Founded by Ronn Guidi in 1965, the Oakland Ballet Company (OBC) became world-famous due to its unique programming. Notably, the company revived Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes over the years, adding to the legacy that reached its zenith in the early 1910s.
As the 21st century arrived, the company experienced setbacks with the retirement of Guidi, and along with the plight of all Oakland performing arts organizations, even before the pandemic. But now, Oakland Ballet is onstage again, celebrating a small but ambitious 60th anniversary season.
Under the direction of Graham Lustig, the company will continue to produce bold revivals of iconic works by renowned choreographers, such as Kurt Jooss, Michel Fokine, Charles Weidman, Antony Tudor, Eugene Loring, Ruthanna Boris, and Agnes de Mille.
The company also continues its tradition of commissioning works from a broad range of choreographers, including Michael Lowe, Amy Seiwert, Phil Chan, Elaine Kudo, Natahsha Adorlee, and Wei Wang, among others.
The season is set to celebrate Dia de los Muertos, the Dancing Moons Festival, Asian American and Pacific Islander artists, and Rainbow Dances, a program for LGBTQ+ choreographers.
“For six decades, the Oakland Ballet Company has been boldly serving our community with cutting edge programming that uplifts our patrons with a positivity that only dance can provide,” said Lustig.
“In our 60th anniversary program, we celebrate and honor the thousands of talented individuals who, over the past six decades, have enriched the company’s artistic profile and deepened our community engagement.”
The 60th season opens on Nov. 1 with Legacy/Luna Mexicana, followed by Lustig’s The Nutcracker on Dec. 20 and 21 at the Paramount Theater in Oakland.
Act I of the season celebrates the company’s legacy. The company will present excerpts from a dozen works from OBC’s past repertoire, ranging from the 1960s to the present day. Among them: a solo from Exquisite Corpse by Phil Chan; an ensemble number from Ronn Guidi’s Soirée Musicale; a solo from Bronislava Nijinska’s Les Biches; a trio from How’d They Catch Me by Ron Theile; a duet from Marius Petipa’s Don Quixote; Opposites Distract by Elaine Kudo; and The Crystal Slipper by Carlos Carvajal.
In addition, there will be two works performed to live music: Faun by Lustig, with Claude Debussy’s music performed by Chuan-Li Ko and Arturo Rodriguez; and Oaklandtown Blues, a medley of song and dance with performances by vocalist Valerie Troutt and the Oaktown Jazz Ensemble, directed by Ravi Abkarian.
Act II, Luna Mexicana, is a thorough observation of Dia de los Muertos, combining dance, music, costumes, flowers, candles, and food in a celebration of family and community. The performance is by Ballet Folklórico Mexico Danza, set to live music by Mariachi Mexicanisimo.
Lustig will return as a dancer in Faun. He will portray 60-year old Vaslav Nijinsky, the great dancer who entered psychiatric care at age 29 and spent the years until his death in and out of hospitals and asylums. Lustig plays Nijinsky on the last day of his life, recounting his greatest roles.
Lustig told SF Classicial Voice of the enormous challenges Oakland Ballet faces today:
“With the cuts of funding from the NEA, corporations pivoting away from funding the arts and Oakland’s elected city leaders failing to include any cultural funding in the city’s budget for the next two years, it is hardly surprising that, for those of us working in the arts, these times are extremely challenging and unprecedented.
“Every dollar we earn from performances and every dollar donated is extremely meaningful, as we struggle to ensure the support of our artists and the delivery of our programs in service of our mission.”
Tickets for the season, ranging from $35 to $97, are on sale at oaklandballet.org/performances-events/luna-mexicana.
