino then continued her education at Maryland Youth Ballet. She joined OBT in 2006 as an apprentice, was promoted into the company in 2007, and to soloist in 2014. Her favorite roles have been in works created by George Balanchine, Nacho Duato, and Nicolo Fonte.

ANSA DEGUCHI

Ansa Deguchi is from Nagoya, Japan where she began studying dance at the age of 5. She later trained with Chika Goto Step Works Ballet and City Ballet School in San Francisco. She joined OBT as an apprentice in 2003 and was promoted to soloist in 2007. Some of her favorite roles with OBT include: William Forsythe’s The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, George Balanchine’s Tarantella, James Canfield’s Romeo & Juliet, and Nacho Duato’s Por Vos Muero.

MICHAEL LINSMEIER

Michael grew up on a family dairy farm near Manitowoc, Wisconsin where he began training at the Jean Wolfmeyer School of Dance. During high school he attended the Virginia School of the Arts. He spent seven years dancing with the Milwaukee Ballet before joining OBT in 2011. Since joining, Michael has enjoyed dancing roles created by Nicolo Fonte, William Forsythe, Helen Pickett, Nacho Duato, George Balanchine, James Canfield, Ben Stevenson, and James Kudelka to name a few. COMPANY ARTISTS

THOMAS BAKER

Thomas Baker began dancing at the age of 15 in St. George, Utah. Prior to joining OBT in 2010, he studied with San Francisco Ballet School on full scholarship. He then danced with Ballet San Jose from 2012 to 2014, rejoining OBT for the 2014/15 season. He has performed featured roles in works by Balanchine, Ashton, Rhoden, Naharin, and Cunningham.

ADAM HARTLEY

Adam Hartley is from Orange, California and began dancing at age 5. He joined OBT as an apprentice in 2009 and was promoted to company artist in 2011. Some of his favorite ballets to dance at OBT were William Forsythe’s The Second Detail, Nacho Duato’s Por Vos Muero, and Nicolo Fonte’s Bolero.

MAKINO HILDESTAD

Makino Hildestad was born in Kumamoto, Japan. She started ballet at The Kumamoto Ballet School when she was 9 years old. She joined Colorado Ballet in 2002 as an apprentice, was promoted to corps de ballet in 2004, and joined OBT in 2010. Her favorite roles at OBT are Rassemblement by Nacho Duato, The Lost Dance by Matjash Mrozewski, Sub Rosa by James Kudeluka, Nurse in Romeo & Juliet by James Canfield, and Beautiful Decay by Nicolo Fonte. She has been featured in the role of Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Second Detail by William Forsythe, Instinctual Confidence by Darrell Grand Moutrie, Napoli by August Bournonville and Petal by Helen Pickett.

GEORGE BAL ANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER • OREGON BALLET THEATRE

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COMPANY CHRISTOPHER KAISER

A native to Los Angeles, Christopher began training at Los Angeles High School for the Arts. During his summers, he trained at The Joffrey Ballet, Boston Ballet, and Milwaukee Ballet. From there, he was accepted to The Juilliard School in New York where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, where he had the privilege to dance in the International Festival in Edinburgh. He danced with Alberta Ballet for three seasons before joining OBT. This is his first season with OBT. Some of his favorite performances include Nacho Duato’s Gnawa, William Forsythe’s Herman Shmerman, and Jirˇ í Kylián’s Forgotten Land.

JESSICA LIND

Born and raised in San Jose, California, Jessica Lind began her ballet training at age 4 at Dance Theatre International. She trained for a year with San Francisco Ballet School before joining the Professional Division at OBT and then became an apprentice two years later. Her favorite roles she has performed with OBT include the Summer Fairy in Ben Stevenson’s Cinderella and the Tarantella in Napoli.

KATHERINE MONOGUE

Katherine Monogue was born in Tacoma, Washington. She trained at the Washington School of Ballet in Washington, D.C. under Key Juan Han. She joined OBT as a Professional Division student in 2012, was promoted to apprentice in 2013, and joined the company as a company artist in 2014. She has performed numerous roles, including Peasblossom in Christopher Stowell’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Helen Pickett’s Petal, and Nacho Duato’s Rassemblement.

KELSIE NOBRIGA

Kelsie Nobriga is from Orange County, California and began dancing at the age of 5. She trained with Melissa Allen Bowman and Charles Maple and was a Professional Division student with Pacific Northwest Ballet. In 2011, she joined OBT as an apprentice, and returned as a company artist in 2014. Previously, she danced with Colorado Ballet. Some of her favorite roles with OBT are Marzipan from George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker and the Autumn Fairy from Cinderella.

KIMBERLY NOBRIGA

Kimberly Nobriga grew up in Orange County, California. Starting in 2010, she trained and performed with the Pacific Northwest Ballet School and their Professional Division before joining OBT as an apprentice in 2013. As an apprentice, she danced memorable roles such as the lead in the school’s performances of Valse Fantaisie and Paquita. She was also featured in company performances as the Spanish Lead in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker and the Winter Fairy in Ben Stevenson’s Cinderella. She joined OBT’s corps de ballet in 2015.

EMILY PARKER

Emily Parker was born in Boston, Massachusetts where she began dancing at age 4. After graduating from Indiana University, she joined OBT as an apprentice in 2014. Her favorite roles thus far with OBT include the Spring Fairy in Ben Stevenson’s Cinderella and the Harlequin Doll in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker. She was promoted to company artist in 2016.

COLBY PARSONS

A native of Santa Barbara, California, Colby Parsons began dancing at the age of 13, studying ballet with Denise Rinaldi at the Santa Barbara Ballet Center. He continued his training on full scholarship at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre in New York City. He danced with American Ballet Theatre II for three seasons, followed by dancing soloist and principal roles for Alberta Ballet in Calgary for another three seasons. For the 2014/15, season he joined OBT under Kevin Irving. For OBT he has danced the Lover in James Kudelka’s Sub Rosa, a lead in Bournonville’s Napoli, the Prince in Ben Stevenson’s Cinderella, a lead couple in Nicolo Fonte’s Presto, the Berceuse pas de deux in Nicolo Fonte’s Never Stop Falling (in Love), and the Cavalier in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, among other roles. Colby is also a principal dancer with American Contemporary Ballet in Los Angeles during the summer seasons. He has performed as a guest artist in Japan, Costa Rica, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and Canada as well as in several states in the U.S.

AVERY REINERS

Avery Reiners is from New Jersey. He started dance at the School of American Ballet and received further training at San Francisco Ballet School and Boston Ballet School before joining OBT as a company artist in 2013. Some of his favorite roles with OBT include: Matjash Mrozewski’s The Lost Dance, Gennaro in Bournonville’s Napoli, and Nicolo Fonte’s Presto.

PAIGE WILKEY

Paige Wilkey was born in Los Angeles, California where she began dancing at age 3. She moved to Boston at the age of 16 to train in the Pre-Professional Program at Boston Ballet School. She came to OBT as a Professional Division student in 2013 and became an apprentice in 2014. After two apprentice years, she is thrilled to join as a company artist for the 2016/17 season. Her favorite roles with OBT are Odette from OBT’s Annual School Performance of Swan Lake, and the Yellow Girl in Crayola. APPRENTICES

HANNAH DAVIS

Hannah Davis was born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina where she began dancing at age 3. She continued her classical and contemporary studies at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts under Brenda Daniels and Susan Jaffe. Hannah joined OBT2 in 2015 where she enjoyed performing Teresina in August Bournonville’s Napoli, the pas de deux from Alison Roper’s Crush, and Swanilda in OBT’s Annual School Performance of Coppélia. She was promoted to OBT apprentice in 2016.

ABIGAIL DIEDRICH

Abigail Diedrich is from Pasadena, Maryland. She began dancing at the age of 8 under the direction of Diana Cuatto at Ballet Theatre of Maryland before continuing her training with Norma Pera at Baltimore School for the Arts from 2011-2013. In 2013, she joined the Professional Division at Pacific Northwest Ballet for two years before moving to Portland to dance with OBT2. She enjoyed performing in both OBT2’s outreach programs and company productions. Her favorite roles at OBT include Dawn in OBT’s Annual School Performance of Coppélia, Teresina in August Bourn-

onville’s Napoli, and Harlequin Doll in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker. She was promoted to OBT apprentice in 2016.

