UtahPresents’ 10th anniversary season provided a continuous stream of blockbuster moments, combined with just as consistently sold-out houses for its shows. The 11th season promises to be just as impactful, with family shows as well as series highlighting internationally acclaimed dance companies, and contemporary and jazz musicians, along with the equally outstanding Stage Door Series, … Read more
Of the 12 operas that Charles Gounod wrote, two have survived the test of time: Faust, which is superb and Roméo et Juliette, which is the only one in this form based on this Shakespeare play that earned street credit in the theater. Premiered in 1867, Roméo et Juliette stands primarily on the music that … Read more
Twenty years ago, when Adam Sklute, former dancer and associate artistic director at The Joffrey Ballet, arrived in Salt Lake City to become Ballet West’s artistic director, the board of directors tasked him with three objectives. One was to strengthen the caliber and quality of the dancers and production. Another was to increase the national … Read more
With four world premieres and two company premieres to boot, the resplendent heritage of Ballet West radiated with exciting results in the culminating performance of the inaugural Ballet West Summit Festival: Where Art Meets Elevation on July 17 at the Canyons Village Amphitheatre in Park City. The results confirm that this festival should become a … Read more
For summers during the 1970s, Ballet West traveled to Aspen, Colorado for an artistic residency and festival that included a summer dance school in Snowmass Village. The experience anchored Ballet West’s steadily growing reputation as one of the most distinguished performing arts companies in the American West. It also led to the Ballet West Academy … Read more
This spring produced an overflowing bounty of great programs in dance, which enjoys imperial status among the performing arts in Utah. The following five exemplify this distinction. Ballet West: Choregraphic Fest VII: Spotlight Utah Donald Byrd’s Processional world premiere capped a distinguished choreographic valedictory in the history-making closing production of Ballet West’s 2025-26 season. The … Read more
In Utah, dance wears the empress crown in the performing arts. Choreographers and guest dance artists from around the world know well just how broad and deep the dance ecosystem in Utah is, as evidenced by the numerous commissions that have been set on local companies in ballet and contemporary dance over many decades. For … Read more
For the ravishing opening night of Ballet West’s quadruple bill connecting the Broadway stage to classical ballet, one could not have launched this unforgettable evening of Utah premieres better than with Alison Olsen playing the last ten bars of Debussy’s Syrinx for solo flute as the prelude for Jerome Robbins’ Antique Epigraphs. Intimate, delicate and … Read more
Four Utah premieres featuring works by two choreographers who have had a major impact on ballet and Broadway are on deck for Ballet West’s newest production West Side Story: Broadway & Beyond, which opens Friday, April 10, to start a run of six performances in the Capitol Theatre. In a literal storybook season for the … Read more
Editor’s Note: In extending its tradition, The Utah Review, with the assistance of Christal Jackson, an English teacher and ELL coordinator at City Academy, asked two students to review Ballet West’s world premiere production of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Pamela Robinson-Harris, Ballet West’s rehearsal director, who has been the creative force behind Family … Read more