Oregon Ballet Theatre provided no shortage of memorable moments throughout Saturday evening's performance of OBT 25 at the Keller Auditorium. With appearances by supporters and dancers from the Ballet's first 25 years, excerpts of work from Trey McIntyre, Christopher Stowell, and founding Artistic Director James Canfield, as well as an iconic Balanchine ballet and a fun-filled 40 minute premiere from Nicolo Fonte that paired 18 dancers with Portland's beloved Pink Martini, it was a big evening. Many stand-out moments were provided by Martina Chavez, a dancer with the company since 2006, who performed leading roles in both Balanchine's Agon and Fonte's Never Stop Falling (In Love). During his speech at the celebration following the performance, Artistic Director Kevin Irving announced that these performances earned Chavez a promotion to the rank of Soloist. Characteristically humble, Chavez said the following day, 'I am so grateful for the opportunities Kevin has given me and I'm excited to continue to learn and grow as an artist with OBT'.
