As early as 7am five days a week for the past two weeks, all ten Ballet West 2 artists (two teams) met up with either Maggie Wright-Tesch, Jeff Rogers or Cati Snarr (the team leaders), boarded one of two vans and drove to a public school to perform for Utah Public School children, over twenty eight thousand children!  The teams arrived at the school, unloaded the heavy roles of marley (floor), the sound equipment, the ballet barre and costumes.  After setting everything up on a stage or gymnasium floor they warmed up and then began the forty five minute show- “Ballet West For Children and The Sleeping Beauty”. As soon as the show was done they packed up, drove to another school to repeat the process.  Many days they went on to a third school!  “Ballet West For Children and The Sleeping Beauty” not only entertains with a mini version of “The Sleeping Beauty”, but it also teaches the audience about how ballet dancers work and how a ballet company runs.  Ballet Pantomime is explained with demonstrations, pointe shoes – how they are constructed and how much they cost, history of classical ballet and on stage teaching of children from the audience are all part of the performance.

Cati Snarr, Lindsay Duerfeldt discuss pointe shoes.

Stephen, Robert, Whitney, Kaleigh and Sarah take barre.

Robert shows the boys how to do a double tour en l’ air and then they try it alone.

Robert, Whitney, Kaleigh, Stephen and Sarah in performance.

*All photos by Peter Christie.

-Mark