KEENAN ENGLISH

Keenan English trained with the Baltimore County Youth Ballet and then the Baltimore School for the Arts before joining the trainee program at Boston Ballet School on the Pao Scholarship, where he performed with Boston Ballet. In 2012, he attended the summer course at The School of American Ballet, and later enrolled as a full time student on the Carolyn Wright-Lewis Scholarship. While at SAB he performed in Balanchine’s Serenade, Coppélia, and Western Symphony, which was a Live at Lincoln Center PBS Broadcast. He joined the company at Dance Theatre of Harlem for the 2014/15 season, before joining Cincinnati Ballet for the 2015/16 season. He joined OBT as an apprentice in 2016.

SHEA MCADOO

Shea McAdoo was born in Scottsdale, Arizona where she began dancing at the age of 3. Her ballet training began at Master Ballet Academy under the direction of Slawomir and Irena Wozniak. She also attended summer courses at the School of American Ballet, Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell and Boston Ballet. Shea joined OBT in 2014 as a student in the Professional Division before being promoted to apprentice for the 2015/16 season. Her favorite roles with OBT include variations from Paquita and the Orange Girl in Dennis Spaight’s Crayola.

ANDREW WINGERT

A native of Dayton, Ohio, Andrew Wingert joined OBT in 2016 as an apprentice after spending a year as a freelance dancer, where he appeared in the corps de ballet with the Suzanne Farrell Ballet and as a guest artist with the Sacramento Ballet, Ballet Chicago and several other regional companies and schools. He has enjoyed performing in a variety of featured principal roles including: George Balanchine’s Who Cares?, Divertimento No. 15, and Septime Webre’s Juanita y Alicia. Some of his other favorite performances include Septime Webre’s Alice (in wonderland), and Michael Pink’s Giselle. Andrew is thrilled for his first season with OBT.

OREGON BALLET THEATRE • GEORGE BAL ANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER

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TERRA

COMING UP NEXT IN 2017! The Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation presents

OREGON BALLET THEATRE’S

Brian Simcoe | Photo by Patrick Weishampel/blankeye.tv

Martina Chavez | Photo by James McGrew

Newmark Theatre

FEB 18 – 25, 2017 Keller Auditorium

Oregon Ballet Theatre’s ambitious “season of giants” continues in February with Kevin Irving’s exciting new adaptation of Swan Lake. In April we welcome the spring by taking inspiration from the earth with TERRA, an evening of four works featuring the company premiere of Nacho Duato’s Jardí Tancat, and the return of Helen Pickett’s colorful Petal.

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GEORGE BAL ANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER • OREGON BALLET THEATRE

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OREGON BALLET THEATRE • GEORGE BAL ANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER

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OBT STAFF ARTISTIC Kevin Irving, Artistic Director Lisa Kipp, Rehearsal Director Jeffrey Stanton, Ballet Master Nicolo Fonte, Resident Choreographer Niel DePonte, Music Director & Conductor Tracey Sartorio, Executive Assistant to the Artistic Director & Artistic Coordinator Irina Golberg, Principal Accompanist

PRODUCTION Bill Anderson, Director of Production Shannon Goffe, Production Administrator/ Stage Manager Hayley Glickfeld Bielman, Assistant Stage Manager Michael Mazzola, Resident Lighting Designer Ian Anderson-Priddy, Production Electrician & A/V Coordinator Tim Boot, Sound Designer Ian Rutledge, Sound Coordinator Matt Wilcox, Sound Engineer Pam Jett-Goodrich, First Hand Eileen Ehlert, Wardrobe & Shoe Administrator Sara Beukers, Wigs & Makeup Designer Kerris Cockrell, Jeff Dines, Brian Keith, Brad Saby, Production Support Staff Janet George, Orchestra Personnel Manager Kristen Norvell, Head Music Librarian Rachel Rencher, Assistant Music Librarian Eva Richey, Assistant Music Librarian

COMPANY ROSTER | OBT THE SCHOOL OF OREGON BALLET THEATRE

KEVIN IRVING

Anthony Jones, School Director Lisa Sundstrom, OBT2 Program Director OBT2 is underwritten by M.J. Charitable Trust and John Van Buren James Holstad, School Administrator Rachel Närhi, West Linn Studio Manager Colleen Hanlon, School Registrar & Children’s Coordinator Natasha Bar, Haley Blaise, Hannah Downs, Emma Johnson, Elise Legere, Chauncey Parsons, Jessica Post, Olivia Pyne, Dena Rasmussen, Alison Roper, Kembe Staley, Katarina Svetlova, Robyn Ulibarri, School Faculty Olga Alehina, Ayal Alves, Tiffany Barclay, Charlie Copeland, Irina Golberg, Garnet Hayes, Ayako Matsuo, Ray McKean, Alec Pemberton, Katie Pyne, Jon Roberts, Jordan Strang, Westy Summerton, Accompanists

DENNIS BUEHLER

EDUCATION OUTREACH Kasandra Gruener, Director of Education Outreach Brook Manning, Dance Historian & Teaching Artist Linda Besant, Archivist/Historian Sarah Ward Brown, Hannah Downs, Robyn Ulibarri, Allison Wales, Teaching Artists Amy Stahl, Office Assistant Sorrel Uchida, Research Assistant

SPECIAL THANKS ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE Dennis Buehler, Executive Director Neville Wellman, Director of Finance & Operations Donna Jackson-Siekmann, Accounting Manager Linda Brown, Office Assistant

DEVELOPMENT Alison Roper, Major Gifts Officer Justin N. Smith, Donor Relations & Events Manager Keely McIntyre, Grants Manager Emily Tucker, Development Associate

MARKETING Natasha Kautsky, Director of Marketing & Communications James Bartlett, Audience Services Manager Kailyn Bowen, Boutique Manager Jim Thompson, Graphic Designer Kate Kerns, Marketing Associate Chloe Hellberg, Patron Services Lead Richie Greene, Customer Service Representative Mariah DeLude, Customer Service Representative Mitchell Falconer, Customer Service Representative

IATSE Local #28, Oregon Children’s Theatre, ShowDrape Inc., White Bird Dance, Jeff Forbes, Portland Opera, Portland State University, Kayla Scrivner, Chris Balo.

DANCER WELLNESS COMMITTEE Dennis Buehler, OBT Executive Director Peter Franc, OBT Principal Dancer Richard Gellman, MD, Summit Orthopedics Kevin Irving, OBT Artistic Director Katherine B. McCoy, PT, MTC, West Portland Physical Therapy Clinic Sharon Mirarchi, Committee Chair & OBT Board of Trustees Peter Northrop, Northrup Corporation President Alex Occhipinti, Northrup Corporation Assistant Vice President Neville Wellman, OBT Director of Finance & Operations Amy Werner, PT, DPT, West Portland Physical Therapy Clinic Katharine Zeller, MD, Legacy Health

Artistic Director Executive Director

PRINCIPAL DANCERS Xuan Cheng, Peter Franc, Chauncey Parsons, Brian Simcoe, Jacqueline Straughan

SOLOISTS Candace Bouchard, Eva Burton, Martina Chavez, Ansa Deguchi, Michael Linsmeier

COMPANY ARTISTS Thomas Baker, Adam Hartley, Makino Hildestad, Christopher Kaiser, Jessica Lind, Katherine Monogue, Kelsie Nobriga, Kimberly Nobriga, Emily Parker, Colby Parsons, Avery Reiners, Paige Wilkey

APPRENTICES Hannah Davis, Abigail Diedrich, Keenan English, Shea McAdoo, Andrew Wingert

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Cary Jackson, Board Chair Nancy Locke, Vice Chair Cate Millar, Secretary Jimmy Crumpacker, Treasurer Ken Carraro Rita Duyn Nancy W. Frisch William Gaar Alan Garcia Gary Hanifan Brianne Hyder Ken Ivey John Lenyo Keith Martin Bradley Miller Nancy J. Miller Sharon Mirarchi

Reegan Rae Dean M. Richardson Mike Weddle Kevin Irving, ex officio Dennis Buehler, ex officio Candace Bouchard, ex officio

GEORGE BAL ANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER • OREGON BALLET THEATRE

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Deciphering the Nutcracker Prince’s Mime Deciphering Nutcracker Prince’s Mime In ballet, stories are typically told through the body language and the action of dance. Occasionally, Deciphering the Nutcracker Prince’s Mime a form of sign language

In ballet, stories are are typically through language andand thethe action of dance. Occasionally, a form of sign orballet, mime is used to tell thetold story. Inthrough Act body II of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, the Prince tells story oflanguage his brave In stories typically told body language action of dance. Occasionally, a the form of sign language or mime is used to tell the story. In Act II of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, the Prince tells the story of his brave battle with the Mouse King, using specific mime gestures that have been part of the ballet’s movement vocabulary for or mime is used to tell the story. In Act II of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, the Prince tells the story of his brave battle withwith the the Mouse King, using specific mime gestures thatthat have been part of the ballet’s movement vocabulary forfor hundreds of have years. battle Mouse King, using specific mime gestures been part of the ballet’s movement vocabulary hundreds of years. hundreds of years.

