This double-bill features bold new works by acclaimed contemporary choreographers Christopher Stowell and Nadja Saidakova, offering an exquisite blend of artistry and innovation. With classical elegance, captivating musical scores, and visionary creativity, Debuts promises an unforgettable evening of dance.

Featured Works:

– Mendelssohn Dances by Christopher Stowell with music by Felix Mendelssohn

– Elegia by Nadja Saidakova with music by Lidia Kalendareva & Alin Cristian Oprea

Estimated Performance Length: 1 hour, 30 minutes.
(Including one 15 minute intermission)

EDMONDS CENTER FOR THE ARTS

February 15-16, 2025

Saturday, February 15, 2025, 7:00 pm*

*This performance is followed by a Q&A session with the choreographers

Sunday, February 16, 2025, 5:00 pm

Ticket Price: $24–$47
(varies by age and seating location)

BUY TICKETS

WATCH THE TRAILER!

MEET THE CHOREOGRAPHERS

CHRISTOPHER STOWELL
Christopher Stowell, the son of Kent Stowell and Francia Russell, was born in New York City and received his training at Pacific Northwest Ballet School and the School of American Ballet. In 1985, he joined San Francisco Ballet where he danced for 16 years, appearing in theaters throughout the world including the Paris Opéra, New York’s Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater. As a Principal Dancer, Mr. Stowell performed leading roles in full-length classics and had roles created for him by Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson as well as contemporary choreographers including Mark Morris, William Forsythe, David Bintley and James Kudelka. An established interpreter of the George Balanchine repertoire, Mr. Stowell appeared in almost every Balanchine ballet performed by San Francisco Ballet.

In 2003 Stowell was named the Artistic Director of Oregon Ballet Theatre, a position he held until 2012. During his tenure Stowell made significant additions to OBT’s repertoire, bringing works to Portland from some of the world’s most celebrated choreographers, including Fredrick Ashton, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, William Forsythe, Paul Taylor, Helgi Tomasson, James Kudelka, Christopher Wheeldon and Lar Lubovitch.

Stowell was the Assistant to the Artistic Director of San Francisco Ballet from 2014 to 2015, has served as a juror for international competitions in Lausanne and Beijing as well as a guest repetiteur, teacher and choreographer in Amsterdam, Antwerp, Beijing, London and Copenhagen. In 2017 Stowell was named the first Associate Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, a position he held until 2022.

Mr. Stowell has taught and coached in San Francisco, New York, Japan, China and across Europe. He has created works for San Francisco Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada and Pacific Northwest Ballet as well as the New York City Ballet Choreographic Institute. He has also staged the works of George Balanchine, Mark Morris and Christopher Wheeldon.

NADJA SAIDAKOVA
Nadja Saidakova, born in Izhevsk, Russian Federation, is a celebrated ballet master and former principal dancer with an extensive and illustrious career. Trained at the Perm State Ballet Academy, she has been recognized for her exceptional talent with multiple awards, including nominations as Dancer of the Year by Dance magazine in 2005, 2006, 2010, and 2012, and the “Outstanding Female Performance” award by Dance for You magazine in 2012/2013 for her roles as Brunhilde in Maurice Béjart’s “Ring of the Nibelungs” and Tatiana in John Cranko’s “Onegin.”

Saidakova’s professional journey began with the Moscow State Classical Ballet in 1991 before she became a soloist at Deutsche Oper am Rhein in 1995. She later joined Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, where she rose to the rank of First Ballet Soloist and continued to perform with Staatsballett Berlin from 2004. Throughout her career, she has performed iconic roles such as Odette/Odile in “Swan Lake,” Kitri in “Don Quixote,” and Tatiana in “Onegin,” among many others.

In addition to her stage career, Saidakova is an accomplished choreographer, having created works such as “Just a little more…,” “Egopoint,” and “Elegie” for various ballet companies. Since 2017, she has also served as a Master of Ballet and Workout, sharing her expertise with the next generation of dancers. Her final stage appearance was as Tatiana in “Onegin” in 2017, marking the end of a remarkable performing career.

Read our interview with Nadja here! 

MENDELSSOHN DANCES

Choreographer: Christopher Stowell

Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

Mendelssohn Dances showcases excerpts from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a production Christopher Stowell originally created for Oregon Ballet Theatre in 2007. Mendelssohn’s incidental music, with its vibrant character, quicksilver energy, and sumptuous melodies, has long inspired choreographers.

For Olympic Ballet Theatre’s production of Debuts, Stowell added one additional encounter for two couples to balance the moments of intimacy and community within the work. Though it forgoes a chronological narrative, Mendelssohn Dances beautifully evokes the essence of its characters, relationships, tensions, and resolutions, capturing the spirit of the full production in a fresh, expressive form.

Alberto Gaspar and Ria Adachi performing an excerpt from Christopher Stowell’s Mendelssohn Dances at the 2024 Autumn Auction & Dinner, Into Dust Photography
OBT dancers performing an excerpt from Christopher Stowell’s Mendelssohn Dances at the 2024 Autumn Auction & Dinner, Into Dust Photography

ELEGIA

Choreographer: Nadja Saidakova

Composers: Lidia Kalendareva & Alin Cristian Oprea

Inspired by the musical score, Elegia reflects a journey of love and connection. In a seamless expression of movement and melody, this piece brings to life the original composition by Berlin-based composers Lidia Kalendareva and Alin Cristian Oprea. Each phrase of music informs the intricate patterns of choreography, creating a dynamic interplay between sound and motion.

As the ballet unfolds, it portrays the search for love throughout life — with moments of longing, discovery, and transformation. The dancers navigate this emotional journey, weaving through fleeting encounters and deep connections. In the end, a man and a woman finally find each other, bringing the piece to a poignant resolution.

Nadja Saidakova and Ria Adachi. Photo by Hadley Kaufmann.
OBT trainees Yasmin Arafe, Evelyn Gohl, and Trinity Isidore in rehearsal for Nadja Saidakova’s Elegia. Photo by Hadley Kaufmann.
OBT trainees and OBS Professional Track Program student. Photo by Hadley Kaufmann.
Nadja Saidakova and OBT dancers. Photo by Katya Turnbow.

Mendelssohn Dances is underwritten in part by Tina and Frank Brettholle.

Debuts is supported in part by The Morgan Fund at Seattle Foundation.

The 2024-25 Performance Season is generously sponsored in part by Adam and Sonja Cobb and Mill Creek Family Services.

OUR GRANT SPONSORS

We graciously thank the following sponsors for their support of our exciting performance season!
Without you, our special programming would not be possible!

Click each image to be taken to our sponsor’s homepage.

The Morgan Fund