utah dance

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

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

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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

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

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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

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

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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

UtahPresents’ 10th anniversary season is a blockbuster slate, with jazz, theater, dance, film, music and circus

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Marking its tenth anniversary season, UtahPresents, a major  performing arts presenter at the University of Utah, has a blockbuster slate for the 2025-2026 season. This includes a phenomenal four-concert jazz series, a trio of internationally acclaimed dance companies on tour, several intriguing theatrical productions touching on contemporary social issues, programs featuring some of Utah’s best-known … Read more

Summer review roundup: Twofold (RDT Link Series), Intermezzo Chamber Music Series, Rose Performing Arts Coalition’s Our Carnival of the Animals

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TWOFOLD: REPERTORY DANCE THEATRE LINK SERIES In an internationally recognized hub of modern and contemporary dance such as Salt Lake City, nearly every week brings a show that reflects just how high the bar of excellence is pitched when it comes to movement. As part of Repertory Dance Theatre’s Link Series offerings, always worth checking … Read more

Utah Arts Festival 2025 Feature Profile: Emerging Artist Elise Williams set to bring Side Hustle Dance Project’s Paint Piece

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EDITOR’S NOTE: For preview coverage of the 49th Utah Arts Festival, which runs June 19-22, The Utah Review is presenting individual or group profiles of artists, performers, entertainers and some newcomers to the event. Visitors will also see the first significant change of the last 15 years in the festival map. There are several new … 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