All of you, please Listen to me. All A ofpay please llyou, of attention. you, please Listen to me. Listen to me. pay pay attention. attention.

I I I

I was sleeping. Marie comforted Then, I heard me. and I was sleeping. comforted I was sleeping.Marie Marie comforted Then, I heard Then, Isaw heard me.me.

andand sawsaw

Will tell you WW ill tell youyou ill tell

A story. AA story. story.

In a faraway land, InIanfaraway land, a faraway land,

Mice MM iceice

And their Mouse King. And their And their Mouse King. Mouse King.

So I called up troops, SoSIthe upup ocalled I called thethe troops, troops,

And we fought. The Mouse King Marie took off And threw it at When he was We were safe! the Mouse King. pushed me toKing the distracted, I her shoe And threw he Mouse e were safe! was M nd fought. we fought. threw it atit at WW TheT Mouse King WW e were safe! henhen he he was M ariearie tooktook off off And AndAwe ground. stabbed him. pushed to the pushed me me to the ground. ground.

shoe her her shoe

Mouse King. thethe Mouse King.

distracted, distracted, I I stabbed him. stabbed him.

Photo by Blaine

Truitt Cover t

Xuan Cheng. Photos by Yi Yin Xuan Xuan Cheng. Cheng. PhotosPhotos by Yi by YinYi Yin

Help Fritz and Marie find their way to the Land of Sweets! Help Fritz and Marie find theirway waytotothe theLand LandofofSweets! Sweets! Help Fritz and Marie find their

OREGON BALLET THEATRE • GEORGE BAL ANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER

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ge eve ge r ve

KEVIN IRVING, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

ANTHONY JONES, SCHOOL DIRECTOR

WINTER SESSION JANUARY 3 – MARCH 25

The School of Oregon Ballet Theatre The official training ground for OREGON BALLET THEATRE is dedicated to providing all students the highest quality training in classical ballet.

“I am very grateful for all that SOBT has done for me…each of the teachers has inspired me and helped me to grow as a dancer.” Current SOBT Student

Photos by James McGrew

PORTLAND STUDIO Xuan Cheng. Photos by Yi Yin Xuan Xuan Cheng. Cheng. PhotosPhotos by Yi by YinYi Yin

AGES 3 YEARS AND UP Pre-Ballet Children’s Beginning Ballet Preparatory Division OBT2

0720 SW Bancroft St., Portland OR 97239 503.227.6890 | schoolofobt@obt.org

WEST LINN STUDIO AGES 18 MONTHS AND UP

Parent and Child Pre & Children’s Ballet Youth Jazz NEW Youth Beginning Ballet (11-15yrs)

19066 Willamette Dr., West Linn, OR 97068 503.210.2365 | sobtwestlinn@obt.org

for more information & registration: school.obt.org

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INDIVIDUAL DONORS Oregon Ballet Theatre would like to express its sincere gratitude to those listed below for gifts received through November 1, 2016. Donations received after this period will appear in the next playbill in February.

TOUR DE FORCE ($25,000 AND UP)

Howard Hedinger Sue Horn-Caskey & Rick Caskey Cary Jackson Nancy Locke & Don Harris Jean Pierce Arlene Schnitzer Jordan Schnitzer Bob Sweeney & Cate Millar John Van Buren David Wardell, In Memoriam Nani Warren Wendy Warren & Thomas Brown David Wedge, In Memoriam Barbara Yeager

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE ($10,000–$24,999)

Thomas Anderson & Jack Blumberg Jimmy Crumpacker Rita Duyn Karen & Bill Early Alan Garcia & Lyn Reynolds Garcia Thomas & Elizabeth Gewecke Melissa & Gary Hanifan Jeanette Heinz Kiki Hillman Charles L. Jones John & Linda Lenyo Kenneth Lewis Devin & Natalia Megy Brad & Nancy Miller Sharon & Adam Mirarchi Paul O’Brien Loren Parks Mike & Karen Weddle

ÉTOILE POINTE SOCIETY ($5,000–$9,999)

Anonymous Linda & Scott Andrews Robert Aughenbaugh Noam Ben-Hamou Linda Besant & Martha Goetsch Anne & James Crumpacker Evelyn Curioso & Prashanth Vallabhanath Bill Dickey Rick & Carolyn Fromm William Gilliland Gregory K. & Mary Chomenko Hinckley Kevin Irving & Nicolo Fonte Kathleen Kelly Diane Knudsen Dr. Dolores Leon & Dr. Fernando Leon Laura S. Meier Dean M. Richardson Luwayne Sammons Dr. Kathy Zeller & Dr. David Hill

VIRTUOSO POINTE SOCIETY ($2,500–$4,999)

Anonymous Ajitahrydaya Brent Barton & Liz Fuller Dan Bergsvik & Don Hastler Richard Louis Brown & Thomas Mark Ken Carraro Guillermina & Arthur Chavez Jeanie McGuire Coleman Daniel Deutsch Chuck & Barbara Edgerton Nancy & Paul Frisch William E. Gaar & Lauren E. Barnes Marilyn & Hans Grunbaum Jamey Hampton & Ashley Roland Jan Jacobsen & Paul Hart Juliet Hillman Ronna & Eric Hoffman Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation Sandra & Stephen Holmes Brianne & Zachary Hyder Jan Johnson & Susan Olsen Elise Legere & James Mitchell Carol Schnitzer Lewis Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation Bill & Kate Lockwood Keith Martin Marilyn J. McIver Ellen & Carl Nielsen John & Ginger Niemeyer Peter & Cassie Northrup Suzann & Dennis Ott Kelly & David Park Denise & James Parker Jane S. Partridge Melanie & Darren Pennington, In Honor of Lainie Pennington Steven & Allison Pike Yale Popowich, M.D. & Tina Skouras Reegan & David Rae Marilyn L. Rudin, MD & Richard S. Testut, Jr. Leslie Ann Sammons-Roth Jone Sampson & Sam Weirich Carol & Tom Shults Daniel & Dawn Simcoe Albert & Victoria Starr Joan W. Sterrett Robert Trotman & Bill Hetzelson The Peter & Ann van Bever Charitable Fund Toby & Linda Warson Dr. Charles W. Webb, D.O. Manami Yamaguchi & Jason Moore

PRINCIPAL DANCER’S CIRCLE ($1,000–$2,499)

Anonymous Susan T. Armentrout Patti & Lloyd Babler Barbara & Sidney Bass Adriane & Sam Blackman

Suzanne Bromschwig & William Dolan Nancy & Andy Bryant Treena & Dennis Buehler Alex Carlson Jeff Chase & Patti Warner Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation Bill Clodfelter & James Canfield Debi Coleman Robert & Patricia Dant Cameron & Dick Davis Justin & Marisol Delaney Elizabeth Dye Larry & Deborah Friedman Ted & Cynthia Gaty Christine Diana Gay Lora & Keith Gordon Valarie Grudier & Richard Langdon Penny Guest Beth Harper Kim & Chris Hasle Maryanne & David Holman Ken Ivey Stephen Karakashian Amy & Kevin Kohnstamm Kathleen Lewis Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation Ross M. Lienhart Molly Lytle Jerome Magill M. & L. Marks Family Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation Melinda Marshall Judy & Louis McCraw Laurie & Gilbert Meigs Kirsten & Richard Meneghello Jeffrey Morgan Ken & Hana Moyle Gordon & Margaret Noel Jay & McKay Nutt Lesley Otto & Alexander Nicoloff J.P. Palanuk & Vinh Wong Carol Peterkort & Richard Gibson Angela Roach Carolyn & Hank Robb Alison Roper Mary Rose & Maxwell Whipps William & Nancy Rosenfeld Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation Michele Rossolo & Matt Johnson Lori & Mike Russell Hazel & Barry Schlesinger Jacqueline M. Schumacher Virginia Sewell Jean K. Stoll Stephen Sweeney & Jordyn Jones Jet Taylor & Jonathan Griffith Jim Thompson & Meredith English John Thoren David & Eileen Threefoot K. Vorderstrasse Matt Weaver Walter E. & Nancy P. Weyler Zela & Elsa John & Nancy Zernel

SOLOIST DANCER’S CIRCLE ($500–$999)

