In 2024, Oregon ArtsWatch dance writers Amy Leona Havin, Martha Ullman West, Hannah Krafcik, Elizabeth Whelan, Jean Zondervan, Lindsay Dreyer, Miriam Sluis, and I wrote 47 in-depth articles on dance in Oregon. DanceWatch listed approximately 153 dance events, and there are, of course, ones that got away. I’m happy to report that the number of performances listed this year was up from 128 last year.

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2024: A Year in Review

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In 2024, we sadly lost ArtsWatch writer Gary Ferrington and Portland Japanese dancer Sahomi Tachibana.

I knew Ferrington through his thoughtful writing on dance in Eugene for Oregon ArtsWatch, our occasional email correspondence about covering upcoming dance performances, and his personal writing, which he shared on Meta/Facebook, which continued up until almost his last day. I also appreciated watching him deeply appreciate the wonders around him, and his transitions, and his acceptance of death peacefully, which I rarely see. I appreciate him sharing with all of us. His peaceful acceptance of life ending but finding the beauty in that experience.

Brett Campbell, in his tribute to Ferrington, who died in July at age 83, wrote that he was someone who “gave much more to Oregon arts than his reporting for ArtsWatch. A photo artist himself, he was also one of Eugene’s most valuable arts boosters, one especially devoted to expanding opportunities for young composers. As both journalist and advocate, in his retirement years after a three-decade career as a University of Oregon faculty member, Ferrington did more for arts and artists than most will do in a lifetime.” 

He also set a wonderful example of how to use the arts to maintain a creatively vital and intellectually and artistic curious last chapter — right up till his final days.

We also lost Sahomi Tachibana — a culture-bearer of both traditional Japanese dance, called Nihon-buyō, and regional folk dances of Japan, who moved beyond the veil on October 10, 2024, at age 100. “She was an amazing artist,” said her daughter Elaine Werner. “I felt privileged.” Tachibana’s artistry left a deep imprint on the ethos of dance in the United States, particularly her capacity to firmly maintain and impart traditional practices while also engaging in artistic exploration.” Remembering Sahomi Tachibana by the brilliant Japanese American dancer and teacher, who died in October at age 100, left a deep and lasting imprint on the world of dance both nationally and in Oregon. See Remembering Sahomi Tachibana, by Hannah Krafcik, December 5, 2024.

A taste of dance in Oregon through the months of 2024, with quotes from our writers’ stories:

January

DanceWatch Monthly: Back to the future

In January, DanceWatch welcomed Tiffany Mills, the new director of dance at Lewis & Clark College. “Portland has such a rich arts community,” she said. “I feel like there have always been a lot of creative beings in the Northwest, and I feel like there are opportunities for collaboration and new experiences both at Lewis & Clark and in the greater community that will provide new opportunities and connections.”

Originally from Oregon and raised in Eugene, Mills received her degree in dance from the University of Oregon and her MFA in dance with a concentration in choreography from Ohio State University. Twenty-five years ago she relocated to New York, where she established the New York City-based Tiffany Mills Company. With more than 25 works to her credit, Mills has performed and taught domestically and abroad and received numerous awards and grants. Her company will be in residence at Lewis & Clark College April 1-5 with performances on April 4, 5, and will teach classes at Reed on April 3 and at Lewis & Clark on April 4, 5. All events are open to the community.

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The world premiere of ‘Vespers,’ a collaboration between push/FOLD Dance Company and Portland Symphonic Choir

In January at the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in Beaverton, choreographer Samuel Hobbs partnered with PSC artistic director Dr. Alissa Deeter to create a powerful meditation of voice and movement drawn from “All-Night Vigil,” Sergei Rachmaninoff’s choral masterpiece.

“The search for balance in the collaboration made the work honest to the very personal search that inspired Rachmaninoff in 1915,” Lindsay Dreyer wrote. “All prayers are searches, and I was reminded of this in Vespers’ final images.” — Lindsay Dreyer

February 

In February, ArtsWatch writer Miriam Sluis reflected on the performance space The Headwaters Theater by the railroad tracks in North Portland, and the Butoh-inspired company Water in the Desert as they bid farewell to the Portland scene, in her story The Headwaters ended as experimental as it started.

“From start to finish, WitD was true to its experimental core.” — Miriam Sluis

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Rejoice! Diaspora Dance Theater’s ‘Rites of Passage.’

