ChoreographyXX seeking submissions

Oregon Ballet Theatre recently announced the launch of ChoreographyXX, an innovative competition and performance project dedicated to nurturing the talents of North American female choreographers. This groundbreaking program has been made possible by a generous grant from the Oregon Community Foundation’s Creative Heights Initiative. Three winners will be selected by a panel of Pacific Northwest artists and arts producers and will receive a commission to stage their work on the OBT company. All three works will be premiered by the company in the summer of 2017 in a fully-produced, free outdoor performance.

Qualified individuals must submit their applications by March 31 for review. OBT Artistic Director Kevin Irving will lead the jury, whose members include: Angela Mattox (Artistic Director, PICA), Paul King (Co-Founder, White Bird), local choreographer Mary Oslund (Co-Founder, Conduit) and long-time ballet teacher Catherine Levi (Corvallis Academy of Ballet). Together, they will choose from a pool of applicants, focusing on the creative capacity for unique, contemporary expressions of a classical ballet vocabulary. The three finalists and their works will be announced in June 2016, and the program will take place in the summer of 2017 as part of OBT’s extended 2016-17 season.

“While OBT has regularly offered free programming during the summer, such as OBT Exposed and Fall Arts Live, this opportunity is quite unique,” observes Irving. “With the critical funding from the Creative Heights Initiative we will be able to present a fully produced evening of dance complete with lights, sets and costumes for free to the public! We will also support and bring attention to female choreographers whose voices are disproportionately underrepresented in this field.”

OBT’s 26th season has already brought much incredible news for the company. From the launch of its junior ensemble OBT2, to the move to its new home in the South Waterfront, the company is investing in its future, as well its commitment to the community like never before. This latest initiative is yet another example of the company’s growth as well as the fulfillment of a long-term goal, which is to increase the representation of female choreographers in its repertoire.

To see full submission details for ChoreographyXX, visit www.obt.org/index.php/choreography-xx.

Photo courtesy of OBT.