Anonymous Tom Bard Mary R. Bennett Gerard Berardi Melanie Bjorge Linda & Ron Borkan Matthew Boyes & Frederic Koeleman Charles Brasher & Betty Lavis Kay Bristow David & Elaine Brown Annie & Brad Carnese Kristy & Bill Cory Dr. Dennis & Jennifer Crawford Sue Darrow Diedrich Family Leigh & Leslie Dolin Anton, Raylene & Taylor Eilers Emily & Evan Ellis Kristina & Paul Elseth Ed & Marilyn Epstein Mary & John Evans Joshua Ferrer Alexandra & Zan Galton James R. Golden Peter Gronquist Marjorie & Hendrik Grootendorst Ronald & Jennifer Hapke Daniel Harmon & Jennifer Rabiah Linda Rae Hickey Robert & Pamela Howard John & Tanya Hug Pamela K. Johnston Mary Klein & Francis T. Schneider Barbara Lamack & James Kalvelage Gary S. Leavitt Derek & Lydia Lipman Fund of the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation Vida & Jonathan Lohnes Diane & Tom Macdonald Marisa Mack John F. Mathews Josie Mendoza & Hugh Mackworth Dan & Jackie Moore Martha Moyer Milo & Beverly Ormseth Melissa & Steven Peterman Stacy & Patrick Pritchard Carol & Walter Ratzlaf George & Mildred Robles Davia & Ted Rubenstein Miriam Ruth Lynette Sahnow Sue & Brian Schebler John & June Schumann Bob Speltz & Dwight Adkins Corinne & Lindsay Stewart Graham & Kristi Taylor Evans Van Buren & Marsha Warner Peter Vennewitz Richard Wasserman & Ann Coskey-Wasserman Weiss Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation

Susan & Jim Winkler George Wittemyer Cynthia A. Yee Inna Zagariya

COMPANY ARTIST DANCER’S CIRCLE ($250–$499)

Anonymous Jim Anderson & Anne Lynch Gregory & Elizabeth Arntson Susan Bailey & Mike Warwick Donald & Betty Balmer Natalia Bar Charles Barany Euclid O. Bautista Nola & Paul Becket Pat Behm & Gary Jacobsen John Bosshardt & Diana Petty Holly Brooks Irene & Patrick Burk Cat & Jacob Burns Connie Butler Stephanie Butts Kristin & Geoff Campbell Susan Carey Carolyn & Walter Carr Drs. Timothy & Theresa Chen Stan Cocke & Heather A. Kmetz Margery Cohn Diane Collier Nathan Conn Kristen Cornuelle & Ian Lombard Jody DeChaine Nancy Delbrueck Tina Domanskiy Sarah & Alex Ellis Conrad Eustis & Roberta Kanter Jennifer Fast Philip Fidler & Jane Cummins Rebecca Fleischman Charles & Zoe Foster Jane Freres Kelly Freuler Andrew Fromm Melissa & Robert Good Helen A. Goodwin Barbara & Marvin Gordon-Lickey Rebecca Granquist Andrew & Ilene Harris Beatrice Hedlund Thomas & Verna Hendrickson Celeste Henninger-Lindaman Susan E. Herron, In Honor of Carol C. Herron Makino Hildestad & Chauncey Parsons Dr. & Mrs. David I. Hill, In Honor of Drs. David W. Hill & Katharine Zeller Beverly Hoeffer Jonika Horton Tatsuo Ito Joanne Jene David C. Jensen Brian C. Johnson Becky & Jarrett Jones Marcia Kahn Dr. & Mrs. Thorn Kinersly Patricia, Rick & Violet Kozak Steve & Nancy Kraushaar

Laura M. Kretschmar, In Memory of Margaret Kretschmar Mary & Joseph Labadie Mary N. Laughlin Joan Levers & David Manhart Barton T. Lewis Ann Lininger & David White Joyce Loeb Martha J. Logan Deborah & Larry Lopardo James Lowry Jackie MacGregor Linda J. Magness Linda L. Mann Earlean Marsh Pamela Matheson Justin Matthews Lori McAdoo Bob & Margaret McMillan Jack & Carolyn McMurchie Barry & Susan Menashe Susan Sammons Meyer & Dennis Meyer Monica & Dale Monroe Robert E. Monson Doug & Malinda Moore Carol N. Morgan Cynthia Morgan Taylor & Jordan Morrell Robert & Dona Morris Todd & Crystal Neal Steven C. Neighorn Rob Nelson Susan Olson & Bill Nelson Ashley Orbock Rev. Dr. Rodney & Sandi Page Amy Paul, In Honor of Peter Paul Dennis Petrequin Staci Pfau Judith E. Posey & Edward J. Doyle, MD William Ramirez & Roberta Staff Dan Ryan Sam Sadler Daniel & Kathleen Saucy Jeremy Shibley & Romalia Stickney-Shibley Scott Showalter Gary & Lydia Slangan John D. & Pamela Smith Drs. Justin Smith & Christine Liu Sue Stegmiller Drs. R. Bastian & Barbara Wagner Family Charitable Fund Scott, Colette & Zoe Wiest Erin Wilkey-Cordray & Randy Cordray Bruce & Susan Winthrop Linda M. Wood Barb Audiss Young Tamara & Chris Yunker Kurt R. & Heather Zimmer Ernest ZumBrunnen & Grace Hawes

APPRENTICE DANCER’S CIRCLE ($100–$249) Anonymous Kathy & Guy Allee Bill & Ginny Allen

OREGON BALLET THEATRE • GEORGE BAL ANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER

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INDIVIDUAL DONORS Frances Araujo Gabriella Armstrong Sandra Armstrong Adam Arnold Paula M. Arsenault April Avery Gennaro & Marilyn Manser Avolio Diane Babcock Ruth Beiser Bach April & Brian Baker Julia & Robert Ball Rick Barron Howard Beckerman Dr. Diana Bell Barry & Jacqueline Bennett Paul & Pat Benninghoff Hisiya Beppu & Matthew LaRocco Patsy C. Berner Phil & Naomi Beymer Beth Blenz-Clucas & Richard Clucas Richard Botney Candace Bouchard & Adam Lounsbury Kelsey Boyd Joyce Brehm Alan Brickley Karin P. Brocksbank Gerald J. & Fern Broock Laura Buckingham Maurine & Paul Canarsky Irene Cancilla Carlisle Mothers Group, In Memory of Margaret Kretschmar Katelyn Carmack David G. Cassard Alisa Castellano Jean Cauthorn Sandy Chamness Miguel Cobian Ilaine Cohen Deniz & Austin Conger, In Honor of Ayse & Ayla Conger Harriet Cormack Lisa Marie Coughran Thomas & Marilyn Councell Lin Crimshaw Terri Cross Stuart Daily Arthur & Winnifred Danner Judy Dauble Wendy & Howard David Brian & Nancy Davies William DeBolt & Martha Graner, In Honor of Pat Walker Chuck & Patt DeRousie Dagmar Dettinger Adam & Emily Dew Susan & George Durrie Kristin DuVal Laura & Dave Edelen Ruth Edsall Andrew Edwards Cydney Edwards Doris Ennis Martin & Anette Erickson Douglas Ertner Blair Exall & Misty Dawn Schlegel, In Honor of Mrs. Schumacher Abraham & Pamela Farkas Rochelle Farkas Dr. Scott & Vicki Fields

Katherine A. Finstuen, In Honor of John N. Finstuen George Fleerlage Cindy Fletcher Doreen Flores Genevieve Foster Theresa Fritchle Jennifer Froistad Jim & Mary Ann Gabriel Chris Garrett Ray & Joyce Gee Martine Geeraert & Kevin Clarke Arthur & Judith Ginsburg Gary & Susan Goncher Jenifer Gray-O’Connor Thomas Gredvig & April Freund-Gredvig Leah & Jesse Gronner Brenda Grootendorst Anna & Jeff Haagenson Candace Haines Barb Hall Kirk & Lisa Hall Carl Halvorson Gail & Irvin Handelman Antoinette Hatfield Julie & William Headley, In Honor of Nancy Locke Robert Heald Marilyn Heiling Karen Henell & Gregg McCarty Shirley Hess Sean Higgins & Barrett Bewkes-Higgins Christian Hill & Laura Korman Gretchen Holce Jennifer Hudson Margaret Hug Carol & Tom Hull Rebecca Hundley Alexandra Huth Jonah P. Hymes Linda Illig Elizabeth A. Javens David & Margaret Jeans Linda & Richard Jenkins Jonathan & Suzanne Jensen Dennis C. Johnson Shirley K. Johnson Caryn Jones & Jason Lander Kathy Jorda Kristin Jordan Allan Karsk Marla Kazell Arthur & Kristine Keil Keller Family Jean Kimsey Mary King Kristan Knapp & Janna Auslam Rebecca Koteen Sophia Kremidas Mariah Krevanko Vic & Tammie Krisciunas Leonard Kuhl Carol La Brie Sloane Lamb Connie Larkin Lori Lawrence Abigail & Don Lawton Elizabeth Le & Sean O’Neill Patricia Lee Patricia Liddell Kimberly & Gregory Lind

