It’s that spooky time of year again when choreographers channel their inner ghosts and ghouls to create choreographic fun-houses for us to enter. Here in Portland, BodyVox has something special in store, performing BloodyVox, a dance theater extravaganza celebrating the co-founders Jamey Hampton and Ashley Roland’s favorite holiday in two separate forms at two venues. One stage will feature a traditional rendering with the campy and creepy supernatural characters, while the other will present a live dance and film hybrid. Costumes are encouraged.
Oregon Ballet Theater digs into the darkness and piercing realism of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, but with a big twist choreographed by Australian choreographer Loughlan Prior. Updated to fit our 21st-century sensibilities, the larger-than-life Hansel and Gretel is an immersive surrealist experience that shifts from 1920s monochrome film noir to a fantastic, candy-colored kaleidoscopic world of excess where the dream becomes a nightmare.
For Agatha Christie fans, Ballet Fantastique in Eugene, directed by Founding Artistic Director and Choreographer-Producer Donna Marisa Bontrager, will present Murder at the Ballet, a live murder-mystery ballet in which the audience plays a role in outing the murderer. Ballet Fantastique is known for its risk-taking cinematic reimaginings of traditional stories and themes and musical collaborations with world-famous musicians. Featuring the live music of Grammy®-winning Juan Luqui, the murderer lurks amongst us on a stormy night in London at Les Etoiles Ballet in 1888. Go if you dare!
Shifting away from Halloween towards deeply personal cultural expression, audiences will have the opportunity to meet Acosia Red Elk (Umatilla/Cayuse/Nez Perce), a renowned jingle dancer, at Reed College as part of Oregon Origins Project V: Keeping Traditions Alive, from an organization that celebrates Indigenous living traditions and creative expression through storytelling, dressmaking, basketry, and dance.
Acosia Red Elk, who travels the world as a champion powwow dancer, yoga teacher, and collaborator with artists such as Portugal, The Man, and who was awarded the 2024 Doris Duke Artist Award in Dance, will share her insights on movement as medicine, showcase her beautifully crafted jingle dresses, and perform the jingle dance. Acosia Red Elk was also featured in OPB’s Field Guide in 2022, and you can watch the documentary film here.
In Corvallis, PRAx and the Oregon State University College of Engineering will present a performance featuring Taiwanese choreographer, dancer, and inventor Huang Yi and his robot, KUKA. They, along with dancers from Huang Yi Studio+, will perform a series of poignant vignettes that depict the emotions of Huang’s childhood, including loneliness, self-doubt, self-realization, and self-comfort. KUKA, a robot created and programmed by Huang, is a feat of art and technology. Each minute of choreography requires 10-20 hours of programming, which showcases a seamless blend of soul, ingenuity, and innovation.
Last but definitely not least, White Bird kicks off a new season with three performances by Los Angelos-based BODYTRAFFIC featuring the choreography of Trey McIntyre Projects, Alejandro Cerrudo, and BODYTRAFFIC Artist in Residence Micaela Taylor. BODYTRAFFIC will also host a Creative Aging Workshop for adults aged 55 and older and an Intermediate/Advanced dance workshop with choreographer Trey McIntyre. All the details are below in this month’s DanceWatch. Enjoy!
Sponsor
October Dance Performances (and one from late September)
- Melattur Margam featuring Bhairavi Venkatesan, Mridula Sivakumar, Sanjena Ramesh
- Presented by Kalabharathi School of Dance
- 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29
- Portland Community College, Sylvania Campus, Performing Arts Center, 12000 S.W. 49th Ave., Portland
This performance features rare and unique dance pieces in the Melattur style of Bharathanatyam. This style, founded by Sri Mangudi Dorairaja Iyer, is known for its fast, graceful movements, sharp footwork, expressive facial expressions, and dramatic storytelling. The performances focus on themes of devotion (bhakti) and love (sringara). The selected choreographies include works by famous composers such as Adi Sankara and Muthuswami Deekshitar, alongside Guru Mangudi’s creations. The performers — Bhairavi Venkatesan, Mridula Sivakumar, and Sanjana Ramesh — will showcase a mix of solos, duets, and trio performances.
