Ballet West

Ballet West
General information
Name	Ballet West
Year founded	1963
Founders	Willam F. Christensen Glenn Walker Wallace
Website	www.balletwest.org
Artistic staff
Artistic Director	Adam Sklute
Other
Official school	Ballet West Academy
Formation	Principal Artists Soloists Demi-Soloists Artists

Ballet West is an American ballet company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was founded in 1963 as the Utah Civic Ballet by Willam F. Christensen, the company's first artistic director, and Glenn Walker Wallace, who served as its first president. Christensen had previously established the first ballet department in an American university at the University of Utah in 1951.^[1]

In 1968, the Federation of Rocky Mountain States chose the company to represent that group, and by extension, to represent the western United States. Due to that choice, the group's name was changed to Ballet West.^[2] This is not to be confused with Ballet West in Taynuilt, Scotland.^[3]

The Ballet West Academy is the official school of Ballet West and is located in Salt Lake City.^[4]

Ballet West was featured in the reality TV series Breaking Pointe in the Summer of 2012 and 2013 aired on the CW Network, part of a BBC Production.

History of Ballet West

From Balanchine to Bournonville and Petipa to Tharp, Ballet West boasts a rich and varied repertoire, elegant and versatile artists and an American style and legacy that is as dynamic, expansive and unexpected as the Rocky Mountain region it represents. Ballet West has toured the world several times over presenting the very best in American classical ballet.

Ballet West was established in Salt Lake City in 1963. Willam F. Christensen was the company’s first artistic director, co-founding the company together with Utah’s “First Lady of the Arts” Glenn Walker Wallace. In 1951, Christensen had established the first ballet department in an American university at The University of Utah and with the tireless assistance of Mrs. Enid Cosgriff this program grew into the Utah Civic Ballet, Ballet West’s first incarnation. But this was not the first ballet company Willam Christensen’s founded. Along with his brothers Lew and Harold, Christensen made history by establishing the oldest ballet company in the western United States, the San Francisco Ballet. There he went on to create the first full-length American productions of Coppélia, Swan Lake, and his evergreen production of The Nutcracker, which remains in Ballet West’s repertoire to this day.

With 40 company members, 10 second company members, and a thriving academy that trains dancers of all ages, many of whom have gone on to professional careers with Ballet West and companies around the world, Ballet West ranks among the top professional ballet companies in America. Since its inception, the Company has had five artistic directors – its founder Willam Christensen, Bruce Marks, John Hart, Jonas Kåge and currently Adam Sklute, each who have helped to build Ballet West’s unique and expansive profile.

A 20th Century ballet pioneer, Christensen developed a distinctly American and theatrical repertoire for his company based on his early training in Utah and New York City as well as his years traversing the American Vaudeville circuit. He also built a strong connection to the works of George Balanchine. In 1975 Christensen invited the great American dancer Bruce Marks to join him as Ballet West’s Co-Artistic Director. Marks became Artistic Director in 1978 when Christensen retired. Under Marks’ direction, the company presented its first full production of Swan Lake and it earned a reputation for developing emerging choreographers of the time. Also during this period Marks made history, along with his wife, the acclaimed Danish Ballerina, Toni Lander, by presenting the first American full-length production of Abdallah by renowned 19th Century Danish choreographer, August Bournonville. John Hart, CBE, former dancer, administrator, and Assistant Director of The Royal Ballet in England succeeded Marks as Artistic Director of Ballet West In 1985. Under his leadership, the company’s repertoire was expanded to include more well-loved 19th Century classics such as The Sleeping Beauty. Hart further enriched the company’s treasure trove of ballets with the works of many early 20th Century masters, most notably the great English choreographer, Sir Frederick Ashton. From 1985 to 1996, Hart engaged San Francisco-based Val Caniparoli as Ballet West’s resident choreographer. Dancer and choreographer Jonas Kåge served as Artistic Director from 1997 to 2006. During this time Kåge maintained Ballet West’s repertoire of classics while revitalizing its profile with notable late 20th Century choreographers such as Christopher Bruce, Hans van Manen, Glen Tetley and William Forsythe.

Since 2007, Artistic Director Adam Sklute, former dancer, Ballet Master and Associate Director of The Joffrey Ballet has further energized and expanded Ballet West’s remarkable repertoire with works by the most renowned choreographers of today such as Ulysses Dove, Jiri Kylian, Mark Morris, Twyla Tharp, and Stanton Welch. Sklute has also introduced the elegant historical masterpieces from the great Ballets Russes of the early 20th Century and continues to preserve Ballet West’s classical legacy. Sklute has further strengthened Ballet West’s heritage by introducing new creations by local, national and international choreographers.