Michelle Liu, In Honor of Sophia Pi Alice Lloyd Marcy Lowy Barbara Lusch & David Klein Judy Lyons Kate Machell Christine Mackert, MD MaryAnn, Mark & Gracie Joanne & Boyd MacNaughton Jean & Jerry Marchildon, In Honor of Carol & Tom Shults Eileen Markson Demaris & Antonio Martinez Kari Martinez Theresa Mason Oscar & Mary Mayer Mason C. Mazzola Melody McBee Margaret McConnell & Robert Griner Jeanann McCoy Susie & Michael McShane Paulette & Richard Meyer Elise Meyers Una Miniter & Omar Nazir Tony Mix & David Stauffer Sean & Corinne Monogue Patricia G. Moss Maria Nelson Rose Neyman David Nijhawan Keith & Cindi Nobriga Harriet Norman

Robert Olds Kris Oliveira Barry Olson & Barbara Telfold Madeline Olson Lisa O’Rourke Paula Ousley Joan Paglin Veronica Paracchini Gary T. & Catherine A. Pederson Thomas & Jane Pence Jack & Chris Pendleton Anne Frances Penfound Karen Perzanowski Marilyn & Gaynor Petrequin Lisa Pfost Laury Phelps Sara Pickett J. Scott Pritchard Karen Prohaska Kathy Pruitt Suzanne Rague Ramya Ramraj Jennifer Randolph Betty & Jacob Reiss, In Honor of Julia Jones/OBT2 Anne Rice Martha Richards David Ritchie & LaJean Humphries Caitlin Roberts Mike & Nancy Robinson, In Honor of Kathryn Robinson Brian Rogers & Cassandra Scholte

Rosemarie Rosenfeld Malini Rossington Mark Rossolo Cathy Rote Jennifer Rupert Michael S. Parker Sagun Katharine Sammons, In Honor of Luwayne Sammons Carol & Steven Sandor Rick & Sharon Schaefer Anne Schagen & Michael Allen Daniel Schmidt Robert E. Schneider, PhD Clifford Schrock Aaron Scott Mary Shibley & Dale Voeller Kiviera Skiles-Petitjean & Arnaud Petitjean Barbara Smith Charlie Smith Margaret Smith Marcus & April Song Patricia A. Southard Rosemary Southwood Joan Stevens-Schwenger Julie Stickney Leslie & Elizabeth Stoessl Tomohito Takeuchi Gary Taliaferro Wendy Tanada Susan & Bahram Tavakolian Paul & Sabrina Teays Fred & Jean Thompson Robert & Rebecca Todd

Dr. Donald & Jane Trunkey, In Honor of Dr. Karen Deveney Teresa Tse Lyle M. Tucker William & Nancy Ullrich John & Cindy Ulrich Mimi Underwood Jon Vorderstrasse Les Vuylsteke Darby J. Walker Patricia & James Walker Cynthia K. Wallace Douglas Watson Dr. Frederick & Maureen G. Wearn Mr. & Mrs. Duane C. Weaver Patrick Weishampel Judith Werner Diane Wernli Sonya White Erleen Whitney Anthony & Marianne Wilcox Wilkey Family Lauretta Williams Jennifer Willis Miriam Willis Julie Wilson Mary-Ann & Jim Wilson Mary Ann Wish Gail Woolf Jack Wussow & Kyle Adams Haijing Yu Christopher & Angela Zahas Janet & Alan Zell

PROVIDING LEGENDARY SERVICE SINCE 1913

Magnificent historical lobby Palm Court Restaurant and Lounge Breakfast, lunch and dinner service daily* Two nightly happy hours (4-6pm and 9pm-close) Live jazz entertainment (Wednesday-Saturday nights)

PROUD SPONSOR OF OREGON BALLET THEATRE 309 SW BROADWAY - 503.228.2000 - BENSONHOTEL.COM For special Oregon Ballet Theatre patron lodging discount, call our Reservations Department or reserve online. Ask for promotional code OBT. Rate is subject to availability.

GEORGE BAL ANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER • OREGON BALLET THEATRE

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Visions of...

...danced in their heads. cupcakejones.net

503.222.4404

307 nw 10th ave & 1405 ne alberta st, portland, or

Révérence Circle

In ballet, a révérence is a bow or curtsey performed by a dancer to show their respectful admiration. Oregon Ballet Theatre’s Révérence Circle recognizes those who have made a legacy gift through their estate plan. Imagine a Portland where there was never a question there would be phenomenal, world-class ballet on our stages, quality training for the dancers of tomorrow, and dance outreach programs throughout our local schools, retirement centers, and public libraries. By remembering Oregon Ballet Theatre in your will or trust, you are not just imagining that world, you are creating it.

To learn more about becoming a member of Révérence Circle and/or discuss planned giving options, please contact giving@obt.org or 503.290.0015.

Jacquiline Straughan and Martina Chavez in George Balanchine’s Serenade | Photo by Yi Yin

OREGON BALLET THEATRE • GEORGE BAL ANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER

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ALLEGRO SOCIETY

COMMUNITY CORPS DE BALLET Recognizing gifts received through November 1, 2016

GIFTS OF $100,000 & UP

Fred W. Fields Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation The Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation James F. & Marion L. Miller Foundation M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust The Regional Arts & Culture Council, including support from the City of Portland, Multnomah County and the Arts Education and Access Fund

GIFTS OF $50,000–$99,999

Clark Foundation The Collins Foundation ESCO Foundation The Hearst Foundations Meyer Memorial Trust The Shubert Foundation West Portland Physical Therapy Clinic*

GIFTS OF $25,000–$49,999

Cascadia Foundation Coit Family Foundation Hedinger Family Foundation Leftbank Annex* Oregon Arts Commission, this activity is supported in part by a grant from the Oregon Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts Oregon Cultural Trust PCC Structurals, Inc. Rose E. Tucker Charitable Trust Russell Development/200 Market Street* The Swigert Warren Foundation

GIFTS OF $10,000–$24,999:

The Boeing Company Hotel Modera* Ivey Jacobson & Co. LLC* Jerome Robbins Foundation Melvin Mark Brokerage Company* Mentor Graphics Foundation Northwest Natural Gas Opsis Architecture LLP* PGE Foundation Portland Development Commission Scan Design Foundation by Inger & Jens Bruun The Standard Starseed Foundation Twelve Wine*

U.S. Bank Foundation Work for Art, including contributions from more than 70 companies and 2,000 employees

GIFTS OF $5,000–$9,999

Accenture AT&T Cushman & Wakefield First Republic Bank Freed of London Goldman Sachs & Co. Catherine M. Gurski, ND, MSOM, LAc* Jackson Foundation Jim McBroom and John H. Weston Fine Arts Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation Juan Young Trust Jonathan Lohnes, LMT* Morel Ink Nel Centro* Old Town Florist* William H. & Mary L. Bauman Foundation

GIFTS OF $2,000–$4,999

Agger Chiropractic & Nutrition Clinic* Alaska Airlines* Dr. Seth Alley* Anne A. Berni Foundation Barran Liebman LLP* The Benson Hotel* Buckley Law P.C. The Carl & Roberta Deutsch Foundation Abby Drinkard, LAc* Elemental Technologies* Elephants Delicatessen* Meredith English, Physical Therapist* Grand Avenue Floral* Kevin Kiggins Massage* Leupold & Stevens Foundation Mark Spencer Hotel* New Heights Physical Therapy Plus* Pabst Brewing Company Portland Art Museum* PosterGarden* Pro Photo Supply* Robert F. Ratzow, DC* Residence Inn Portland Downtown/Riverplace* Roy & Diane Marvin Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation Scandinavian Heritage Foundation Thomcorp Town Car* Yvonne Vleer, Kinesiologist, LMT* Wells Fargo Foundation Wintz Family Foundation

GIFTS OF $1,000–$1,999:

Arnerich Massena Bridgetown Chiropractic & Wellness Portland Clinic* Charles Fine Art Portraits*

Connect the Dots, LLC* China Forbes, Singer* Michael Allen Harrison, Musician* Longbottom Coffee & Tea* Maitri Therapeutic Massage* Aaron Meyer, Concert Rock Violinist* Studio Blue*

