Contact: Cynthia Kirk [email protected] 503-330-1886

The Portland Dances a Fairytale Holiday

Double Bill Includes World Premiere of John Clifford’s Tales from Mother Goose and His Wildly Popular The Enchanted Toyshop

Portland State University Orchestra Plays Ravel and Rossini/Respighi’s Music Live at All Six Performances

5-Dollar-First-Show Presents Generous Holiday Gift to Portlanders

The Portland Ballet Presents the World Premiere of John Clifford’s Tales from Mother Goose (2014) with his The Enchanted Toyshop (2003) in partnership with Portland State University Orchestra Performances Open Rehearsal F/Sa/Su, Nov 28/29/30, 1 & 5 PM Led by Artistic Director Nancy Davis Lincoln Hall, 1620 SW Park at Market TPB Studio Runtime: 100 minutes w/intermission 6250 SW Capitol Highway Tickets: F/Nov 28, 1 PM $5 Sa, Nov 1, 3-4 PM All other performances: Free: Reservation/Ticket Not Required Tickets: $15, youth; $35, adults Information: theportlandballet.org $90, family pack (2 youth, 2 503.452.8448 adults); additional youth, $10 PSU Box Office, pdx.edu/boxoffice/tickets 503.725.3307 Limited Arts Card and Arts for All tickets Information: 503.452.8448

For 13 years, THE PORTLAND BALLET (Nancy Davis, artistic director)—the metro area’s premiere youth —has presented a holiday production to delight the entire family. Taking place over Thanksgiving weekend, the production offers a refreshing change from most holiday fare: it’s not and it takes place before the December performance rush. In addition, it is danced by THE PORTLAND BALLET’s superbly trained young dancers with an immediate connection to a family audience.

I like dancing to live music because I feel there are two different types of artists working together and the sound quality is better. —TPB dancer Riley McIntyre, 15

Among the many aspects that make TPB’s Thanksgiving weekend production an enduring favorite are the uncompromising production values. This begins first and foremost with the choreography, created by John Clifford specifically for TPB dancers. Clifford, a Balanchine protégé and founder of , teaches Balanchine and sets his own choreography internationally. In partnership with the Portland State University Symphony (Ken Selden, music director), TPB dancers perform to live music at every performance.

Additionally, professionally designed costumes are clever and colorful, the backdrops are evocative and charming, and the lighting is brilliantly atmospheric. THE PORTLAND BALLET prides itself on offering students professional performance opportunities, and this is one of the finest.

Although Maurice Ravel didn’t marry, his doted on his friends’ children and, much to their delight, invented stories for them for hours on end. Tales from Mother Goose began as music for piano four-hand and was eventually made into a ballet with five sections: Sleeping Beauty, Tom Thumb, Empress of the Pagoda, Beauty and the Beast, The Fairy Garden. The music and movement range from sorrowful to bumbling, comic to magical.

In Clifford’s version, the ballet takes place in a young girl’s imagination as she dozes after reading a storybook. Clifford adds ticklish humor and technical challenge to the proceedings while ending the piece with his own imaginative twist.

Praise for The Portland Ballet’s The Enchanted Toyshop “Charm and vitality to spare...its lively pace varied with action-packed divertissements.” —The Oregonian

The Enchanted Toyshop (formerly known by its French title La Boutique Fantasque) is TPB’s signature piece. With its fast-paced cavalcade of whimsical characters, John Clifford’s ballet holds edge-of-your- seat attention: will the lost children be found? Will the shopkeeper tame his temper? Will the Blue Fairy’s magic save the day? Who will win the personality contest: Poodles or Can-Can Dancers?

The Enchanted Toyshop has all the charm of an animated fairy tale with scene after scene of delightful divertissements (national dances including Tarantella, Can-Can, Matrushka, Cossack). Many renowned dancers have been associated with the 1919 ballet, originally choreographed by Léonide Massine and premiered by Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballet Russe. John Clifford added additional characters to his piece, including the Blue Fairy, who beautifully embodies the joy of dance.

Creative Credits Choreography, John Clifford Tales from Mother Goose Music Director, Ken Selden Composer, Maurice Ravel Guest artist, Josh Murry (BodyVox) Set, Lilya Drubetskaya Lighting, Michael Mazzola Costumes, Mary Muhlbach The Enchanted Toyshop Rehearsal Assistants, Nancy Davis, Jason Davis Composer, Gioachino Rossini piano pieces Stage Manager, Thyra Hartshorn orchestrated by Ottorini Respighi Set, Jessica Kody Harris

Led by Artistic Director Nancy Davis, THE PORTLAND BALLET nurtures young dancers from age three to 19. TPB students are trained with professional intent by a faculty that includes some of the nation’s finest dancers and choreographers. TPB dancers leave the school with the life skills – commitment, discipline, teamwork, curiosity, and pride – to succeed in any endeavor. TPB graduates have gone on to professional dance careers with companies such as , St. Louis Ballet, Nevada Ballet Theatre, , Sacramento Ballet, , Ballet Idaho and Alvin Ailey. Instructors come from the National Ballet, the original Los Angeles Ballet, , , , Odessa Ballet, Smuin Ballet/SF, Le Grand Ballet de Genève, BodyVox, Ballet West, and many others. For more information, visit TPB online at portlandballet.org.