At The Portland Ballet, a century-plus of dance history * Oregon ArtsWatch

"Titled Current/Classic 2026, the mixed repertory program was carefully chosen by artistic director Nancy Davis and associate artistic director Lauren Lane to show where ballet has been, and where it might be headed. Along the way, the young dancers learn some history of the art form and the technical versatility that professional companies now require from company members."

"Current/Classic 2026 begins with excerpts from that quintessential 19 th century classic, the Petipa/Tchaikowsky The Sleeping Beauty, recently seen performed in its entirety by Oregon Ballet Theatre as staged by Christopher Stowell. The excerpts at TPB are staged by Elizabeth Guerin, who once upon a time danced, memorably, with OBT, and Lane."

"“When selecting classical repertoire for our mixed bill productions,” Lane says, “I often start with the students. Who do we have performing that year, what would they excel at or what would be a good challenge?” That approach to casting paid off royally when Gynne Kramer put heart and soul into her performance of the “Domine Deus” solo from the late Dennis Spaight's Gloria at the academy showcase at Lincoln Hall a couple of weeks ago."

"“Domine Deus” is a deeply religious solo. Years later, when Spaight - who was resident choreographer and associate artistic director of Oregon Ballet Theatre from 1988 until his death in 1994 - asked company member Sandra Baldwin if she was a churchgoer, she replied “No, I dance the “Domine Deus.”"

Current/Classic 2026 closes Portland Ballet’s 2025–26 season with four performances by the Youth Company and career track dancers. The mixed repertory program was selected to show ballet’s past and possible future, while teaching dancers historical context and technical versatility required in professional companies. The program opens with excerpts from the 19th-century classic The Sleeping Beauty, using staging by Elizabeth Guerin. The bill also includes the “Domine Deus” solo from Dennis Spaight’s Gloria, set to Vivaldi’s Gloria Mass, which premiered in 1983 at Richmond Ballet. Gynne Kramer performs the solo, and Portland Ballet leadership connects the work’s religious character and Spaight’s background to the dancers’ interpretation.

Read at Oregon ArtsWatch * Arts & Culture News