GIFTS UNDER $1,000

Albert & Esther Cory Foundation Apolloni Vineyards* Emily Bartha, LAc* Cappella Romana* Nadia Chopra, Physical Therapist* Classic Chauffeur Co., Inc.* Carissa Conner, LMT* Crowell Law Cupcake Jones* Domaine Serene* Driftwood Restaurant* Elk Cove Vineyards* Elmer’s Restaurants Feast Portland* Friends of Chamber Music* Tony Fuemmeler, Artist* Geiser Grand Hotel* George Relles Sound Reinforcement Inc.* Geranium Lake* Paloma Griffin Hebert, Musician* Intel Charitable Match Trust Jefferson Neurology LLC King Charitable Foundation Larson Oregon LLC Kristen Livingston, DC, ART* Mercedes-Benz of Portland* Monique’s Boutique Gretchen Rose Newmark, MA, RD*

The Nielson Group, LLC The Ocean Lodge* OnPoint Community Credit Union Oregon Convention Center* Oregon Shakespeare Festival* Oregon Symphony* PICA* Portland Baroque Orchestra* Portland Center Stage* Portland Playhouse* Resident Association of Mirabella Portland River’s Edge Hotel & Spa* Rogue* Rolf PDX* David Saffert, Musician* Skamania Lodge* Smith Teamaker* Solaris Bodyworks, Inc.* Speed’s Towing* Sundial Baking & Events* Umpqua Bank Volunteers of America Oregon Yamhill Valley Vineyards*

Clinics & healthcare professionals who preserve the health & well-being of Oregon Ballet Theatre’s dancers.

MATCHING GIFT CORPORATIONS

MEREDITH ENGLISH, MS PT

Accenture AmazonSmile Foundation Chevron Matching Employee Funds Give With Liberty Google, Inc. Kroger Rewards Northwest Natural Gas Pacific Power Foundation PGE Company The Standard Tektronix Foundation Matching Gifts Program UBS Community Affairs & Corporate Responsibility U.S. Bank Foundation

WEST PORTLAND PHYSICAL THERAPY Katherine B. McCoy, PT, MTC Amy Werner, PT, DPT Patti Koehler, PT, WCS Christine Krueger, PT Eryn Kirschbaum, PT, DPT Amanda Land, PT, DPT Jennifer Parker, PT, DPT, MOTR, CLT Sarah Terpin, PT, DPT Anna Yarzak, PT, DPT Emily Bottjen, PTA Ann Marie Cordova, PTA Trish Jilot, PTA Sandie Lamb-Moudy, PTA Shalynn Robinette, PTA AGGER CHIROPRACTIC & NUTRITION CLINIC Simon J. Agger, DC BRIDGETOWN CHIROPRACTIC & WELLNESS Jacob May, DC Melody Johnson, LMT NADIA CHOPRA, PT, DPT, OCS, COMT CARISSA CONNER, LMT CATHERINE M. GURSKI, ND, MSOM, LAC KEVIN KIGGINS, LMT LEGACY HEALTH Katharine Zeller, MD JONATHAN LOHNES, LMT MAITRI THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE Bob Bush, LMT, ACE(PT), MT(ASCP) MARCH WELLNESS & FITNESS CENTER OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY NEW HEIGHTS PHYSICAL THERAPY PLUS Liz Ruegg, PT, DPT GRETCHEN ROSE NEWMARK, MA, RDN

RÉVÉRENCE CIRCLE Derek & Lydia Lipman Martha J. Logan Marna McComb Kirsten & Richard Meneghello Brad & Nancy Miller Sharon & Adam Mirarchi Carol N. Morgan Virginia Nelson Suzann & Dennis Ott Rev. Dr. Rodney & Sandi Page Jane S. Partridge Marilyn L. Rudin, MD & Richard S. Testut, Jr. Anne Stevenson Carol Streeter & Harold Goldstein John & Ann Symons David Wardell, In Memoriam David Wedge, In Memoriam

In recognition of those who have included OBT in their estate plan.

Robert Aughenbaugh Dan Bergsvik & Don Hastler Linda Besant & Martha Goetsch Suzanne Bromschwig & William Dolan Holly Brooks David & Elaine Brown Debi Coleman Nathan Conn Karen & Bill Early Peter W. Edgerton Marilyn & Hans Grunbaum Charles L. Jones Belinda & Frederick Kinyon Perry Lee Dr. Dolores Leon & Dr. Fernando Leon

PACIFIC NORTHWEST ACUPUNCTURE & HERBAL CLINIC, LLC Abby Drinkard, MAcOM, LAc POHALA CLINIC Julie E. Foster, FNP ROBERT F. RATZOW, DC ROLF PDX Olaf Wilberg SOLARIS BODYWORKS, INC. Neissan Saber, LMT STUDIO BLUE PILATES Dan Walton, Owner, Senior Pilates Instructor Emma Johnson, Yoga Instructor SUMMIT ORTHOPEDICS Richard E. Gellman, MD SYLVAN CHIROPRACTIC CLINIC & WELLNESS CENTER, LLC Seth Alley, DC, CCSP, CKTP TURNING POINTE ACUPUNCTURE, LLC Emily Bartha, LAc YVONNE VLEER, KINESIOLOGIST, LMT

Donation in-kind

GEORGE BAL ANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER • OREGON BALLET THEATRE

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Getty the Go-Getter interviews OBT dancer Katherine Monogue.

I WAS A BALLET DANCER

Former Oregon Ballet Theatre principal Gavin Larsen talks about the early years of her own training.

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OBT dancers answer the question: What is your favorite role in The Nutcracker?

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Tis the season to go by Carr. To go visit family. To go have fun. Wherever you go this holiday season, Carr Subaru has a huge selection of 2017 Outbacks to get you there. During the annual Share the Love Event, Subaru will donate $250* to the charity of your choice with purchase or lease of every new Subaru. Now through January 3.

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From the Ambassador | Getty the Go-Getter

MEET A SNOW FLAKE

WHAT A COOL JOB!

An interview with OBT dancer Katherine Monogue This is Getty the Go-Getter, and we are here at Oregon Ballet Theatre with a very special guest from Oregon Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker. GTGG: Hello! I am so happy to be here. Would you tell me your name?

KM: I am a Snowflake in The Nutcracker. GTGG: WOWZA. I have never met a Snowflake before. How long have you been a Snowflake?

KM: I have been a Snowflake for eight years now.

GTGG: Sugar Plum Fairies do have to be sweet. Tell me about what is on this rack.

KM: I like to say I take flight, but I have to come down eventually.

GTGG: Wow, I didn’t know snow could last that long without melting. You must be a very powerful Snowflake.

KM: This is a row of tutus. These are practice tutus. Dancers practice in these when rehearsing The Nutcracker.

GTGG: Can we see that jump?

KM: Well, it gets very cold in the land of the snow.

GTGG: Do these come in bird sizes?

GTGG: Tell me a little bit about what the Snowflake does in The Nutcracker.

KM: The Snowflake dances around in a huge blizzard as Marie and the Prince travel to the land of the sweets. GTGG: Have you been to the land of the sweets?

KM: I think they might; you probably need to order online. GTGG: Are you in a practice tutu?

KM: No. I am in a real costume that we wear onstage when performing. GTGG: I’ve heard every Snowflake is unique. What has been your favorite Snowflake?

GTGG: Wow, what is she like?

KM: My favorite Snowflake is the second Snowflake to come out in this production. She does a huge jump very first thing, and it is very fun.

KM: She is absolutely wonderful and very SWEET.

GTGG: Wow, a huge jump. Do you ever take flight?

KM: I actually have. It is a wonderful place, and the Sugar Plum Fairy is the ruler.

KM: Of course, and I can teach it to you! GTGG: WHAAAAAAAT? How do you spin without getting dizzy?

KM: All of us ballerinas know a trick called spotting. You pick a point in front of you, and you try to focus on it as long as you are spinning. That way, you will not get dizzy. GTGG: You are wearing special shoes called pointe shoes, right?

KM: Yes, I am. These shoes allow us to dance on our toes. We are not supposed to dance on our toes without these shoes. GTGG: What kind of shoes do you wear when you are not dancing on your toes?

KM: When we are not dancing on

»»»

To watch OBT’s Snowflake teach Getty the Go-Getter how to jump, spin & fall like a Snowflake, visit artslandia.com Thank you to our lovely Snowflake, Katherine Monogue, and puppeteer, Jenny Bunce, from NWCTS nov | dec 2016 • artslandia KIDS at the performance

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our toes, we wear soft, flat shoes. They are made out of canvas, so they are very flexible. GTGG: Do you get a new pair of shoes for every show?

