Thursday, March 26th was the 5th Annual Healthcare Professionals Night at the ballet.  This event is an annual fundraiser for the ballet which allows professionals in the health care industry the opportunity to network, provide appreciation to valued clients or staff all while supporting Ballet West.  Guests that evening were able to enjoy the final dress rehearsal of Treasures of Ballets Russes the night before it opened to the general public.  The evening included a dessert intermission reception with delicious cookies donated by My Dough Girl and a Q & A session during the second intermission moderated by Adam Sklute with comments by our Principal Artist, Christopher Ruud, and one of Ballet West’s Physical Therapists, Carmela Nielsen.  A special surprise that evening was the final dress rehearsal was dedicated to Carmela Nielsen, a Ballet West Physical Therapist, for all she has done for our artists.  Carmela was touched by this honor.  Below is a photo of Carmela with the Ballet West Artists after their final bow the evening of the dress rehearsal..

Mark your calendar for upcoming Ballet West Events
May 6 – Viewpointe
May 23 – Closing Night Party
May 30 – Fusion, a Bill Loya and Ballet West Fashion Show

Ashlee Christofferson
Development Manager, Special Events
Ballet West
50 West 200 South
Salt Lake City, Utah  84101
801.323.6917 (office)

-Mark

Peggy Dolkas as The Hostess in “Les Biches”, Owen Gaj in the backround.

Elizaeth McGrath as The Chiefton’s Slave in “Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor”.

Heather Thackeray as The Chiefton’s Wife in “Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor”.

The Company in “Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor”.

-Mark

A taste of this visually stunning evening.  But don’t forget about the music!  Pictures below from Balanchine’s THE PRODIGAL SON.

Thomas Mattingly and Jason Chinea with Members of Ballet West

Kate Crews, Thomas Mattingly and Members of Ballet West

Kate Crews and Members of Ballet West

Thomas Mattingly with Members of Ballet West

-Mark

Ballet West’s annual New York City audition was held this past Saturday, March 22nd at The School of American Ballet.  Artistic Director Adam Sklute, Principal Ballet Mistress Pamela Robinson Harris and former Ballet West Ballerina Jane Wood saw over one hundred and forty dancers!.  Adam Sklute said that he was very impressed with the enormous amount of high quality this year.

Photo by Jane Wood

-Mark

Carol Shults

In 1909 when the Ballets Russes was conquering Paris, Georgi Balanchivadze was a five year old child living with his family in a country house a train ride from St. Petersburg.  He was to enter the Imperial Ballet School only in 1913, where in just a few years the privations of the war and the Revolution were to make the idea of leaving Russia for the artistic freedom and better life of the West irresistible for the supremely talented, but half-starved young choreographer and his friends.  Engaged as choreographer for the Ballets Russes a few months after leaving the Soviet Union in 1924, George Balanchine (Diaghilev simplified his Georgian surname), first made Le Chant du Rossignol, to the Stravinsky score, for the 14-year-old Alicia Markova.

After the success of Apollo, his first neo-classical ballet in 1928, Diaghilev asked Balanchine to choreograph a score that had been commissioned from Prokofiev, Les Fils Prodigue or The Prodigal Son.  Georges Rouault designed sets and costumes and Serge Lifar, who had triumphed as Apollo, danced the title role, on May 21, 1929. Balanchine made a complete change from Apollo, cool, elegant, and pure, when he took on the biblically inspired narrative of the earthy, emotionally charged Prodigal.  But his innovative devices and compelling, imagery are equally inspired in both ballets. (Many great male dancers through the years have danced the challenging role of the Prodigal with success; among them are Jerome Robbins, Edward Villella and Mikhail Baryshnikov.)

Only three months after The Prodigal Son premiered in Paris, Diaghilev died in Venice, of diabetes.  It was the end of a fabulous era.  The influences, direct and indirect on not only ballet, but on the cultural and artistic life of the entire century are innumerable.

The following list of great twentieth century creative artists whose careers were nurtured by Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes is only partial:

Choreographers:  Fokine, Nijinsky, Massine, Nijinska, Balanchine.

Composers:   Stravinsky, Ravel, Richard Strauss, Debussy, Prokofiev, Da Falla, Poulenc, Satie, Auric.

Designers:   Benois, Bakst, Roerich, Golovine, Gontcharova, Serov, Picasso, Delauney, Matisse, Derain, Sert, Miro, Gris, Laurencin, Braque, Rouault, Utrillo, de Chirico, Cocteau.