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13th Annual E Ala E Hula Exhibition: E Hoʻi I Ka Piko
- Presented by Ka Lei Haliʻa O Ka Lokelani
- 6 p.m. Oct. 5
- Patricia Reser Center for the Arts, 12625 S.W. Crescent St., Beaverton
Ka Lei Haliʻa O Ka Lokelani, committed to preserving and sharing the rich history and traditions of Hawaiʻi, will celebrate its 15th anniversary in the Pacific Northwest with a special evening of oli (chanting), mele (song), and hula (dance). This event provides an opportunity for audiences to immerse themselves in the vibrant art forms that represent Hawaiian culture. Over the years, Ka Lei Haliʻa O Ka Lokelani has been instrumental in bringing the stories, values, and traditions of Hawaiʻi to the region, fostering a deeper appreciation for the islands’ heritage.
Sponsor
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- Presented by World Ballet Company, directed by Sasha Gorskaya and Gulya Hartwick
- 7 p.m. October 9
- Elsinore Theatre, 170 High St. S.E., Salem
Drawing inspiration from German folk tales, Swan Lake narrates the tale of a prince and his ill-starred love for a princess cursed to transform into a swan. The ballet features music composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and choreography by Nadezhda Kalinina, which was adapted from the original work of Marius Petipa. It showcases the talent of 50 professional ballet dancers from ten different countries, plus hand-painted sets, and 150 brilliant costumes designed by Sergei Novikov.
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- Presented by Teva Oriata
- 10 a.m. Oct. 12
- Patricia Reser Center for the Arts, 12625 S.W. Crescent St., Beaverton
Sponsor
‘Ori Nui I Portland will be Oregon’s first event dedicated to ‘Ori Tahiti (Tahitian dance), featuring both competitions and workshops. Open to local, national, and international participants, it will showcase group performances and solo dancers, all accompanied by live Tahitian drumming. Hosted by Teva Oriata, in partnership with ‘Ori Nui San Francisco and Hirohiti Tematahota from Tahiti, the event aims to celebrate and preserve Polynesian dance traditions while fostering connections within the ‘Ori Tahiti community in the Northwest.
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Costumes: Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt © 2010
- Cirque du Soleil
- Aug. 21-Oct. 6
- Under the big top in the Expo Center Parking Lot, Portland Expo Center, 2060 Marine Drive W., Portland
KOOZA, told through the high-flying acrobatic skills of Cirque du Soleil, is the story of an endearing yet naïve clown, The Innocent, on a journey of self-discovery as he searches for his place in the world. One day, while flying his kite, a mysterious item is delivered to him, which transports him i this continuing Portland residency to a strange and exotic realm. In this bizarre world, his adventure unfolds under the watchful eye of an enigmatic trickster with extraordinary powers.
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Sponsor
- Written and performed by Andrea Parson
- Oct. 4 and 6
- Open Space, 8371 N. Interstate Ave., Portland
Choreographed and performed by veteran NW Dance Project dancer and Princess Grace Award winner Andrea Parson, You Can’t Be Serious is an autobiographical solo that fuses dance, standup comedy, and storytelling to explore the memories and scenes surrounding the loss of Parson’s younger sister to breast cancer in 2020. It explores a final bow in Germany, a cancer diagnosis, a death, a cookie, and a conversation with God. The work strikes a nuanced balance between humor and tragedy, creating a hilarious and tragic story about witnessing and struggling with death.
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- Performed by Oregon Ballet Theater and choreographed by Loughlan Prior
- Oct. 5-12
- Keller Auditorium, 222 S.W. Clay St., Portland
Adapted for 21st-century sensibilities, this fresh take on the famous Grimm fairy tale Hansel and Gretel, choreographed by Australian choreographer Loughlan Prior, is a surrealist wonder filled with visual humor, playful storytelling, and deep meaning. With a score composed by Claire Cowan (which you can find on Spotify) and larger-than-life costumes and set design by Kate Hawley, this candy-colored feast of the senses isn’t always as it seems.
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Sponsor
- Artistic Director and Co-Founder, Tina Finkelman Berkett
- Presented by White Bird
- Oct. 10-12
- Newmark Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway, Portland
- Stay after the show on Friday, October 11, for a Q&A with the BODYTRAFFIC team
- Creative Aging Workshop on 10/9 at 11:30 a.m.
