OBT's performance of The Sleeping Beauty was incredible. We were stunned, absolutely mesmerized. The dancing was magical (OBT's ballet stars are incredibly talented), the orchestra's music was thrilling, the costumes were gorgeous (perhaps among the most exquisite ever), and the staging was beautiful. We see most of their performances each year. OBT's dancers and company are multi-faceted. If classic ballet isn't your favorite...enjoy one of their more modern performances. They do both with such flair! Highly recommended. read more

This place is full of self-important wannabes who take all the fun out of dance and replace it with condescension and arbitrary rules and shaming. It is an actively unhealthy environment for kids and other young people, and especially females. I would avoid, avoid, avoid. read more

No surprise that the creativity of the Oregon Ballet Theatre has expanded into how they will conduct live performances during these Covid-19 days. While always challenged with funding constraints, the pandemic took it to another level. With the warmer weather here and most people vaccinated, they will have performances at the, temporary outdoor theatre on the SE side of OMSI. It's right where the Tilikum Crossing meets the Eastbank Esplanade, on the Max and street car line. Brilliant! This new venue is called the Jordan Schnitzer CARE Summerstage at OMSI museum campus and one of the first performances, Frida, put on by the Portland Opera is already sold out. I just love getting dressed up and going to the ballet, the theatre, the opera, concerts, you name it! During "normal" times, going to see the Nutcracker is a yearly or bi-yearly performance that kicks off the holiday season and gets me in the spirit! Performances are wonderful with the ballerinas doing meet and greets in the lobby before and after the show to the delight of the children and adults! The Nutcracker is held at the Keller Auditorium and the seats are comfortable, you can preorder drinks for intermission, and the performance just transports you. I always love the snow scene and the sugar plum fairies, I mean, who doesn't? The last performance I saw in 2019 seemed out of order, especially the final party scene. I understand different interpretations, but some things, like the Nutcracker, need to follow course! Hoping OTB and the other ballet, theatre and musical troupes are able to create a new business model that enables them to bring the arts - both original performances and classics - to Portland. And we need to do our part and support the arts; they need us now more than ever. read more

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I've attended a few Oregon Ballet Theatre performances over the years and I'm so grateful to them for their brilliant creativity, hard work, and sharing their passion with us. They truly bring joy to life. I had the privilege of attending Firebird last night and loved every minute of it. I especially loved the classic elegance, eclectic spin, and simplicity of Indigo. It was utterly captivating. I loved the music and I loved watching the movement. It brings tears of joy to my eyes even now as I think back on it. Thank you so much OBT for everything you do. You and your fellow Artisans are essential to life. I am greatly looking forward to being completely captivated by your future performances. I need to make this a regular part of my life and I can't wait until I can attend another performance. read more

Visited Portland to see the world premier of the ballet 'Marilyn'. Performance was tremendous! Performance space was beautiful, sets were impressive in their simplicity and function, while interactions with theater staff were a real pleasure. I will definitely make a point to see additional shows at the OBT! read more

Terrible customer service and especially for children's programming. What a shame because they are near our house. We will be going elsewhere for ballet classes. read more

To be upfront, I am not a huge ballet fan. However the allure of a live orchestra is hard to resist. Of. course I was stunned to find out that this ballet company uses prerecorded music. Three is no excuse for this. read more

We've only seen OBT perform once (so far!) for their performance of The Nutcracker at the Keller Auditorium recently, and it was a 5-star show they all put on. From the amazingly skilled dancers, both children and adults alike, the beautiful sets/backdrops, the gorgeous and fanciful costumes and their wonderful orchestra (we made sure to see a performance with the OBT orchestra there as well), we enjoyed the show immensely. Kudos for a fantastic performance by all! read more

Truly horrible customer service. As someone who feels passionate about supporting the arts- the unsupportive nature (and poor business conduct) of my recent box experience has me second guessing ever attending another one of OBT's performances. What a shame, driving away business. read more

Love the innovative choreography and modern take on dance. It's disappointing to see people knock OBT for the necessary changes to the performing arts due to funding constraints. To have an orchestra at every event, ticket prices would need to be far more expensive keeping many people from seeing a performance. You might look into logistics before giving this Portland treasure a bad review that could impact funding even more. read more

The method and process to enter the Nutcracker Suite at the Keller Auditorium was SO BROKEN that each family with CHILDREN UNDER 5 had to decide between FULL REFUND or SEE ONLY PART OF THE BALLET! Crying children, flustered parents trying to explain this Grinch-like choice OBT demanded. Angry grandmothers seeking vengeance but denied by "it's the pandemic" excuses. Why did OBT do this? read more