Mark, All the best wishes to you, Adam and the company for a wonderful season.  Have fun with the Ballets Russes program. Perhaps I can come.  It has been fun to revisit the period!   Carol

On behalf of Ballet West and myself, thank you Carol!

-Mark

Don’t miss the “Ballets Russes” movie tonight at the Salt Lake City Library.  This showing is part of the Ballet West/Ballets Russes Festival.  Seeing this film will greatly enhance your evening at the ballet next week!

“Ballets Russes” poster and Salt Lake City Library

-Mark

Don’t miss THE RED SHOES on the big screen Wednesday – March 18, 2009, 7:30pm at the Broadway Centre Theatre.  This showing of the greatest dance film ever made is part of the Ballet West/Ballets Russes Festival.  Starring Moira Shearer, Marius Goring and Anton Walbrook, the viewer will also get a rare chance to see Leonide Massine (and his choreography), Sir Robert Helpman and Dame Marie Rambert in the film.

P. S. -  For Ballet West Lovers who saw them perform Antony Tudor’s “Jardin Aux Lilas” (Lilac Garden), look for the scene in which Victoria Page performs the Act II Swan Lake variation.  She is dancing on the stage, at the Mercury Theatre where Jardin had its premiere.  See if you can find former Ballet West Artistic Director John Hart in the Ballet Lermontov class and rehearsal scenes.

Hope to see you at the Broadway Centre Theatre!

-Mark

Jason Chinea and Owen Gaj rehearsing “The Prodigal Son”.

Christiana Bennett as The Siren.

Kate Crews and Jason Chinea as Siren and Son.

-Mark

When we prepare a program such as “Treasures of the Ballets Russes” we spend several weeks in the studio carefully rehearsing each ballet, making sure all will look good on the stage.  And as always a big part of the production is the costumes and sets. Though the Artists have fittings as early as possible they are not united with the costumes and sets until we go to the stage just a few days before we open.  So often the Ballet Masters visit the Costume and Scenic Shop to have David Heuvel, Costume Production Director and his staff prepare us to better prepare the artists for what is in store.  I’ve made several trips for this show because there are many props and unsual costumes involved.  It’s always fun for me to be there and I thought I’d share a little of it with you.

For this program Ballet West has found it more economical to rent sets and costumes. Even New York City’s presitgious American Ballet Theatre rents sets and costumes these days.  ‘Polovtsian Dances’ is rented from Houston Ballet, ‘Les Biches’ from Oakland Ballet and ‘The Prodigal Son’ from Dance Theatre of Harlem and American Ballet Theatre.   Since all of these productions were built twenty or more years ago, for ‘Polovtsian Dances’ our wardrobe masters are making completely new pants and tops for the Persian Slaves, new pants and hats for the Warrior Wives and refurbishing and making new costumes for the Warrior Chiefton, Warriors and Youths.  They are making new costumes and refurbishing for ‘Les Biches’.  For ‘The Prodigal Son’ they are updating the Siren’s cape, completely making her unusal tights and also creating all of the special effects for make-up and hair.

David Heuvel’s crew: Barbara Arcolio, Mary Kay Feicht and Katherine Fraser-Cross making new Persian Slave pants for ‘Polovtsian Dances’ and refurbishing the dresses for ‘Les Biches’.

MicKell Maddox working on the Persian Slave tops and Cindy Farrimond, Costume Shop Manager and Shoe Coordinator,  making new sashes for the women in ‘Les Biches’.  Not pictured are: Jacquelin Cintura Bryce – Wardrobe Supervisor and Barbara Lambert – Wardrobe Assistant.

Rented Polovtsian Warrior boots.                            Brand new Persian Slave pants.

Brand new Persian Slave Tops.                                 Rented Polovtsian, Prodigal and Biches costumes.

The sets and props are also rented for this program but pieces need work.  For instance the stairs for ‘Les Biches’ arrived but the platforms did not, so Ballet West will create them.

Carpenter Josh Belka in the early stages of creating the (missing) platforms.

‘The Prodigal Son’ tent is in good shape.  You can also see the ‘Les Biches’ stairs and sofa.

Prop Master Cory Thorell will work on the ‘Les Biches’ sofa.

-Mark

Some pix from ‘Polovtsian Dances’.

Nathaniel King, Aaron Orlowski, Beau Pearson and Members of Ballet West

Aaron Orlowski, Elizabeth McGrath and Members of Ballet West

Ballet West

-Mark