Also in February, Rejoice! Diaspora Dance Theater, performing at Reed College, explored life’s transitions and one’s quest for self-actualization through an Afrocentric lens, with new and restaged works by Oluyinka Akinjiola, Derrel Sekou Walker, and others finding fellowship along the way.

“In community, there is joy, unwavering support, and the opportunity to move through life with and for one another.” — Elizabeth Whelan

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Oregon Ballet Theatre’s ‘fantabulous’ ‘Peter Pan’

Trey McIntyre’s lush and lavish version for Oregon Ballet Theatre of J.M. Barrie’s classic fantasy is a treat for the forever young and those who grow up, too.

“This ‘Peter Pan’ contains both broad comedy and satire … McIntyre’s choreographic take on British author J.M. Barrie’s tale of the boy who refuses to grow up and the girl who decides to become a loving, responsible adult demands nuanced, layered acting as well as the classical technique laced with modernism that is McIntyre’s signature style.” — Martha Ullman West 

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ProLab’s ‘when we were Ocean’

Melding dance, videography, music, poetry, and even virtual reality, ProLab Dance, directed by Laura Cannon, builds with ocean.

“Through dynamic use of space and medium, ProLab built a curious world to be experienced from many vantages.” — Hannah Krafcik 

March

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the triumph of modern dance

The Keller Auditorium audience was repeatedly brought to its feet as the Ailey company dancers, presented by White Bird, dazzled with exhilarating performances of both contemporary choreography and Ailey’s own iconic “Revelations.”

“The witnessing of something deeper than what we see forms layers that propel a piece from dance to iconism.” — Amy Leona Havin

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Music From The Sole

In its enrapturing show, “I Didn’t Come to Stay,” this acclaimed tap and live music company celebrated the depth and virtuosity of tap’s Afro-diasporic roots.

“Music From The Sole wove together Afro-diasporic rhythms and cultural influences into a vivid tapestry of movement and sound, expanding time and inviting possibility within every step.” — Hannah Krafcik

April

‘Sharing Dances’ split bill considers the cerebral and somatic

Choreographers Marissa Rae Niederhauser and Ashley A. Friend premiered pieces in which movement intuition and nuance guide the work.

“Through subtlety, strength, and a blend of conceptual and somatic exploration, Sharing Dances wove an intricate dialogue between the playful egalitarianism of group movement and the profound individuality of solo expression.” — Amy Leona Havin

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Sydney Dance Company’s ‘ab[intra]’ is an abstract and layered triumph

The Australian dance company closed White Bird’s season with a bold performance as the powerful and confident dancers brilliantly executed Rafael Bonachela’s technically demanding choreography.

“In ab[intra], Sydney Dance Company melded raw human emotion with technical brilliance, crafting a layered and inviting exploration of internal and external energy — a dance as warm and alive as the fiery core of the Earth.” — Amy Leona Havin 

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NW Dance Project’s ‘Secret Stories’

The contemporary dance company presented the world premiere of works by three internationally recognized guest choreographers, each of whom explored the theme of secrets in distinctly different ways.

“Through the dynamic lenses of Nicole von Arx, Joseph Hernandez, and Gustavo Ramírez Sansano, ‘Secret Stories’ unveiled a vivid spectrum of human truths — from the slippery nature of social deceit to the tender complexity of freedom and the exuberance of a 20-year journey in dance.” — Hannah Krafcik 

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Oregon Ballet Theatre’s ‘Wooden Dimes’ is a fun and lighthearted romp

The premiere of Dani Rowe’s chorus-girl love story joins works by choreographers Ben Stevenson and Yue Yin for a diverse night of classical ballet and modern and theatrical dance.

“Wooden Dimes was a fun romp from start to finish, a joyful journey into the world of 1920s chorus lines and glitzy show business, where the OBT dancers shone with high spirits and theatrical charm.” — Amy Leona Havin 

May

Women Choreographers of the Pacific Northwest

A new four-day showcase of talented and innovative women choreographers from Oregon and Washington features both live dance performances and films.

“A showcase handcrafted by women and for women, to create the space for that exact innovation Hudson is referencing to not only exist, to not just be seen, but to thrive.”

“We want to restore the balance. Women figuring out a way to lift themselves and one another up despite the odds.” — Elizabeth Whelan

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“The History of Empires”

An exhilarating, if unconventional, look at the rise and fall of empires – historical, contemporary, urban, political, and even our own personal domains – through dance theater.