KM: I go through about two pair of shoes a week. GTGG: WHAAAAAAAT?

KM: Yeah, it is a lot of shoes. GTGG: How do my feet look?

KM: Gorgeous! GTGG: Pointe or flat shoes for me?

KM: I would say flat shoes. You need a lot of training to dance in pointe shoes. GTGG: Do you think I should clip my toenails?

KM: Maybe. GTGG: Oh, OK. Getty the Go-Getter is the 2016 Artslandia Kids’ feathered ambassador. Track her flights all year on artslandia.com. nov | dec 2016 • artslandia KIDS at the performance

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AN ARTSLANDIA FEATURE

I WAS A BALLET DANCER DURING NUTCRACKER SEASON, OUR STAGES FILL WITH GIRLS AND BOYS WHO HAVE BEGUN TO LEARN THE DISCIPLINE OF BALLET. WHAT IS THAT PROCESS ALL ABOUT? FORMER OREGON BALLET THEATRE PRINCIPAL GAVIN LARSEN TALKS ABOUT THE EARLY YEARS OF HER OWN TRAINING.

BY GAVIN LARSEN • PHOTOGRAHPS BY BLAINE COVERT

rowing up, I was infatuated with ballet and took lots and lots of lessons. And since nothing else ever came along that was more interesting, I just kept doing it. Companies and choreographers hired me to dance for them; I followed jobs from city to city. I had a lot of experiences, rubbed shoulders with a Central Casting-worthy roster of “types,” had successes and disappointments, moments of embarassment and others of pride. I worked hard,

relaxed some, injured various body parts over and over, and loved what I did—but also dreaded it more often than you’d think. Basically, I lived the life of any, and every, professional ballet dancer. At the core, we dancers are all the same. We know what makes each other tick. No matter where or when we’ve lived our dancer lives, we’ve all gone through the bizarrely intuitive system of physical training, learned the same steps, made the same discoveries about our

bodies. We all crave limitless range of motion, precision, speed, and grace—with an underlying, unshakable strength of body and will. And through our shared understanding of what we all live for, we have a bond as invisibly tight as the overworked glute medius into which my physical therapist spent so many hours digging his thumbs. This is the story of how it began.

artslandia KIDS at the performance • nov | dec 2016

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THE NOISE AND RUSHING CURRENT OF BROADWAY IN MANHATTAN ARE MUTED INSTANTLY AS THE OLD WOODEN DOOR THUDS SHUT—ITS GLASS WINDOW RATTLING ONCE. Inside, everything is grayscale, muted, dusty, and chilly. A wide wooden staircase leads straight up, enormously high and steep. At the top, far above real life: a hallway, long wooden benches, and on the bare floor, a big, fluff y, white dog acting as a footrest and greeter. The air is hazy and musty, carrying a sweaty, stale smell. Rows of ancient metal lockers fill a dressing room that is unlit and unkempt. Studios with ceilings two stories high, so big their corners disappear into shadows. Rosin dust covers everything. Young children, talking excitedly, bring life to this museum-like space. Their purple leotards are the only color in this movie. TO AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD, ESPECIALLY ONE THERE FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE NEW YORK SCHOOL OF BALLET WAS CONFUSING. There were certainly a lot of children, who looked like they were there for ballet class, crowded into the big lobby hallway, but then

there were all these adults around—clearly dancers, real ones—who seemed as old as parents (though they were probably late teenagers).

only adding anxiety. Class started, suddenly, without preface, introduction, or recognition of the terrified dormouse squeezed into the line of confident kids.

The procedures and expectations were confusing, too, especially to a timid, play-by-therules little girl, terrified of doing something wrong. The laid-back attitude of the friendly (and gorgeously tall and glamorous) woman behind the front desk made it all more stressful, not less. Was the handwritten ledger book an attendance sheet? If each page was a class, where was the 8-year-old’s name? Why did the glamorous woman say it didn’t matter and to go in anyway?

Her mind reeled. Pretend to know what the words mean, what the steps are; copy the girl on either side; mimic whatever she does. Blend in; don’t stand out.

Go in? Most confusing of all was where to go and what to do. Nobody pointed her to the right studio. Wanting to get away from the crowd of loud grown-ups milling about by the entrance, she wandered down the long hall and found an almost-hidden studio that felt the safest—the most private—way down the hall, almost out the back door. She could slip in unnoticed and blend in with the bunch of kids already in there, just pretend to know where she belonged. Pretending became everything, starting with where to stand at the barre. Everyone else knew. A woman, the teacher, strolled in with coffee cup in hand, her casualness

“YOUNG CHILDREN, TALKING EXCITEDLY, BRING LIFE TO THIS MUSEUM-LIKE SPACE. THEIR PURPLE LEOTARDS ARE THE ONLY COLOR IN THIS MOVIE.”

No one’s being mean, so why so intimidated? Why so scared? Class is over. She’s asked: How old are you? Eight, she squeaked. Aha. I think you’re in the wrong class. Have you ever taken ballet before? No? Oh, no wonder! But, you know, it’s fine! You kept up so well, and you’ll catch up to everyone else quickly. Just stay here in this class, and come again next week. What? Kept up well? How is that possible? How to catch up to the middle without knowing the beginning? NOW THAT SHE KNEW WHICH STUDIO TO GO INTO, THE EIGHT-YEAR-OLD DID RETURN THE FOLLOWING WEEK AND THE ONE AFTER AND EVEN MORE AFTER THAT. Slowly she began to gain, if not real confidence, a familiarity with how things worked. She watched and copied, but just »»»

Gavin Larsen after her final performance for Oregon Ballet Theatre, May 2010.

nov | dec 2016 • artslandia KIDS at the performance

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“WITHOUT REALIZING IT, SHE’D BEEN SUCKED INTO THE UNIVERSE OF BALLET, AND THERE WAS NO TURNING BACK.” when she started to think she knew everything that she and the other students would be told to do during class, the teacher called for a step or movement that was foreign. As before, momentary panic, that fear of looking stupid, would strike. She wanted to wear a sign that reminded everyone she was new. The curse of being a good faker is that people begin to think you’re for real, and then they expect things. She was trying and listening hard, very hard. A straight knee had to be very, very straight. “Shoulders down” meant really, really down. “Point your toes” meant make your foot as strong as a dagger. “Stomach in” meant bellybutton touching backbone. Here’s what she learned: 1. FIRST POSITION: heels together,

toes pointing left-right.

2. SECOND POSITION :

same as first, but heels apart.

3. THIRD POSITION:

doesn’t exist.

4. FOURTH POSITION: one foot in front

of the other, toes pointing left-right.

5. FIFTH POSITION: same as fourth,

but feet smushed together, toes of one touching heel of the other.

6. PLIÉ: bend your knees. 7. RELEVÉ: tiptoe, like when you reach

for a glass on a high cabinet shelf.

8. KNEES: over toes at all times. 9. STOMACH: sucked IN at all times. ALL times.

Beyond that, it was still mostly a game of quick-eyed copycat. Even so, she began to fit in a little bit. She made friends with the other girls as much as one could during the few minutes before class and after when they were scrambling for socks and jeans to pull on over their tights in the hallway outside. After a while, there was a new teacher. Or an old teacher, new to the eight-year-old who was now nine. He seemed to be ancient, with a disfigured foot and a severe limp, very thin wisps of silver hair barely covering a balding head, and huge, sparkling blue eyes that betrayed the soft character inside his large, bellowing exterior. He didn’t really know or care what had happened in any class or time

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before he arrived to teach, only that these girls should, at this point, by his judgment, know certain things. He was Greek, as he loved to remind everyone, and had a Greek temper and a Greek shouting voice that he used often.

What on earth is that? Someone else—YOU! And he gestured angrily at another girl in the group. The old Greek teacher never did come back to the nine-year-old and teach her how to do a pirouette.

One day, after he had the class do a tendu exercise, the old Greek teacher said to do a pirouette. And he pointed at the nine-year-old.

THE NEXT YEAR, THE GIRL, NOW TEN, WAS MOVED UP INTO THE NEXT LEVEL OF CLASSES.

SHOW ME!

She’d faked it well enough, worked harder than regular eight- or nine-year-olds would, and seriously came to love going to class. Her family, a foursome, escorted her downtown quite early on Saturday mornings, where they all encamped at a table inside Burger King half a block away from the rattly, wooden front doors of the ballet school. They’d get cheese danishes wrapped in airtight plastic bags or Styrofoam plates of scrambled eggs, sausage, pancakes, and maple syrup. Her parents would drink coffee.

