Ballet West

Like a living pop-up book, Ballet West opens a toy treasure chest in sensational, touching Utah premiere production of Trey McIntyre’s Peter Pan

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To borrow the words of Adam Sklute, Ballet West’s artistic director, Trey McIntyre’s Peter Pan becomes “almost a living pop-up book.” The company’s Utah premiere of this 2002 evening-length ballet affirmed these words, with sensational and touching impact in every facet of the production. It was a toy treasure chest: Wiliam Lynch’s raw charisma and … Read more

Neverland’s magic set to arrive in downtown Salt Lake City, as Ballet West offers Utah premiere of Trey McIntyre’s Peter Pan

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Puer Aeternus translates from Latin into eternal boy, a mythological description of an eternally young child-God. All children, except one, grow up. In J.M. Barrie’s timeless classic, Peter Pan’s eternal youth is preserved and in both the play and novel the author wrote, Peter teaches the Darling children to fly, thanks to sparking their imagination … Read more

Discovering the enchantment that propels a living historic landmark as America’s 1st Nutcracker™: two City Academy students review the 2025 edition of Ballet West production of this holiday classic

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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 production of Willam Christensen’s The Nutcracker. For a preview ahead of this year’s production, see this link to The Utah Review feature.  Before turning … Read more

Peeking behind the scenes, as dancers set for the holiday season run at Ballet West of America’s 1st Nutcracker™

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For Ballet West dancers, the company’s historic production of The Nutcracker is more than an annual holiday tradition. For many, it is a proving ground. It is sort of a report card for dancers who are ready to expand into more prominent performing roles not just in The Nutcracker but also in the company’s internationally … 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

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

With spellbinding gusto, Ballet West’s Romeo & Juliet delivers emotionally stunning performances across the board

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“Only one who knows English in its Elizabethan fullness, who can ride with gusto the Elizabethan winds of rhetoric, lyric, and vituperation, who puts no bounds to the theater’s mirroring of nature and release of imagination, can bring to Shakespeare’s plays their merited acceptance with open arms and heart,” the American historian Will Durant wrote, … Read more

Ballet West’s 62nd season set to open Oct. 24 with lavish production of Michael Smuin’s Romeo & Juliet set to famous Prokofiev score

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The historical significance of Ballet West’s 62nd season opener, Romeo & Juliet, for the company cannot be overstated.  As early as the late 18th century in Italy, ballet versions of Shakespeare’s famous play were being staged and in the first decades of the 1800s, versions cropped up in Denmark and Russia. But it was Sergei … Read more

Ballet West’s Works from Within proves excellent showcase of choreographic potential of five company dancers

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Ballet West’s inaugural Works from Within program proved to be an excellent showcase for highlighting the choreographic strengths of five of the company’s dancers. While the program featured worthy pieces by two dancers who already have carved out solid niches as choreographers, the three newcomers delighted the audience with choreography that produced some of the … Read more

Works from Within, Ballet West’s newest program, set to premiere this week, featuring world premieres choreographed by five company dancers

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When Adam Sklute joined Ballet West as artistic director in 2007, it had been nine years since the company had last produced any new work. But, that would change dramatically. For example, between 2011 and 2016, Ballet West presented 16 Utah premieres of works by past and present choreographers. By 2016, the company’s Innovations program … Read more