White Bird is committed to bringing the best Portland-based, regional, national, and international dance companies to Portland, Oregon and to fostering the growth of dance in the region. White Bird will do this through presenting established and emerging companies and choreographers, commissioning or co-commissioning new work, and collaborating with other arts organizations in Portland and the region to make dance performances possible.

White Bird strongly believes in making dance exciting, educational, and accessible to everyone, young and old, of all social backgrounds, and will seek to realize these goals through contributed income and sponsorships, which will facilitate outreach to schools and keep ticket prices affordable. As an advocate for dance, White Bird will strive to broaden audiences, develop new dance venues, and support both existing and new dance programs.

-14 years, 148 dance companies, 29 new works commissioned and a total audience of over 300,000 - and all since Walter Jaffe and Paul King launched White Bird in July 1997 as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to bringing excellence in dance to Portland, Oregon.

Education Outreach

Partners

Walter Jaffe Bio

Paul King Bio

Staff

Paul King, co-founder
Walter Jaffe, co-founder
Chelsea Bushnell, audience services manager
Ashley Cartmel, marketing manager
Jeff Forbes, technical manager
C. Noel Plemmons, fiscal manager
Emily Running, development specialist