She had never been taught a pirouette—let alone done one—and had only a vague idea of what it was. The image in her head came from photos or drawings in her collection of ballet books at home, or maybe from having seen Baryshnikov spin endlessly— amazingly—in a PBS broadcast of Dance in America. She knew it was a turn of some sort, and that the dancers in the pictures had their legs in passé (and, luckily, she did know that position by now). Thinking of the ballerina on top of a music box someone had given her, she desperately guessed at where to position her arms. The old terror and fear surged again. Reflexively and without hesitating, she did some sort of spin with her arms over her head, and the Greek wrath thundered.

When it was time, she was sent off to walk by herself the half block to the ballet school, open those front doors, and leave Broadway behind to climb the mountainous fl ight of stairs. Her parents, pretending to be calm and casual, watched anxiously until she’d crossed the street, passed the

candy store, and disappeared through the doors. The fun of the Saturday morning ritual, though, was only that it was leading up to the dancing-time. And it wasn’t just that the dancing was less terrifying or less hard. It was that the harder she worked, the more she learned, the more exciting it became. Without realizing it, she’d been sucked into the universe of ballet, and there was no turning back. . Born and raised in New York City, Gavin Larsen has been immersed in the world of ballet since she was 8 years old and began her study in the same studios where George Balanchine created some of his finest ballets. She moved on to the School of American Ballet and a long career performing with Pacific Northwest Ballet, Alberta Ballet, Suzanne Farrell Ballet, and as a principal dancer with Oregon Ballet Theatre. She retired from the stage in 2010 and began a new career as a writer and teacher. See the entire 12 episodes of Everyday Ballerina on Oregon ArtsWatch at orartswatch.org/the-entire-everyday-ballerina.

nov | dec 2016 • artslandia KIDS at the performance

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PRESENTED BY ELEPHANTS DELICATESSEN

KIDS COOK

Elephants Salted Caramel Shake An amazing milkshake makes a day better and is never out of season. MAKES: 1 extra-large shake (or 2 medium-sized shakes) | TOTAL TIME: 10 minutes

YOU WILL NEED • 10 ounces Ruby Jewel vanilla ice cream

• 2 ounces salted caramel

• 6 ounces Sunshine Dairy whole milk

(see additional recipe below)

• A pinch of your favorite salt

(we like local favorite Jacobsen Salt or Maldon Salt)

1 Want some caramel on the sides of your glass? All fancy-schmancy,

ice-cream-parlor-like? Drizzle some in there before you get started.

2 Put ice cream in blender, then top with the milk. 3 Add caramel and a pinch of salt. 4 Blend until smooth. 5 Fill each glass to the top and drizzle with more caramel.

Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce Create a sweet and salty caramel sauce at home. Perfect for drizzling on everything from pancakes to cupcakes and every other sweet you can dream up! It also makes a yummy coating or dipping sauce for fruit like oranges and apples. MAKES: 1 cup | TOTAL TIME: 10 minutes, plus cooling YOU WILL NEED • 1 cup granulated sugar • 1/2 cup heavy cream • 1 teaspoon salt

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces (use less additional salt if using salted butter)

1 Heat sugar in a medium saucepan over

medium heat, swirling the saucepan occasionally. Don’t bother stirring; just swirling. Stirring will actually cause more sugar crystals to form. Wait a minute…is this like a science class? Yes!

2 Sugar will form clumps and eventually

melt into a thick brown, amber-colored liquid in about 5 minutes. Continue to swirl occasionally.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: You can store this caramel for up to two weeks in your refrigerator or leave it out at room temperature for a day. Just warm the caramel for a few seconds before using.

STAY SAFE

! Caramel is ho t st to melt around uﬀ. Sugar begins 320° F. Take precautions extra to protect yo urself. Use a big saucepan to prevent th e caramel from bubblin g over the ed ge. Use a long-handled spatula to ke hands far aw ep your ay. Wear use dry, sturdy oven mitts and potholders.

3 Once the sugar is completely melted,

5 Very slowly, drizzle in the heavy cream

4 Swirl the butter into the caramel for

6 Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute. It

add the butter. Be careful: The caramel will bubble rapidly when the butter pieces are added. a couple minutes until it is completely melted.

while stirring. Again, be careful: When the cold cream hits the hot caramel, the mixture will rapidly bubble and/or splatter. will rise in the pan as it boils.

7 Remove from heat and stir in the salt.

A silicone spatula is a great tool for this. Allow to cool down before using.

nov | dec 2016 • artslandia KIDS at the performance

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MY FAVORITE ROLE IN

THE NUTCRACKER ARTSLANDIA QUOTABLES

AVERY REINERS COMPANY ARTIST

XUAN CHENG | PRINCIPAL FAVORITE ROLE: MARIE

“She’s living a dream. In another version of The Nutcracker, she actually becomes the Sugar Plum Fairy and falls in love with the Prince. It’s a dream come true.”

FAVORITE ROLE: TEA EVA BURTON | SOLOIST FAVORITE ROLE: DEWDROP

“You just get to run on and sparkle!”

“The way that you have to jump out of the box is kind of like being shot out of a cannon.”

MAKINO HILDESTAD | COMPANY ARTIST

ADAM HARTLEY | COMPANY ARTIST

FAVORITE ROLE: COFFEE

FAVORITE ROLE: MOUSE KING

“I love Coffee’s dance. And it’s solo! So I can play with what I feel and how I want to dance each time.”

“There’s a little bit of freedom in how you dance it, so I can do it a little differently each night. And you get to wear a big mouse costume, which is fun.”

PETER FRANC | PRINCIPAL

THOMAS BAKER COMPANY ARTIST FAVORITE ROLE: CANDY CANE

“It’s my favorite because it’s all steps that I’m naturally inclined toward. It’s really fun to dance onstage with a bunch of aspiring dancers and just get to be this happy Christmas elf.”

FAVORITE ROLE: THE GRANDFATHER

“I got to play the grandfather in Ben Stevenson’s Nutcracker, which was always so fun! He provided a lot of comic relief and could get away with anything! My back did hurt after hunching over for so long though…”

ANDREW WINGERT | APPRENTICE ANSA DEGUCHI | SOLOIST FAVORITE ROLE: EVERY CHARACTER

“I can’t pick. They are all wonderful.”

FAVORITE ROLE: PARTY GUEST PARENT

“It’s just really fun to be onstage. It’s a good way to warmup, to see the audience. The kids are fun. And it’s fun to be married for 30 minutes. I’ve had some really good partners and it’s fun to ham it up—basically pretending to be your parents at a party.”

nov | dec 2016 • artslandia KIDS at the performance

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JESSICA LIND COMPANY ARTIST FAVORITE ROLE: MARZIPAN

“Having danced as one of the four corps Marzipan dancers for two years, it is a really amazing feeling to be doing the lead part that I had looked up to. And it is challenging while still being enjoyable!”

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COLBY PARSONS COMPANY ARTIST FAVORITE ROLE: THE SUGAR PLUM FAIRY’S CAVALIER

“The Sugar Plum pas de deux is beautiful, beautiful music. It’s like getting to measure your movement each time you do it and see how you have gotten better since last year.”

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nov | dec 2016 • artslandia KIDS at the performance

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A TUNA CHRISTMAS by joe sears ed howard jaston williams

originally produced by charles h. duggan

artslandia KIDS at the performance â&#x20AC;¢ nov | dec 2016

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D R WO

SEAR CH

GAMES

Delightful Sweets S

N E

N B

Q R

M U

M G

N O Q R

N C

N X

N L

D J

D U

W B

D T

O L

W T

O N B

N F

M O S

N G

H O E

N R

N X

D N A

H E

O G

W C

M E

M D

H A

O T

O O C

M T

H C

N E

O R

N A

H Q B

W H R

D H P

N H P

Q B

N Y

H D A

H E

D F

N G

Q P

N F

O X

M P

N B

D C

N M A

H M A

O W S

N O X

D A

H I

H E

M D S

W R G

N I

N Y

O L

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H E

O T

W Z

D I

W L

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Sugar plums

Marshmallows

Toffee

Peppermint bark

Nougat

Popcorn balls

Gingerbread

Peanut butter cup

Fudge

Candy cane

Mints

Lollipop

Christmas cookies

Peanut brittle

Chocolate

Butterscotch

Truffle

Gumdrops

Caramel

Candy ribbon

nov | dec 2016 â&#x20AC;¢ artslandia KIDS at the performance

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Get ou