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Historical Timeline

The Soldier's Tale
RG article about the first performance of EBC with the Pacifica players

1978

Eugene Ballet founded with an opening performance of The Soldier’s Tale with the Pacific Players.

1979

Cinderella -first full length ballet performed at Sheldon high School Auditorium with guest artists Zina Bethune and Glenn White.

Glenn White & Zina Bethune
Zina Bethune & Glenn White
Bluebird pas Pugh Glasco
Kevin Pugh & Kimberley Glasco Principal dancers of the National Ballet of Canada

1982

September – Bluebird Pas de Deux – opening of the Hult Center

1982

September – Corsaire Pas de Deux – opening of the Hult Center

Corsaire Pas Pugh, Glasco
Kevin Pugh & Kimberley Glasco Principal dancers of the National Ballet of Canada
Firebird
Riley Grannan as Katschei

1982

September – Firebird – opening of the Hult Center

1987

First of three international tours to Taiwan performing in Taipei and seven other cities in Taiwan.

Taiwan tour 1987
EBC on tour in Taiwan outside of a temple in the city of Taichung
Giselle Bujounes Glasco
Kimberley Glasco and Fernando Bujones 2nd act of Giselle

1988

Collaboration with Ballet Oregon presenting Giselle in Portland at the Civic Theater and Eugene at the Hult Center with guest artists Kimberley Glasco and Fernando Bujones.

1990

Premiere of Ken Kesey’s children’s story Little Tricker the Squirrel meets Big Double the Bear narrated by Ken Kesey.

Little Tricker
Little Tricker with Michael Curry bear puppet
Swan Lake
Jennifer Martin & Ben Huys

1992

First performances of Swan Lake staged by Louis Godfrey and Denise Shults.

1992

Celebration of the Uncommon Woman performance – evening of all women choreographers and composers conducted by Marin Alsop.

Uncommon Woman
Captured Angel - choreography Jill Eathorne Bahr; Columba Aspexit – choreography Toni Pimble
Carmina Burana
Frank Affrunti in O Fortuna

1993

First performances of Carmina Burana with Eugene Concert Choir & Oregon Mozart Players.

1994

Beginning of 14-year alliance with Ballet Idaho joining resources of artistic leadership, dancers, technical staff and performance venues opening with Charles Bennett’s Dracula.

Dracula
Jennifer Martin & Hyuk Ku Kwon
Dracula
Yung Kyung Kim & Leoannis Pupo Guillen
Citadel-of-Aleppo-amphitheater
Citadel of Aleppo amphitheater – company class
Tunisia-on-tour
Tunisia amphitheater – company class

1995

Arts America international tour funded by the U.S, Information Agency to Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Jordan, Syria and Tunisia through the U.S. Information Service (7/2-8/9, 1995)

1996

EBC receives the Governors Arts Awards for Excellence in the Arts.

Governors Arts Award
Governor Kitzhaber with Riley Grannan & Toni Pimble
Romeo-Juliet
Romeo-Juliet
Antonio Anacan & Mitchell Gill as Mercutio & Tybalt

1997

EBC tours Romeo & Juliet throughout British Columbia, Canada.

2001

Performances of full length ballet, Don Quixote staged by Anna Marie Holmes.

Don-Quixote
Jennifer Martin & David Makhatelli as Kitri & Basilio
Don Quixote
Jon Funk & Jennifer Martin as Don Quixote & Kitri
Hansel & Gretel
Hansel & Gretel
Elizabeth Franks as Hansel, Saundra de Athos as Gretel with students of EB academy

2006
Eugene Opera and EBC collaborative performance of Hansel & Gretel.

2006

Pink Martini performed on EBC program.

Pink Martini
Heather Wallace in Bachianas Brasileiras #5
Pink Martini
Aline Schürger with Diego Castro in Una Notte in Napoli
4x4-Performance-venue

2008
EBC performs at White Bird Modern Dance Series event 4X4 Ballet Project with San Francisco Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Oregon Ballet Theatre at Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, OR.

2010

First performances of Dark Side of the Moon with guest band the Floydian Slips

Darkside-of-the-moon
EBC dancers with Floydian Slips
Darkside of the Moon
Leoannis Pupo Guillen
Light-Rain
Betty Kondo & Mark Tucker Pas de Deux from Light Rain
Light-Rain
Betty Kondo & Mark Tucker Pas de Deux from Light Rain

2012

Light Rain performance with choreography by Gerald Arpino

2013
First performances of Mowgli, The Jungle Book Ballet. A full-length ballet supported by Richard Haugland.

Mowgli
Mowgli
Snow Queen
Snow Queen

2017
The Snow Queen premiere with full length composition by composer Kenji Bunch performed live by Orchestra Next and supported by Richard Haugland.

Riley Grannan

Co-Founder, Managing Director Emeritus

After a 38-year career with Eugene Ballet Company, Managing Director Riley Grannan retired in July of 2016. Grannan, after co-founding EBC in 1978 with Artistic Director Toni Pimble, performed many roles within the professional company including Dancer, co-Artistic Director, and for the last 25 years, Managing Director.

A native of the Pacific Northwest, Mr. Grannan began his ballet career studying with Doreen Gilday in Eugene and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the School of Performing Arts at United States International University in San Diego. Mr. Grannan’s professional career took him to Germany, performing with several ballet companies, touring throughout Europe, in leading roles in both classical and contemporary ballets by noted choreographers.

In 1978, Mr. Grannan to co-founded the Eugene Ballet Company with Artistic Director Toni Pimble. Since becoming Managing Director in 1987, Mr. Grannan has facilitated the Eugene seasons as well as the domestic and international tours.

As a performer with the Eugene Ballet Company, Mr. Grannan created several roles including Katschei in The Firebird, and the Step Sister in Cinderella, among others.

In 1997, he and Toni Pimble were recipients of the Governor’s Arts Award for their work in developing performance and educational programs with the Eugene Ballet Company, the first received by a dance organization in Oregon.

Under Mr. Grannan and Artistic Director Toni Pimble’s leadership, Eugene Ballet receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Also, the EBC was the first Oregon company to be chosen to take part in the NEA’s Advancement program and was the only ballet company in the nation to participate in the two-month-long, NEA-sponsored “Dance On Tour” programs taking place in rural communities in Arizona and New Mexico. Mr. Grannan helped to facilitate a three year composer in residence for the ballet through Meet The Composer “New Residencies” program.

Mr. Grannan has served on three separate Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) dance touring panels, the National Endowment for the Arts “Creation and Presentation” panel, as well as selection panels for Arts Northwest and the Individual Artist Fellowship and Theatre panels in Oregon and Idaho.

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