For 50 years, Willam Christensen and Ballet West have developed and influenced innumerable great artists in the ballet world. Some notable figures include Bart Cook, Finis Jhung, Jay Jolley, Victoria Morgan, Tomm Ruud, Michael Smuin, Richard Tanner, and Kent Stowell.

With this eclectic and ever expanding outlook, Ballet West is truly an American pioneer in the world of dance.

Artistic directors

The founding artistic director, Willam Christensen, retired in 1978. He was succeeded by Bruce Marks, who had been co-artistic director since 1975. Starting in 1985, the company's third artistic director was John Hart, CBE, a former dancer, administrator, and assistant director of The Royal Ballet. From 1997 through 2006, the position belonged to Jonas Kåge, a dancer and choreographer.^[1]

The company's fifth and current artist director is Adam Sklute, who has served in that capacity since 2007. Sklute was dancer, ballet master and associate director with The Joffrey Ballet.^[1]^[5]

Dance company

Dancers with Ballet West as of January 2016 include:^[6]

Principal artists

Name	Birth Place	Date Joined	Training
Beckanne Sisk	Longview, Texas	2010	The Rock School for Dance Education
Emily Adams	Newtown, Pennsylvania	2007	The School of American Ballet, Studio Maestro, Ballet Technique, and Princeton Ballet
Katherine Lawrence	Fairfield, Connecticut	2004	Connecticut Dance School, followed by The Harid Conservatory
Christopher Ruud	San Francisco, California	1998	San Francisco Ballet School, University of Utah Department of Ballet
Arolyn Williams	Rowe, Massachusetts	2006	Pioneer Valley Ballet and University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Rex Tilton	San Diego, California	2008	Pacific Northwest Ballet School, San Francisco Ballet School, and School of American Ballet

First Soloists

Name	Birth Place	Date Joined	Training
Beau Pearson	San Francisco, California	2007	The Academy of Ballet in San Francisco
Sayaka Ohtaki	Tokyo, Japan	2010	Inoue Ballet School in Japan
Allison DeBona	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	2007	The Parou Ballet, followed by the Pittsburgh Youth Ballet
Jacqueline Straughan	Carson City, Nevada	2006	National Ballet School in Toronto
Christopher Sellars	Huntington Beach, California	2006	Orange County Dance Center and The Rock School for Dance Education
Adrian Fry	Omaha, Nebraska	2010	Omaha Theater Ballet School, School of American Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet School

Soloists

Name	Birth Place	Date Joined	Training
Chase O'Connell

Demi-soloists

Name	Birth Place	Date Joined	Training
Lindsay Duerfeldt	Modesto, California	2009	Central West Ballet and Utah Regional Ballet
Katie Critchlow	San Diego, California	2006	The San Elijo Dance Academy in San Diego, followed by Pacific Northwest Ballet
Katlyn Addison
Tyler Gum
Alexander MacFarlan

Corps Artists

Paige Adams
Kaya Aman (supplemental)
Kimberly Ballard
Elanor Bock (supplemental)

Jaime Hickey (supplemental)
Jenna Rae Herrera
Sarah Hochman
Whitney Huell

Trevor Naumann
Amy Potter
Zachary Prentice

Jordan Richardson
Jamie Lynn Schultz
Ronald Tilton
Jordan Veit
Elizabeth Weldon
Joshua Whitehead

Ballet West II, Second Company Artists

Lauren Denney
Lucas Horns
Jameson Keating
Logan Martin

Stephen Nakagawa
Kazlyn Nielsen
Sanford Placide
Mercedes Rice
Mary Ann Schaefer

References

1 2 3 "About Us". Ballet West. Retrieved February 25, 2012.
↑ Willis, Cherie N. (1994), Powell, Allan Kent, ed., "Ballet West", Utah History Encyclopedia (Salt Lake City, Utah: University of Utah Press), ISBN 0874804256, OCLC 30473917
↑ "Ballet West - Ichrachan House - Taynuilt - Argyll - Scotland". Retrieved February 25, 2012.
↑ "Ballet West Academy". Ballet West. Retrieved February 25, 2012.
↑ "Artistic Director". Ballet West. Retrieved February 25, 2012.
↑ "The Artists". Ballet West. Retrieved February 25, 2012.

