Oregon Public Broadcasting

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OBT's Prima Ballerinas

When Oregon Ballet Theatre decided to tackle the full-length "Swan Lake" they knew they'd have two great assets - prima ballerinas Yuka Iino and Alison Roper. We take a look at how these two lovely dancers approached this classic dance role.

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Photographer Paulina Hermosillo

Meet photojournalist Paulina Hermosillo. Originally from Mexico City, she documented the lives of indigenous people in her country. Now living in Salem, Oregon, she photographs the lives of Mexican people in America – with sometimes traditional and sometimes surprising results!

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Composer John Blackburn

John Blackburn, of Newport, wrote one of America's most popular standards, "Moonlight in Vermont." He traveled with a puppet theater that brought him to Vermont, inspiring the lyrics and the music was composed by Karl Suessdorf. It was introduced by Margaret Whiting in 1944 and also recorded by Willie Nelson in 1978, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong in 1956, and Frank Sinatra in 1957. The lyrics are very unusual for an American pop song of the 1940s, because they do not rhyme and are impersonal, focusing mostly on the sensory appeal of the Vermont countryside while alluding briefly to romance. The lyrics are also metrically subtle: Each verse (not counting the bridge) is a haiku. The song is considered an unofficial state song of Vermont and is frequently played as the first dance song at Vermont wedding receptions. John is now in his 90s, but still playing and singing.

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