- Int/Adv Workshop with Trey on 10/9 at 6:15 p.m.
Los Angeles-based BODYTRAFFIC, led by artistic director Tina Finkelman Berkett, aims to promote dance worldwide. The company strives to make dance accessible to everyone, regardless of their circumstances. The company does not have a single choreographic voice; instead, it embraces both established and emerging voices, serving as a home for a diverse range of styles and perspectives that convey important stories. In addition to their three performances featuring the choreography of Trey McIntyre Projects, Alejandro Cerrudo, and BODYTRAFFIC Artist in Residence Micaela Taylor, BODYTRAFFIC will host a Creative Aging Workshop for adults aged 55 and older, as well as an Intermediate/Advanced dance workshop with McIntyre. The workshop will cover material from BODYTRAFFIC’s performance of McIntyre’s work “Blue Until June.” This pay-what-you-can workshop, designed for intermediate to advanced dancers, is held in collaboration with Oregon Ballet Theatre.
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Grand Kyiv Ballet: Don Quixote
- Presented by Artistic Space Productions
- 7 p.m. Oct. 15
- Newmark Theatre, 1111 S.W. Broadway, Portland
In this three-act ballet inspired by Miguel de Cervantes’ tale Don Quixote, the Grand Kyiv Ballet will perform the love story between the flirtatious Kitri and the poor barber Basil, set to music by Ludwig Minkus. Kitri’s father thwarts their union and plans to marry her to a wealthier suitor, but Don Quixote intervenes to secure Kitri’s father’s blessing for the lovers.
Sponsor
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- Presented by BodyVox
- Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m.
- Walters Cultural Arts Center, 150 E. Main St., Hillsboro
Enter the realm of BloodyVox, where Hitchcock, Lugosi, and Karloff are channeled in a spooky dance performance crafted for the whole family. This captivating spectacle brings to life an array of peculiar characters, from dancing vampires and zombies to ghostly apparitions and sinister killer spiders. Immerse yourself in darkness, mystery, beauty, and absurdity as BloodyVox breathes life (a few days early) into All Hallow’s Eve.
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- Choreographed and performed by Kaitlin McCarty and Jenny Peterson
- PWNW Alembic Co-Production
- Oct. 18-19
- Performance Works NW, 4625 S.E. 67th Avenue, Portland
Sponsor
Drive Wolves Mad, by Seattle artists Kaitlin McCarthy and Jenny Peterson, tracks the fallout of a significant event that blurs the line between victim and perpetrator. Peterson’s musical score riffs on predatory pop songs, altering and abstracting them as an act of reclamation. Peterson/McCarthy’s journey seeks to transcend archetypes created by men, finding their way to a place of survival and remediation — a way to exist in the context of their creation.
The evening-length dance performance combines horror, humor, and friendship, presenting a unique and unsettling aesthetic. The show progresses from a sense of disconnection to empowerment, featuring themes of camaraderie, uninhibited physical expression, and a rejection of societal expectations of femininity. The dance includes original costume design by Kaitlin McCarthy and represents the duo’s most ambitious and daring performance after a decade of development.
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Oregon Origins Project V: Keeping Traditions Alive
- 7 p.m. Oct. 19
- Reed College Performing Arts Building, 3017 S.E. Woodstock Blvd., Portland
Celebrate Indigenous living traditions and creative expression through storytelling, dressmaking, basketry, and dance with Oregon Origins Project V: Keeping Traditions Alive, at Reed College. Oregon Origins Project seeks to cultivate a deeper appreciation of Oregon’s First Peoples and their fundamental relationship to the land. It provides a platform for Indigenous artists and culture bearers to share their living traditions and artistic work.
The event will feature 2024 Doris Duke Artist Award in Dance jingle dancer Acosia Red Elk (Umatilla/Cayuse/Nez Perce), who will talk about movement as medicine, present her jingle dresses, and perform the jingle dance. Acosia Red Elk travels the world as a champion powwow dancer, yoga teacher, and collaborator with artists such as Portugal, The Man. She was featured on Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Field Guide in 2022, and you can watch the documentary film here.