Support this amazing company! I have been attending ballets for their 25 years now and have never been disappointed in a show yet. The local discount places - Living Social and Groupon have great ticket prices a lot and you would be surprised at how affordable tickets are! read more

A favorite holiday tradition is OBT The Nutcracker at the Keller Auditorium each year. Sat in Orchestra Section D Row U this year, and Very pleased with the view from our seats. As Good as box seats, IMO. We purchased ornaments in the lobby and pre-ordered intermission drinks so we didn't wait in line. Unfortunately, the lines for ALL restrooms are terribly long and disappointing to waste time waiting when you'd rather be taking photos, shopping, and mingling. The 2019 production is my Favorite. Amazing dancing and choreography. The party scene and the sugar plum fairy duo were highlights. read more

when the Nutcracker ballet was canceled due to ice, they still didn't refund the money for the tickets!

OBT. As a subscriber for a couple of years--having loved the ballet in SF, Chicago's Joffrey, and other dance groups--I loved some of your advent garde approaches. Your 2017 Swan Lake ending sucks. Without spoiling too much...you can't take away a key character no matter how negative and you can't take away the original intent of the ending no matter how painful--most alternate endings to Swan Lake do not do this. Life...and art is conflict and resolution, love lost, love won, all the good and bad experiences are what makes up the wonderful and bitter components of a soul. You took away the soul of Swan Lake. Tchaikovsky is rolling in his grave. read more

I took an adult Ballet 1 drop-in class this morning and had been anxious for a week before going. I danced until I was around 20, and had tried an adult class in my mid-20s and was utterly demoralized. So I was prepared to show up today, 17 years after my last ballet class, and be ostracized, quietly disdained, and overwhelmed. To my immense joy, none of that was the case. There were some ballet corps members, but 3/4 were other adults in a true adult sense. I've continued to do Pilates and other exercise, so I wasn't coming in after years of inactivity. But I'd not taken actual ballet in nearly 2 decades- and that turned out to be just fine. My kinetic memory is quite good, and it felt amazing to be doing a 90 minute class with barre and center work. The instructor, Elise Legere, was thoughtful and not at all condescending. What a treat to get back to what was my first love, and see other adults in my age group (40s) and beyond as elegant and enjoying the kinetic exercise as those who were probably 18. We outnumbered them. :) I'll be going every week now, and looking forward to it! There's even a live accompanist. So professional, and yet not snobbish at all. read more

As a mother of a young ballerina, we had our first OBT experience with The Nutcracker last holiday season. The performance was really sweet and my daughter just loved it (even the scary parts). We have tickets for this year too. This weekend we had the pleasure of seeing Swan Lake. What an amazing, stunning show. The sets were awesome, not over the top and not too understated. Useful and appropriate, I guess are the right words. The dancers were absolutely jaw dropping. I'll admit I haven't seen many professional ballet performances in my life (likely less than 10) but this really stood out as a highlight. I'm sure the rest of the audience would agree as there were many standing ovations, even during the middle of the acts. I want to see it again. My daughter does too. Even in this economy, I'm going to try to make that happen. read more

This is solely for the Nutcracker. Boo it was terrible. No live orchestra and really the beauty of the Nutcracker is Tchaikovsky's music. If there's no live music what's the point. The Nutcracker itself (if you're one of the few to have never seen it) is super boring in the first half. Just a bunch of kids and adults flitting around stage- no true dancing- really flitting is the best word. Once again- the music is gorgeous, but when its a recorded playback it just doesn't do the music justice. Once the dances started it was fine, but I would not see this without a live orchestra. Last year they had a few performances with a live orchestra so if you plan to go buy tickets for one of those. For me personally I've seen the Nutcracker three times and don't plan to go back. I want to support Oregon Ballet and hope to attend another performance (not the Nutcracker) with a glowing review. read more

"Swan Lake" is my favorite ballet, so whenever OBT puts on a production I see it. I've always been impressed with their dancer's technique and the staging is always well done. OBT offers a "Pay Your Age" discount where if you call ahead of time you can pay the price for your ticket that matches with how old you are. So if you're 21 you pay $21. This discount is only for those who are up to the ages of the mid/late twenties though. OBT has been struggling financially in the past few years, please try to help them out if you can! read more

