World-class ballet comes to Caldera

Dancers from a premier dance company came to the Sisters Country last week to create an intimate performance with audience and performers only an arm's length apart.

Oregon Ballet Theatre (OBT) was in residence for a week of rehearsal, exploration, and creativity, beginning the weekend's performances with a class for professional dancers on Friday followed by an open rehearsal, a question-and-answer period, and a reception.

Friday evening's open rehearsal gave the audience a glimpse of the rigors of refining every dance move. Saturday offered up two performances followed on Sunday by an afternoon performance.

The Sisters audience was held rapt.

"This audience was as responsive as any Portland audience, or more," said Jan Lindsay, of Portland.

Questions flew about the room during the question-and-answer period, and the audience liked being up-close and personal with the dancers.

Artistic director Christopher Stowell couldn't help but comment on the changing dynamic compared to the distance of a typical stage, where audience and performers are separated by an orchestra pit.

"The difference of seeing dancers up close," Stowell said, "is that you can see how much more taxing it is physically and cardiovascularly than most athletics."

Athletes may have to run across a floor, Stowell pointed out, but a dancer must do that within the parameters of dance.

Seven dancers, an accompanist, a stage manager, and an artistic director from OBT alighted at Caldera last week prepped and ready to study, rehearse and create. It was principal dancer Anne Mueller's first turn at choreography.

"It was a collaborative project started back in January with several choreographers working on one piece," Mueller said. "One of our female dancers had an unfortunate injury, so I changed the dance from three dancers to five and expressed some things in the choreography that I wouldn't have created with three dancers."

The creative impetus sometimes comes from a variety of sources. Mueller found part of her inspiration for her choreography from a series of woodcuts called "Never Pet a Burning Dog."

"First you come up with a main phrase," she explained, "and everything evolves from that. You can take the initial ideas and manipulate them. I have found that I'm more influenced by the dancers, and it's great to have a safe place like Caldera to experiment."

Mueller has danced with OBT for 19 years.

"I was born with the impulse to dance," said Mueller. "My parents put me in dance classes and I had a really good teacher. What I like most about dance is that it never ends. You never become perfect at it."

The arts retreat at Blue Lake, west of Sisters, played a significant role in the dancer's creation.

"Caldera has helped fund the creation of Anne Mueller's new work," Stowell stated.

"It's been an amazing environment to work in," Mueller said. "We've been able to work in a fixed and relaxed way. We got a chance to bond with each other in a way we don't get at home. There's no stress of getting to and from work. We just have to take good care of ourselves, work hard, and do good work."

OBT has experienced some ups and downs in the past year and hopes to improve it's financial standing with the addition of Diane Syrcle as their new executive director. Her strong fundraising background as executive director of Portland Youth Philharmonic and performance background as an opera singer with Portland Opera made her a perfect fit.

"I had the opportunity last year to sit on a panel that put artists in residence here at Caldera," said Syrcle, "so I feel I have come full circle."

OBT, like Caldera, has an extensive outreach program to the public school system.

"The least-taught art form in public schools is dance," Syrcle said. "Children need to have the opportunity to learn kinesthetically. For some it opens the doors to go on to become students of the School of Oregon Ballet Theatre."

Many OBT dancers, like Alison Roper, Steven Houser, Brian Simcoe and Lucas Threefoot studied at OBT's School of Oregon Ballet Theatre and some, like Mueller, also teach.

Caldera board member Myrlie Evers-Williams is best known as a civil rights leader along with her late husband Medgar Evers, an NAACP member who was murdered in 1963. Evers-Williams herself has been a civil rights leader for 47 years and joined the Caldera board last year. It was her first visit to Caldera.

"I had friends who were involved and I have been interested in young people a long time, especially inner-city youth," said Evers-Williams. "I have been able to watch young people change their lives through art. You seize the opportunity to see young people become productive."

Lisa Clausen, owner of Sisters Movie House, was a conduit for bringing OBT to Caldera.

"Anne Mueller's husband, Lars Larsen, came over with the 'Coraline' puppets (from the film)," Clausen said. "We started a conversation about dance, and it evolved into doing a residency. The fact that OBT is here is pretty remarkable. This is a world-class ballet company right next door."

Audience member Jody Ward has been on the advisory board for Caldera.

"We came down for the ballet because we have had season tickets for Seattle Ballet and Christopher's (Stowell) parents were the founders of Seattle's Pacific Northwest Ballet. It's incredible that all these groups like the Metolius River Association and Sisters come together to support OBT. OBT was saved last year with an incredible fundraiser. Ballet troupes from all over sent their best dancers. It was an incredible outpouring of support."

The Starview Foundation, The Roundhouse Foundation, the Metolius River Association, Lake Creek Lodge, Black Butte Ranch, and Five-Pine Lodge provided support for OBT's week at Caldera.