BalletWest

BalletWest is a professional ballet company based in Salt Lake City, Utah, offering a season of classical and contemporary ballet productions. The company maintains a resident school and touring ensemble that engages regional audiences through performances, education, and collaborations. BalletWest presents works by international choreographers and commissions new ballets for local and national stages.

History

BalletWest was founded in 1963 by Willam Christensen, following precedents set by the San Francisco Ballet and the Christensen family's work with Ballet Theatre of New York and the Christensen School of Dance. Early seasons featured choreography by Christensen alongside pieces by guest artists from the Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and touring troupes associated with George Balanchine and Martha Graham. Over subsequent decades the company experienced leadership transitions involving directors influenced by institutions such as the School of American Ballet, the Kirov Ballet, and the Joffrey Ballet, while engaging dancers trained at the School of American Ballet, The Royal Ballet School, and the Vaganova Academy. During its history BalletWest expanded performance venues to include the Capitol Theatre (Salt Lake City), the Eccles Theater, and partnerships with the Utah Symphony and the Utah Opera.

Artistic Leadership and Company Dancers

Artistic leadership at the company has included directors with ties to the Australian Ballet, the San Francisco Ballet School, and the Royal Danish Ballet, and principal artists recruited from companies such as American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, New York City Ballet, and the Paris Opera Ballet. Resident choreographers and répétiteurs have included alumni of the Stuttgart Ballet, the Het Nationale Ballet, and choreographers commissioned by the Kennedy Center and the Lincoln Center Festival. Company dancers have come from international training centers including Prix de Lausanne finalists, winners of the Varna International Ballet Competition, and graduates of the Royal Ballet School and Canada's National Ballet School. Guest artists from productions have included principals from Mariinsky Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, and soloists associated with Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo.

Repertoire and Commissions

BalletWest's repertoire spans full-length classics, contemporary narrative works, and abstract pieces by choreographers affiliated with George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and Twyla Tharp. The company has mounted productions of canonical titles alongside premieres by creators linked to the Nederlands Dans Theater, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and the Royal Ballet choreographic departments. New commissions have involved collaborations with artists who have worked at the Baryshnikov Arts Center, been commissioned by the Guggenheim Museum, or presented works at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. BalletWest also stages themed programs that have included guest choreography from alumni of the Juilliard School, commission projects supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, and co-productions with companies that tour through the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and the Lincoln Center Out of Doors series.

Education and Community Outreach

The BalletWest Academy provides training modeled on methods associated with the Vaganova Academy, School of American Ballet, and the Royal Ballet School, with faculty who previously taught at institutions such as Harvard University dance programs, the University of Utah Ballet Department, and community conservatories linked to the National Guild for Community Arts Education. Outreach initiatives partner with organizations like the Salt Lake County School District, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and arts councils connected to the Americans for the Arts network. Educational programming includes student matinees, master classes led by former principals from American Ballet Theatre and Paris Opera Ballet, and scholarship schemes comparable to programs funded by the Paul Taylor Dance Company and the Dance/USA consortium.

Facilities and Tours

BalletWest’s administrative and rehearsal facilities have been housed near downtown Salt Lake institutions such as the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center and in proximity to venues including the Eccles Theater and the Miller Auditorium. The company maintains studio space configured for classical technique, partnering for costume and set production with local scenographers who have collaborated with the Utah Opera and with lighting designers experienced at the Sundance Film Festival events. BalletWest tours regionally and nationally, performing in arts centers affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres, presenting at festivals like the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and touring to venues that include the Kennedy Center, Harris Theater (Chicago), and performing arts centers in the Intermountain West and on the West Coast of the United States.

Category:Ballet companies in the United States