I saw the Nutcracker this week and what a disappointment it was! I think that the parents of the children on stage probably enjoyed the performance. And since I did not have any children performing and came and paid to see a ballet and not a middle school recital, I would have liked a disclaimed that the first act consisted primarily of children walking across the stage. The adult dancing was sloppy and there was no orchestra. I do have to note that the stage and costumes were pretty but when a Christmas tree outshines your dancers, OBT you have a problem. I guess next time I want to see a ballet, I will have to go to Seattle or San Francisco. read more

I was not amused. I have seen countless ballet' s but I have never seen two dancers kiss on the lips, embrace, and dry hump on stage. I feel that I have an open mind but I don't go to sports events to think about politics nor to ballet to have sexuality thrust in my face. read more

Ticket sales are up nearly 40% since Christopher Stowell took the role of Artistic Director three years ago. Beautiful choreograhpy, talented dancers, exquisite costumes, sets, and lighting. Perfect date night. read more

Simply amazing! With their live orchestra, one feels completely immersed in the ballets' story-telling. We've seen The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and we've just purchased tickets to see The Nutcracker again this year. (We hope this year, they'll have live musice since last year's Nutcracker did not). It makes a world of difference! Awesome service, snacks and drinks, and overall clean atmosphere. Definitely a perfect night out for a couple, family, and/or group of friends! read more

OBT is great. I always have an excellent experience when I go. I've been to the last 5 shows and cannot wait for rhapsody in blue! Make sure you plan ahead and get there in time because they can't let people in late (for obvious reasons). Keep up the Great work! read more

Oregon Ballet Theatre - Opera & Ballet Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I took my young daughter who loves ballet to see the nutcracker for the first time. Apparently OBT had instructed the staff at Keller auditorium to not allow people back to their seats if they live during the show. There are no signs or any communication to that effect until an usher tells you once you leave that you now can't go back in and you can instead sit in the very back corner when you come back. After spending a lot of money for good seats for her first show this was extremely upsetting considering little children have restroom emergencies and this is a show that is supposedly child friendly. Extremely disappointed as this completely ruined the experience as we could not see anything from the very last row corner of the auditorium. read more

I was a serious amateur dancer returning to class after some time so I thought I would try the level 1 (which was suggested to me). Before I stopped dancing I was at an intermediate level. I just wanted to warn real level 1 dancers that this class is really challenging. I've take classes all over town, and this level 1 is more like an intermediate/advanced class. The bar was zippy and complicated and the center work was similar. I some how managed to muddle through, but it is frustrating for a dancer with experience to be mislead this way. I don't think you should market a class as a level 1 or for "returning dancers" when the class is half filled with OBT dance company apprentices and you are doing tour jete en l'air as part of a combination in the center. This is in no way a lower level movement, unless it is broken down into smaller pieces(I opted out of doing this in the end, so I wouldn't injure myself). I almost left the class half way through but the instructor encouraged me to stay (my pride also wanted me to stay). I made it through the class, but I felt annoyed that I had attended this class and it was advertised as a level 1. OBT definitely has some work to do with how they market their classes to adult dancers in the community. I don't have a professional background, but even as an amateur dance, I know an intermediate or advanced class when I see one! I give the class two stars because it was a good class for an intermediate level dancer, but there is no way in hell this should be called a level 1 dance class. The second star is for the live musical accompaniment. read more

I realize the Oregon Ballet Theater (OBT) relies on donations and that an orchestra is most likely an expense, perhaps even a large expense. However, I believe that with a live orchestra you will have many more in attendance and can more than likely receive better reviews and book more shows. Mr. Stowell and Ms. Syrcle...take note. read more

During my duration as a Portland resident, I had the privilege to work for OBT. I sold season subscriptions to OBT patrons, during their 04/05 subscription campaign. I worked part-time for low pay. But it was the most enjoyable job I've ever had. I always looked forward to going to work there. OBT is a marvelous organization. Chris Stowell is their Artistic Director. He's very dedicated, to bringing the best possible performances to OBT. I love the fact that OBT makes community involvement a top priority. They have ballet classes, open to both children and adults. Every year, they have an event on the South Park Blocks, called OBT Exposed. It runs for a week, starting in late-August. It features live ballet performances, under a large, open-air tent structure. This annual event, gives the public a chance to get familiar with OBT, and discover the joys of ballet. I highly recommend OBT to both ballet lovers, and novices alike. Their patrons that I sold subscriptions to, looked forward to the new OBT season, year after year. And with good reason. Check it out, even if you've never been a particular fan of ballet. I think that you'll be pleasantly surprised. I'd say OBT is the best arts organization, that Portland has. It's definitely my favorite! read more