“I left the theater with a glimmer of joy in spite of all the grim content I had just witnessed, in large part due to that final picnic scene. If I took away anything from ‘The History of Empires,’ it was that harmful human-made empires may rise and fall forever, but the picnic of other possibilities produced in their wake will always be too tantalizing to leave unattended.” — Hannah Krafcik

June

​​OBT’s Michael Linsmeier dances off the stage

After 13 sterling years with Oregon Ballet Theatre, the 38-year-old character dancer finished his career to a shower of bouquets, balloons, and cheering applause. He earned every bit of it.

“In his 13 years at OBT, Linsmeier has been given a wide variety of opportunities to hone his craft and develop characters, something he says he loves to do, and he has seized every one of them.” — Martha Ullman West

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Oregon Ballet Theatre’s ‘Made in Portland’

Featuring three world premieres by guest choreographers and a special performance by the Jefferson Dancers, this second iteration of”‘Made in Portland” demonstrated that OBT continues, under Dani Rowe’s leadership, as a creative force in the Portland dance community. 

“Leaving with the knowledge of versatility and capacity of OBT’s dancers, and the ability to share space with other Portland institutions like the Jefferson Dancers, made me, greedily, want even more from Made in Portland.” — Lindsay Dreyer 

August

The Olympics’ big break: Dance as sport, sport as dance

For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, hip-hop’s b-boys and b-girls join the crowd of competitors. A few Portland breakers have some things to say about that.

“I think breaking will be back into popular mainstream as it did in the ’80s when it first showed in movies like ‘Flashdance’ and ‘Beat Street’. I think a lot of the world already knows about breaking now, but this will make it more popular.” — Portland breaker Kevin Le, or B-Boy Merk, speaking with Jamuna Chiarini

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SKN Dance Festival: A feast of Indian performance

The festival at New Expressive Works was a profoundly satisfying sensory feast of symphonic sound, stunning visuals, superb dancing, and thought-provoking intellectual stimuli.

“Dance is a universally understood language, after all.” — Jamuna Chiarini

September 

TBA:24 and Linda K. Johnson on the importance of embodied experience and map-making

PICA’s TBA:24 festival, spreading across the city Sept. 5-22, boasts a busy lineup including Linda K. Johnson’s “PASTfuture,” presented in part by her ongoing “Mycelium Dreams” project.

“The project is intent on honoring those people and shining a light on them. These are lifers, and what that means may change over time, but they have stayed with it … usually to no economy, to very little or no fame. But wow, what it is to commit your life to an ephemeral practice, I just think that’s unbelievably brave and unbelievably courageous.” — Linda K. Johnson, talking with Amy Leona Havin

This encapsulates the article’s focus on celebrating the dedicated artists involved in the Mycelium Dreams project, emphasizing the enduring, often unsung commitment of dance creators to their craft.

October

A remarkable swan song: Toni Pimble enters the last of her 46 years leading Eugene Ballet

Eugene Ballet’s 2024-25 season will highlight several of the groundbreaking woman ballet leader’s most popular works, including the debut of her new ballet “The Lark Ascending.”

“The recognition and reputation that the Eugene Ballet has today are testaments to Toni’s incredible leadership and unwavering dedication.” — Jean Zondervan

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OBT’s ‘Hansel and Gretel’ is a unique patchwork retelling of the tale

Oregon Ballet Theater’s 2024-25 season opener, first produced in New Zealand in 2019, digs deep into the story’s long history, complete with demon rabbits and a delicious little cottage.

“From start to finish, it is clear that choreographer (Loughlan) Prior is not timid about assigning a technical challenge, building a little chaos, or incorporating a collage of reference and imagery. From its creative stylistic choices to the unique and raucous ending, OBT’s ‘Hansel and Gretel’ is an overall quirky rollick through a fairytale story.” — Amy Leona Havin

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BODYTRAFFIC opens White Bird’s dance season with verve and flair

The small but powerful Los Angeles company hit Portland’s Newmark Theatre stage with four high-energy dances, including Trey McIntyre’s “Blue Until June.”

“The company is small, but oh my lord are these eight highly individualistic dancers powerful, technically versatile, intensely musical, attentive to detail, and when called for, sharply witty.” — Martha Ullman West

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Shaun Keylock & FACT/SF mix the bill

Portland’s Keylock Company and San Francisco’s FACT/SF shared the stage at New Expressive Works with a divergent program of contemporary dance works.

