aprii 6.2001 « Ju st out 43
DANCE
.............. ▼...............
ne fellow is a pastry chef; the other is a
G erm an scholar. Together with a white
cockatoo named Barney, these three
have given Portland culture another
feather for its cap. From a basement nest in
their Southwest Portland home, Paul King
and W alter Jaffe have hatched W h ite Bird
Productions.
This nonprofit organization has presented
performances of nationally acclaimed dance
companies in Portland since 1997. In fact,
more than 8,000 people witnessed the Alvin
Ailey American Dance Theater and its signa
ture piece Revelations last February.
Yet, they insist they’re just two guys
and a bird.
Together for 19 years, this couple lived the
quintessential New York life. In the mid-1990s,
however, they decided they wanted to do
something else— something together. The
problem was that they weren’t quite sure what
they wanted to do. (Gourmet takeout was one
idea.) They weren’t even sure where they
wanted to do it.
Until they visited Portland.
“We knew we were choosing the right place
because there was a [newspaper] article about
the mayor, whose chief of staff was a gay man,
and they took the bus to work together!” ban
ters King, 49.
W hen the pair arrived in 1996, the city’s
once-renowned dance scene already had lost its
rhythm. Portland State University had elimi
nated its dance department and performance
series. Along with it, Jaffe suggests, went a
whole community of teachers and students.
Portland artists continued to perform in some
what of a “fragmented community,” he says, but
O
Two guys and a bird
Its current season, however, is the first to
fulfill the organization’s full mission. In addi
tion to affordable ticket prices and educational
outreach, W hite Bird has co-commissioned
new works by Bill T. Jones, The Holy Body,
Stephen Petronio and Michael Curry.
Still, success doesn’t come cheap, and sold-
out houses don’t always pay all the bills. The
reality, they say, is that it’s very expensive to
present dance, even with the low overhead of a
home office and forgoing their own salaries. So,
these two have begun to seek funding through
foundation grants and private donations in
order to continue their work.
“What we’re doing [right now] really is a
gift,” says King, referring to the couple’s person
al contributions— financial and otherwise— to
the upstart organization. “We need [our audi
ences] to understand that we’re a not-for-profit
organization and that we need contributions in
order for us to continue. We made a commit
ment to help get this on its feet, but we cannot
do it forever.”
In an effort to find that solid footing,
many arts organizations look for a sense of
balance in their programming. W hite Bird,
for example, presents at the Schnitz a season
of more popular shows with a greater box
office draw.
This in turn helps subsidize more adventur
ous programming at PSU ’s smaller Lincoln
Hall. These guys intimate that the key to bal
ance between the two lies in variety, quality
and accessibility.
“W e’ve always trusted in the artist,” says
Jaffe, observing that the organization’s second
home at PSU has been "a place where we
could take a few more risks and a chance for us
to round out our season.”
For as much as W hite Bird might have been
a gamble, its two leaders agree that Portland
has been the perfect place to roost. “Portland
audiences are incredibly savvy, sophisticated
and enthusiastic,” Jaffe indicates quietly but
with enthusiasm. “Audiences are often savvy
and sophisticated but jaded. Portland audi
ences, however, love the variety.”
King agrees with his partner, adding, “You
know that if you come to W hite Bird, you’re
going to be stimulated and it’s going to be very
high quality.”
O n the marquee this season remain Doug
Varone and Dancers, April 12 to 14; Merce •
Cunningham Dance Company, May 2; and the
world premiere of Michael Curry’s Spirits,
June 7 to 9. J H
Shining the spotlight on Portland’s dance impresarios
by
T im o t h y K r a u se
the city’s network lacked a national connection.
Enter Jaffe and King, direct from New York
with East Coast contacts and a passion for
dance. W ithin a year, living legend Paul Tay
lor had convinced these two aficionados that
opportunity was knocking on their door. Bring
us to Portland! he suggested.
And so they did, on
a Tuesday night in
October 1997.
W ithout an
office, without business cards and without
experience as events promoters. Since then,
these two guys and a bird often have been
credited with putting Portland’s dance com
munity back on its toes.
W hite Bird’s performance series opened
its second season with 760 subscribers. In
the following year,
that number
more than
doubled.
A big, otherworldly finish
I I Jft t the end of the evening, the audience will leave with this very uplifting feeling that happens
»■ from good physical theater, drama and music. They will leave also with a secondary feeling
• ■that I have allowed them to enter into this world of spirits."
T h a t’s how M ichael Curry describes the world premiere o f his new creation titled Spirits.
T h e unusual production will blend dance, theater, music and multimedia performance art to
“transform the Keller Auditorium into a magical environment o f breathtaking, otherworldly
beauty.”
Based in St. Helens, Curry is perhaps best known for his puppetry work for Disney’s The Lion
King on Broadway. His company produces large, live-performance-oriented designs, such as those
seen at the 1996 Olympics opening ceremonies, the 2000 Super Bowl and New York City’s Times
Square millennium event.
Under a commission from White Bird Productions, Currys Spirits will travel to Vienna in July.
After a tour of the United States, the show could end up settling in Las Vegas for an extended
run, its presenters say.
One of Curry’s Spirits
For all the steps to the W H ITE BIRD dance,
including performance schedule, ticket informa-
tion and a preview o f the 2001-02 season, visit
www.whitebird.org or call 503-245-1600.
SPIRITS plays 7 :3 0 p.m . June 7 to 9 at Keller Auditorium. Visit www.michaelcurrydesign.com for further
mformation. Tickets can be purchased online or from any Fastixx outlet.
Lesbiap Choir
SA TU RD A Y
A P R IL 2 1 ~ 8 : 0 0 PM
Ditnt Vadino. SPIN MAGAZINE
"The nebbishy, endearing
Tobias Schneebaum - painter,
author, explorer, homosexual
and one of the great
characters of real life."
~ DANCE FOLLOW ING ~
$ 1 2 advance ~ $ 1 4 at d o o r
T ick e ts:
It's My Pleasure o r at door
n o o n «* w ill I m - t i i r n n l a w a y
Joint Aodorton NEWS0 AV
f o r l a r k o f liim l.s
A FILM BY DAVID SHAPIRO AND LAURIE GWEN SHAPIRO
C hildcare Reservations:
Da n
ee the Rhythm!
Guest Petformance by the Hot, New, AH-Woman
M inuti Band Q foICJM à i /M ?
Call 503-241-8994
W heelchair Accessible
ASL Interpreted
Concert Location:
Northwest Neighborhood Cultural Center
( f o r m e r l y k n o w n as N n r t h w r s l S e r v ic e C e n t e r )
1819 NW Everett. Portland
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