Les Roka 2022Les Roka

I am a native of Toledo, Ohio, having received my Ph.D. in journalism and mass communication from Ohio University's Scripps School of Journalism in 2002. In addition to teaching at Utah State University and the University of Utah, I have worked extensively in public relations for a variety of organizations including a major metropolitan university, college of osteopathic medicine, and community college. When it comes to intellectual curiosity, I venture into as many areas as possible, whether it’s about music criticism, the history of journalism, the practice of public relations in a Web 2.0 world and the soon-to-arrive Web 3.0 landscape, or how public debates are formed about many issues especially in the political arena. As a Salt Lake City resident, I currently write and edit a blog called The Selective Echo that provides an entertaining, informative, and provocative look at Salt Lake City and its cosmopolitan best. I also have been the U.S. editorial advisor for an online publication Art Design Publicity based in The Netherlands. And, I use social media tools such as Twitter for blogging, networking with journalists and experts, and staying current on the latest trends in culture and news. I also have been a regular monthly contributor to a Utah business magazine, and I have recently conducted a variety of editing projects involving authors and researchers throughout the country and the world, including Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Lebanon, Cyprus, the United Kingdom, France, and Japan. I’m also a classically trained musician who spent more than 15 years in a string quartet, being involved in more than 400 performances.

Ballet Hispánico, American dance institutional titan, set to take Salt Lake City stage, as part of UtahPresents’ Touring Dance Trio offerings

by

Choreographic works encompassing a tongue-in-cheek reflection upon the sacred and profane cultural dimensions of the many representations of Maria in Latin America, an inspired commentary on sancocho through the story of a 17th-century Afro-Hispanic painter who was an enslaved artisan to a Spanish master artist and a balletic celebration of Cuban music and dance styles … Read more

Salt Lake Acting Company’s 54th season opener dazzles with superbly acted Utah premiere of Jen Silverman’s The Roommate.

by

In the superbly acted Salt Lake Acting Company (SLAC) production of Jen Silverman’s The Roommate, the result is a fascinating exploration on the sometimes overemphasized importance of a character’s likable and relatable traits.  Directed by Teresa Sanderson, this richly entertaining production, nevertheless, ensures that the audience should not remain passive in comprehending and sorting out … Read more

Superlative world premiere of Plan-B Theatre’s Just Add Water is captivating Utah audiences, heightening awareness of Great Salt Lake in uniquely emotional ways

by

A broad spectrum of emotions animates the superlative world premiere of Plan-B Theatre’s Just Add Water, directed by Penelope Caywood. At one point, the personified Great Salt Lake (played majestically by Latoya Cameron) encounters TBH who represents Brutal Honesty (Isabella Reeder, in a dazzling performance). Her words are painfully too on the nose: Once upon … Read more

Exceptional season openers for two of Utah’s greatest dance institutions: Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company’s Reverberation; Repertory Dance Theatre’s Migrations

by

Sensitive to their historical legacies, two of Utah’s greatest dance institutions opened their new seasons with respective themes of reverberation and migrations, as well as new artistic director leadership at the helms of both companies. RIRIE-WOODBURY DANCE COMPANY: REVERBERATION As noted in a preview at The Utah Review, Leslie Kraus became the company’s fourth artistic … Read more

Open through Oct. 12: Ogden Contemporary Arts’ (Im)Posibilidades: Performance Art for Video is marvelous sampling of media possibilities

by

When many arts organizations turned to video during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns as a means of staying visible and demonstrating that fresh forms of creative expression could still thrive, many artists found ways to merge cinematography with their media and disciplines. In contemporary dance, as an example, video primarily had been used for archiving and … Read more

Repertory Dance Theatre’s 60th anniversary season set to open with Utah premiere of Zvi Gotheiner’s Migrations

by

Repertory Dance Theatre’s (RDT) 60th anniversary season’s first production this week will highlight a profound and fruitful relationship with choreographer Zvi Gotheiner, which spans more than half of the company’s history and whose works have produced some of its most memorable performances. Gotheiner’s Migrations (2022), which also has been restaged by Doron Perk, will receive its … Read more

A Great Salt Lake Play: Plan-B Theatre’s world premiere of cli-fi dramedy Just Add Water, by Matthew Ivan Bennett and Elaine Jarvik, set to open Oct. 2

by

EDITOR’S NOTE: For its 35th season, Plan-B Theatre has produced The Great Salt Lake Plays, part of Wake the Great Salt Lake, a temporary art project supported by Salt Lake City Arts Council, Salt Lake City’s Mayor’s Office, and Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge. One is Just Add Water by Matthew Ivan Bennett and Elaine … Read more

A Great Salt Lake play: Elaine Jarvik’s Eb and Flo is Plan-B Theatre’s offering for 13th Free Elementary School Tour (FEST) production

by

EDITOR’S NOTE: For its 35th season, Plan-B Theatre has produced The Great Salt Lake Plays, part of Wake the Great Salt Lake, a temporary art project supported by Salt Lake City Arts Council, Salt Lake City’s Mayor’s Office, and Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge. One is Eb and Flo by Elaine Jarvik, which is Plan-B … Read more

Countdown to 50th anniversary: 2024 bronze medalist Wynona Yinuo Wang to lead off season of Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation laureate concerts

by

In preparation for its 50th anniversary celebrations next spring, the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation has invited four Bachauer laureates for this season’s concert series, including two gold medalists, the most recent bronze medalist from last year’s international artist competition, and the fifth prize winner from the 2012 young artists competition. Opening the season on … Read more

Reverberation: Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company set to open its 62nd season with new artistic director, two premieres

by

The first lines in the new chapter of Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company’s history will be written this weekend when the company opens its 62nd season with Reverberation. Along with the reprise of  Keith Johnson‘s A Century, A Day, which the company premiered in 2024, there will be two premieres: one by Leslie Kraus, the company’s new … Read more