“Costumed in gold-sequined warmup jackets and boxer shorts, ‘Extra’ is replete with glitter and glam, and the four dancers — Brady, White, Neumann, and Roberts — have a whale of a good time dancing it. There are plenty of little skippy steps, like prizefighters skipping rope, maybe; one dancer does a bit of a striptease, self-congratulatory high fives punctuate the dancing. I and others clearly would have liked some more — and more than a few of us coveted those spangly jackets, too.” — Martha Ullman West  

November

‘Casual Act’ and ‘Yidam’: Electrifying dance

NW Dance Project kicked off its season with Sarah Slipper’s dazzling evocation of Harold Pinter’s time-reversing tale of love and betrayal and Ihsan Rustem’s equally compelling journey into the meanings of meditation.

(Sarah Slipper’s version of ‘Casual Act,’ based on Pinter’s play ‘Betrayal’) “strips away dialogue, embodying emotions in their rawest form. Her rendition brings the gut-wrenching tale of love, marriage, friendship, and infidelity to life, crafting a dictionary of gestures — a catalog of movements, each tied to a distinct emotion — as if an entirely new language of signs had been invented solely to tell this story.” — Jamuna Chiarini

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‘Mana Wahine’ (Powerful Women)

New Zealand’s Õkāreka Dance Company, presented by White Bird, delved deeply and movingly into Māori culture and tradition within a contemporary dance context.

“It was an enjoyable evening featuring two strong works that have evolved nicely over time, complementing each other beautifully while touching on universally human experiences and leaving a lasting impression.” — Hannah Krafcik

December

Dance review: Deep dives into the NEW

After six months in residence at New Expressive Works, dancemakers Sean Hoskins, Jessica Post, Jaime Belden, Katherine Longstreth, and Jordan Isadore perform the works they created.

“NEW isn’t a highly resourced space … It’s a white box where things can happen. It’s the little train that can, New Expressive Works. Our goal is to just allow artists to be completely themselves, making on their own terms. I’m incredibly moved by the hard work that comes out of each resident. I’m just here providing space. A safe space. I’m just here cheering them on.” — New Expressive Works leader Subshin Ganesan-Forbes, talking with Elizabeth Whelan

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‘ZooZoo’ blinks, hops, slinks and sings with fresh delights

Imago Theatre’s co-artistic directors Carol Triffle and Jerry Mouawad, who have been creating anthropomorphic animals since 1979, have hatched a charming new trio of baby birds for this year’s production.

“One reason ZooZoo resonates with audiences, regardless of age, is that the characters are also deeply human. When one frog gets up and does a sassy dance, another one stares it down until the dancing frog stops, paralleling the pressure we all feel to conform our behavior to what’s socially acceptable.” — Linda Ferguson

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Eugene Ballet’s ‘The Nutcracker,’ a joyful production for Toni Pimble’s final season

This season’s presentation offered audiences one more opportunity to experience the magic touches that retiring artistic director Pimble brings to the beloved ballet.

“Toni’s version of ‘The Nutcracker’ is the perfect diversion for those seeking a mental escape. The storyline is simple to follow for those new to ballet and it features athletic feats in Act Two for die-hard dance fans,” says Jennifer Martin, the current associate artistic director who will take the reins as artistic director next year. “The Nutcracker brings so much joy to patrons who have returned to see this classic of Toni’s for decades now. It is a beautiful tradition passed down through generations of Oregonians.” — Jean Zondervan

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BodyVox’s ‘Serious Seasonal Cupcakes’ is a sweet holiday display

The Portland company’s holiday showcase charms with seven short-and-sweet, fresh new dances by established and emerging choreographers connected to BodyVox.

“The holiday-themed event … featured works by six established and emerging choreographers, all connected to BodyVox in some way, and a bonus piece by Artistic Directors Jamey Hampton and Ashley Roland, whose aim with the show was ‘to entertain and to move.'” — Amy Leona Havin

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For Oregon Ballet Theatre’s ‘Nutcracker’, the future looks bright

The holiday classic, which ran at Keller Auditorium through Christmas Eve, was a smooth and sprightly spectacle, one of OBT’s best renditions of the Balanchine ballet.

“The overall animation of the performance was enthusiastic, vibrant, and full of vitality. The entire production flowed with refreshing ease, reflecting Artistic Director Dani Rowe’s positive impacts on the company since arriving in the position.” — Amy Leona Havin