Oregon Ballet Theatre
Director: Kevin Irving
TERRA, World Premiere – April 13, 2017
Choreographer: Helen Pickett
Composer: Jeff Beal
Designer: Emma Kingsbury
Lighting: Michael Mazzola
“Terra: of, from, pertaining to the earth… Terra signifies a return to life, a celebration of the life-impulse as well as our joy in the world around us.
When we first presented Helen Pickett’s Petal (Celebrate/2014) – you could feel the shivers of pleasure cascade through the audience – the sheer pleasure of discovery. We’ve made you all wait long enough, and now Petal is back, and this time we’ve asked the incredibly talented Ms. Pickett to create a new work to serve as a counterpoint to the brightness and effervescence of her prior ballet. As we welcome spring and light back into our lives, we take inspiration from the earth – from which all things grow.”
Jeff Beal, world-renowned composer, will compose new music for this ballet.
Dancers: Xuan Cheng and Michael Linsmeier
Photograph: Yi Yin
The new piece by choreographer Helen Pickett is high-adrenaline – What brings Terra to life even more than its dramatic staging is Pickett’s sense for the individual, and her ability to contain a wide spectrum of human emotions in a single piece.
– Shannon Gormley, Willamette Week
Dancers: Xuan Cheng and Michael Linsmeier
Photograph: Yi Yin