I only give this 4 stars because I would give the SF Ballet 5. Really I want to give them 4.75 stars. So maybe I will change to 5 and then back to 4 every few months. I have not been this season but I am planing on it soon. Possibly Friday. Anyway, I am far from an expert in the world of dance, but I enjoy the experience. read more

Sad they couldn't honor a Chinook Book coupon -- but the productions are wonderful & they offer 10-person group discount of 20% off any seat PLUS a free ticket. read more

Talented dancers, excellent concepts, beautiful choreography, incredible set design. There's not a lot more a body can ask for in a ballet company. At least, not this body. read more

This rating is only for the 2010 Nutcracker performance on 12/20. It was horrible. I left with one of my children at intermission. My husband and other child stuck it out but they said the 2nd act was worse, the finale being a woman slowly spinning with her arms in the air even though the recorded music was very dramatic. There was a recording! I can't believe there wasn't an orchestra. The sets were cool, but the dancing itself was rather disappointing. Thank god we were able to get the $20 (each) mystery seats or I would have been pissed. Plus I found the Keller to be a lesser version of a mid-range hotel lobby. read more

I took my 17 year old granddaughter to the Sunday, December 13th, afternoon performance of the Nutcracker as part of her Christmas celebration. We were most impressed with the entire performance & especially by the young lady that played the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Neither of us had been to the Nutcracker in several years, but I doubt we will ever go again because of how unhappy we were with the price we had paid for tickets & the (horrible) seats we had. I purchased tickets through Groupon to try to save some money (RETIRED!). The ticket price with Groupon was advertised as $39/each but when I tried to purchase them, the actual cost was not $39, but $49/each. The seats were in the SECOND balcony & it was next to impossible to view the show due to the railing in front of the seats--& that was after stumbling down the stairs in the balcony to our seats!! Now all this could be kind of understandable (bargain (?) tickets) except a few days later I spoke with some people who purchased a group set of tickets (20 I believe), were seated mid-way on the main floor & paid $20/each for the tickets!!!! Do NOT understand the disparity in the pricing & seat selection & doubt we will ever support the Nutcracker again. Just want to voice my disappointment. read more

Sadly, we were very disappointed with the 2010 OBT Nutcracker performance. No live music. Dancers seemed junior level based on my ballet experience of 16 years. In addition, some main roles such as the Nutcracker and female lead were performed by CHILDREN. Each year I hope that OBT will get better to find that the decisions made by the directors only bring it down a notch. read more

It was my first Nutcracker attendance. The first Act was OK. But I enjoyed the second Act much better. My butt and back hurt from sitting through the first Act so I stood up for the most of 25 minute intermission to stretch muscles. The parking was only $6 for Saturday. The guy behind me was wearing a Scottish kilt and it smelled like old urine in my area throughout the show. Terrible!!!! My wife and I could not quite focus on the show because of the smell!! I think he might have had bladder problem of some sort. Unfortunately, this is what we will remember about our first Nutcracker experience at Keller Auditorium. read more

NAPOLI - at the Keller Auditorium until October 14 is a wonderful production, danced with great passion and attention to traditional detail. If you see only one ballet performance this year, this is it! read more

I had gotten a ticket from the summer reading program and decided to just go and deliver it instead. I entered the box office and no one was sitting there. So i assumed they were on break. 15 minutes later nothing. 30 minutes later nothing. So i asked the people that were in the room next to the box office entrance where I could drop it off. An older woman came out said i could give it to her. So.... I was waiting 30 minutes without any indication that they could have taken my tickets a LONG time ago. I told her how long I had waited and she said "sorry, we didn't see you". Bullshit, the other younger lady saw me and looked back at her computer, I didn't think much of this because I thought that they weren't part of that department. If there were a sign or something that indicated they would be in the other room and i could just drop off the ticket I would have not had to waste my time. Next time I'll just ship it over and save myself the frustration. read more

Went last night to see "Rhapsody In Blue" at the Keller. What an amazing blend of live music (Pink Martini) and superb dancing! The four of us were so impressed, and thought it was one of the best live shows we had ever seen, of any genre. Well worth going to!! read more

As a professional ballet dancer i LOVE oregon ballet theatre they are ONE of the BEST ballet companys I have seen in a long time! Alison Ropper seems to steal the show each time with her absolutley flawless technic and beauty. VERY well put together company and their performances I never ever miss! I even fly in out of state for opening nights! so so so GOOD read more