In Praise of Portland: Performance, not Politics I’ve known a few dancers in my life. As a Theatre Major at Butler University in Indianapolis, we hung out with the dancers (and one English major) at Butler University. But I’m not sure I’ve ever seen any of my dancer friends dance professionally . That changed when I met Lauren Flower – a friend when I met her and now a professional ballet dancer with the Oregon Ballet Theatre . Portland Art Museum The first time Lauren’s mom Carrie and I traveled to Portland to see Lauren dance, we stayed at the Heathman , a lovely hotel about 2 blocks from the theatre. The best part – a huge, well-stocked library where coffee and comfortable seating made for a delightful morning ritual. That first trip included a visit to the lovely Portland Art Museum – we walked over from our hotel for the “Monet to Matisse” exhibition, and it did not disappoint. Lauren Flower (credit OBT ) Lauren is a character dancer – all long muscular legs, s...