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.

Luminous pinnacle: Repertory Dance Theatre’s Ovation, choreographic feast of Thanksgiving, satisfies appreciative audience

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In between pieces in Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT)’s sensational Ovation production, Nicholas Cendese, a former RDT dancer who is now executive/artistic co-director for the company, talked briefly  about the company’s 60th anniversary as an occasion to celebrate  its “luminous pinnacle.” Indeed, this phrase encapsulated the astonishing quintet of commissioned works, including two gorgeous world premieres, … Read more

Voodoo Theatre Company’s production of Jen Silverman’s The Moors effectively extracts its most important epiphanic impact

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In fashioning complicated characters that encourage audiences to handle more than one thought about a person in their minds, playwright Jen Silverman has always deftly handled themes of isolation, paranoia and loneliness well while suggesting larger social epiphanies in her stories.   That certainly is the case in The Moors (2017) and the latest Voodoo Theatre … Read more

Intelligent, subdued spiritual feel in The Blue of Distance, show of Madeline Rupard, Drew Rane at Material art gallery

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For many years, I have been moved by the blue at the far edge of what can be seen, that color of horizons, of remote mountain ranges, of anything far away. The color of that distance is the color of an emotion, the color of solitude and of desire, the color of there seen from … Read more

Celebrating commissioned work, including two world premieres, Repertory Dance Theatre’s Ovation later this week promises to be a blockbuster of dance

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A celebration of commissioned works, including two world premieres, is set for this week’s blockbuster Ovation production by Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT). As part of its 60th anniversary season, the five works for Ovation  constitute one of RDT’s most technically and stamina demanding programs in recent seasons. Just as dynamic as the company’s mission to … Read more

PYGmalion Productions’ Utah premiere of Tiny Beautiful Things is finely acted soothing, charming respite of empathy

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PYGmalion Productions Theatre Company’s Utah premiere production of Tiny Beautiful Things, which is based on the bestselling book by Cheryl Strayed that was adapted for the stage by Academy-Award nominated screenwriter and award-winning actor Nia Vardalos, is a charming delight of chamber theater, with a quartet of actors who give the audience a soothing respite … Read more

Two works by Grammy-nominated composer Shawn Okpebholo, along with two Bach cantatas, slated for Nov. 16 NOVA Chamber Music Series concert

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The juxtapositions of music by Bach and Grammy-nominated composer Shawn Okpebholo, in the upcoming concert Sacred Spaces, as part of NOVA Chamber Music Series current season, are wisely chosen. Distance for cello and marimba (2016) and Two Black Churches (2020 by Okpebholo will receive their Utah premieres, running parallel to two Bach cantatas, Liebster Jesu, … Read more

Arthur Greene, Bachauer gold medalist from 1978, set to perform Nov. 14 in Passages concert featuring music by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt

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Continuing its lead up to celebrate its 50th anniversary next spring, the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation will feature the 1978 gold medalist from its International Artists Piano Competition in a Nov. 14 solo concert featuring music by Bach, Liszt, Beethoven and Chopin. The concert will take place at 7:30p.m. in the Jeanné Wagner Theatre … Read more

A twin bill of glorious proportions: Ballet West enthralls, enchants audiences in Les Noces, The Dream

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Offering a twin bill that any ballet company would deem difficult to pull off successfully, Ballet West was unfazed on opening night, presenting equally glorious performances of Sir Frederick Ashton’s The Dream, a Victorian-era adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Bronislava Nijinska’s Les Noces (The Wedding). The Dream was enchantment par excellence. Ashton’s … Read more

Torrey House Press series: Eli J. Knapp’s In the Crosswinds: Birds, Humans, and the Paradox of Place is witty, humble, compassionate book perfect to tuck into outdoor adventure backpack

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the sixth in an ongoing series of features highlighting authors and new books published by Torrey House Press in Utah.  In an earlier Torrey House Press book, The Delightful Horror of Family Birding: Sharing Nature with The Next Generation, Eli J. Knapp, with a unique blend of humility and humor, described … Read more

A twin bill of wedding celebrations and magical delight: Ballet West production of Nijinska’s Les Noces, Ashton’s The Dream set for Nov. 7-15

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Not wasting any time after concluding its superb production of Romeo & Juliet, Ballet West will open a twin-bill Nov. 7, with weddings as centerpieces in both works.  A delightful gem, Sir Frederick Ashton’s The Dream, a Victorian-era adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, blends classical ballet with theatrical comedy, including a male dancer … Read more