Sponsor
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- Presented by PRAx and Oregon State University College of Engineering
- 6 p.m. Oct. 24, OSU Robots Meet-and-Greet in Toomey Lobby
- 7 p.m. Oct. 24, performance
- Lynne Hallstrom Detrick Concert Hall, 470 S.W. 15th St., Corvallis
In a duet of man and machine, Taiwanese choreographer, dancer, and inventor Huang Yi dances with his robot, KUKA. Together, they fuse razor-sharp precision with breathtaking artistry, blending the grace of dance and the brilliance of mechanical engineering into poetry. Along with dancers from Huang Yi Studio+, this dynamic team will deliver an evening where modern dance, visual art, and robotics dance in harmony.
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- Shaun Keylock Company and FACT/SF
- Oct. 24-26
- New Expressive Works, 810 S.E. Belmont Street, Portland
Sponsor
This split-bill program showcases the work of Charles Slender-White, founder and artistic director of the San Francisco-based dance company FACT/SF, alongside Portland choreographers Shaun Keylock and Gregg Bielemeier.
The concert begins with the world premiere of a solo by Keylock for dancer Eva Crystal, followed by the return of Bielemeier’s Where for ART Thou (1995). This abstract, fast-paced contemporary piece features three dancers and showcases Bielemeier’s signature blend of grace and strength as the dancers move across the stage, shifting directions and levels. The choreography is set to Kevin Volans’ String Quartet No. 1 (1986), recorded by the Kronos Quartet.
The program also includes the Portland premiere of For a, a vibrant quartet set to Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, and Extra, a short piece inspired by cheerleading and aerobic gymnastics, exploring themes of birth, death, desire, and rebirth, set to music by Björk, and both by FACT/SF.
This performance is part of PORT (Peer Organized Reciprocal Touring), a touring model created to enhance opportunities for contemporary dance companies from the West Coast and beyond. Developed by Genevieve Carson and Charles Slender-White, PORT addresses the limited touring options for small and mid-sized dance companies, fostering connections among artists and helping them reach new communities.
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- Ballet Fantastique
- Oct. 24-27
- Hult Center for the Performing Arts, 1 Eugene Center, Eugene
Sponsor
Ballet Fantastique brings Halloween to life in a whole new way. Be part of the world premeire of an interactive murder mystery ballet featuring live music by Grammy®-winning Juan Luqui as he presents his first-ever ballet score. The setting is a dark and stormy night in London in 1888, with a murder taking place at the Les Etoiles Ballet Company. As suspicion shifts and false leads abound, a detective emerges from the audience to unravel dark secrets. You, the captive audience, will play a key role in shaping the story’s end amidst the flickering theater lights.
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- BloodyVox in collaboration with Portland Art Museum’s Tomorrow Theater
- Choreographed by Jamey Hampton and Ashley Roland
- Oct. 25-26
- PAM CUT Tomorrow Theater, 3530 S.E. Division Street, Portland
In this spooky, family-friendly hybrid dance performance, cinema and live performance converge to create an epic celebration of Halloween. Channeling Hitchcock, Lugosi, and Karloff, BloodyVox features dancing vampires, zombies, ghosts, killer spiders, and many other peculiar characters. With its spicy blend of darkness, mystery, beauty, and absurdity, it promises to bring All Hallow’s Eve to life!
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Sponsor
- NW Dance Project
- Oct. 25-26
- Newmark Theatre, 1111 S.W. Broadway, Portland
NW Dance Project is set to revisit artistic director Sarah Slipper’s Casual Act, originally choreographed in 2013 and inspired by the acclaimed British playwright Harold Pinter’s Betrayal. This evocative piece delves into themes of relationships and infidelity through a series of emotionally complex duets. In addition, resident choreographer Ihsan Rustem will present Yidam, a dramatic and meditative work he created in 2015, influenced by his exploration of Buddhism and meditation.
The performance of Casual Act features a set piece that represents three rooms and is rotated by the dancers. Although the choreography follows a linear path, it nods to the reverse structure of Pinter’s play. In the final song, the entire sequence is performed in reverse at high speed, including the direction of the set’s rotation, resulting in an intense visual and emotional experience.