External links

Official website

Dance companies in the United States

Ballet	Alabama Ballet Alameda Civic Ballet Alexandra Ballet Alonzo King LINES Ballet American Ballet Theatre American Repertory Ballet Anaheim Ballet Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Atlanta Ballet Atlanta Festival Ballet Ballet Arizona Ballet Austin Ballet Des Moines Ballet Fantastique Ballet Magnificat! Ballet Memphis BalletMet Ballet Minnesota Ballet Nebraska Ballet Nouveau Colorado Ballet Quad Cities Ballet San Jose Ballet Theatre of Maryland Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo Ballet West Bay Area Houston Ballet and Theatre Bay Pointe Ballet Boston Ballet California Riverside Ballet Carolina Ballet Cedar Lake Charlotte Ballet Chicago Ballet Chicago Festival Ballet Cincinnati Ballet Cleveland Ballet Colorado Ballet Complexions Concert Ballet of Virginia Dance Theatre of Harlem Dayton Ballet Eugene Ballet Folsom Lake Civic Ballet Greensboro Ballet Gwinnett Ballet Theatre Houston Ballet James Sewell Ballet Joffrey Ballet Kansas City Ballet Los Angeles Ballet Louisville Ballet Miami City Ballet Morphoses Mystic Ballet National Ballet Theater of Puerto Rico New Jersey Ballet New York City Ballet Oklahoma City Ballet Oregon Ballet Theatre Pacific Northwest Ballet Pennsylvania Ballet Pittsburgh Ballet San Francisco Ballet Suzanne Farrell Ballet Texas Ballet Theater Tulsa Ballet The Washington Ballet

Contemporary	Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater AXIS Dance Company Ballet Deviare Ballet Hispanico Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company Dayton Contemporary Dance Company Dominic Walsh Hubbard Street Lar Lubovitch Martha Graham Momix Paul Taylor The Philadelphia Dance Company Pilobolus Ririe-Woodbury sjDANCEco Urban Bush Women Whim W'Him

Other	Ice Theatre of New York The LXD The Rockettes

Ballet companies

Africa	Cairo Opera Ballet Company Cape Town City Ballet

Asia	Ballet Manila Ballet Philippines Guangzhou Ballet Hong Kong Ballet Iranian National Ballet Company Israel Ballet K-ballet Korea National Ballet National Ballet of China Philippine Ballet Theatre Shanghai Ballet Company Singapore Dance Theatre State Ballet of Georgia Tokyo Ballet Universal Ballet

Europe	Ballet Cymru Les Ballets Persans Ballet Romand Barcelona Ballet Bayerisches Staatsballett Béjart Ballet Berlin State Ballet Birmingham Royal Ballet Bolshoi Ballet Cork City Ballet Royal Danish Ballet Donetsk Ballet Dutch National Ballet Eifman Ballet English National Ballet Finnish National Ballet Sukhishvili Georgian National Ballet Greek National Opera Hamburg Ballet Hungarian National Ballet Kiev Ballet La Scala Theatre Ballet Mariinsky Ballet Mikhailovsky Theatre Ballet National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Moldova The Monte-Carlo Ballet National Opera and Ballet of Bulgaria Northern Ballet Norwegian National Opera and Ballet Novosibirsk Theatre Ballet Original Ballet Russe Paris Opera Ballet Perm Theatre Ballet Polish National Ballet National Ballet of Portugal The Royal Ballet Rambert Dance Company Russian State Ballet of Siberia Saint Petersburg Ballet Theatre Scottish Ballet Spanish National Dance Company Stanislavski Ballet Stuttgart Ballet Royal Swedish Ballet Théâtre du Silence Turkish State Opera and Ballet

North America	Alabama Ballet Alameda Civic Ballet Alexandra Ballet Alonzo King LINES Ballet American Ballet Theatre American Repertory Ballet Anaheim Ballet Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Atlanta Ballet Atlanta Festival Ballet Ballet Arizona Ballet Austin Ballet BC Ballet Des Moines Ballet Fantastique Ballet Hispanico Ballet Magnificat! Ballet Memphis BalletMet Ballet Minnesota Ballet Nebraska Ballet Nouveau Colorado Ballet Quad Cities Ballet San Jose Ballet Theatre of Maryland Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo Ballet West Bay Pointe Ballet Boston Ballet Les Grands Ballets Canadiens California Riverside Ballet Carolina Ballet Charlotte Ballet Chicago Ballet Chicago Festival Ballet Cincinnati Ballet Cleveland Ballet Colorado Ballet Complexions Contemporary Ballet Cuban National Ballet Dance Theatre of Harlem Dayton Ballet Eugene Ballet Greensboro Ballet Houston Ballet Joffrey Ballet Kansas City Ballet Los Angeles Ballet Louisville Ballet National Ballet of Canada National Ballet Theater of Puerto Rico New Jersey Ballet New York City Ballet Oklahoma City Ballet Oregon Ballet Theatre Pacific Northwest Ballet Pennsylvania Ballet Pittsburgh Ballet San Francisco Ballet Tulsa Ballet Royal Winnipeg Ballet

Oceania	The Australian Ballet Queensland Ballet Royal New Zealand Ballet West Australian Ballet

South America	Ballet Municipal de Lima Chilean National Ballet Colon Theater Ballet Teatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro

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