Easton Smith & Michael Bearden

“So Mikey, about being third cast for school shows …” – Easton Smith

Easton (with a lisp): “Do you need a walrus, Mikey?  Please let me play the walrus …”
Mikey: “Wait … do I need a walrus???  Let me think …” – Emily & Paige Adams

“Where did you put those pencils when they left your nose, Easton?” – Pam Robinson

“Typical.” – Allison DeBona

“Don’t show him attention.  Don’t show him attention.” – Ronald Tilton

“Easton on the job, taking notes.” – Rex Tilton

“Ballet Walrus!” – Aidan DeYoung

“Maturity optional.” – Anonymous

-Beau

Michael Bearden and Aidan DeYoung

The next piece in the program is a new work choreographed by Aidan DeYoung.  This is Aidan’s second year choreographing for Innovations.  I feel like Aidan has grown tremendously as a dancer these last two years.  He’s found his own style which is evident in his choreography.  Aidan’s ballet brings a lot of diversity to the program as his movement is very contemporary.

Easton Smith

Easton Smith’s new ballet will follow Aidan’s on the bill.  I think we’re all excited to see what Easton has to offer as this is his first year choreographing for Innovations.  Emily Adams is the last in-house choreographer in the program.  Emily created a voice for herself the first year she choreographed for Innovations and has only made her voice louder this year with her new work.  This year Emily is using a recent graduate of the University of Utah’s music program to play the piano for her ballet.

Emily Adams

The last ballet of the program will be Grand Synthesis choreographed by Susan Shields.  Grand Synthesis is a a contrasting ballet, full of energy and serenity.  We performed Grand Synthesis first for Innovations 2008, then this last summer in Wolf Trap, VA.  For more information on Susan Shields, click here.

-Beau

Click the link below to read Kathy Adams’ review.

Salt Lake Tribune Emeralds Program Review

Allison Debona with Adrian Fry in PETITE MORT (Jiri Kylian)

-Beau

Below are pictures I took from the dress rehearsal last night.

Allison Debona in EMERALDS by George Balanchine (c) The George Balanchine Trust

Emily Adams and Adrian Fry in EMERALDS by George Balanchine (c) The George Balanchine Trust

Emily Adams and Alex MacFarlan in PETITE MORT by Jiri Kylian

Katlyn Addison and Christopher Sellars in PETITE MORT by Jiri Kylian

Michael Bearden and Katherine Lawrence in PETITE MORT by Jiri Kylian

Allison DeBona and Adrian Fry in PETITE MORT by Jiri Kylian

Elizabeth McGrath and Rex Tilton in PETITE MORT by Jiri Kylian

-Beau

I’m extremely excited to get this program on the stage.  Our schedule has been so demanding, I’ve hardly had any time to take pictures (sad face).  Today I was able to snap some shots of Petite Mort (Jiri Kylian).

Dancers of Ballet West

Emily Adams and Alexander MacFarlan

Allison DeBona and Adrian Fry

Elizabeth McGrath and Rex Tilton

Elizabeth McGrath, Allison DeBona and Emily Adams

-Beau

Spring at Ballet West means preparing for an incredible repertory program, rehearsing for The Little Mermaid, and the annual performance of I CAN DO.  Ballet West offers a variety of free outreach programs to students to teach the importance of ballet because every child deserves an education inclusive of dance.  I CAN DO is one of our most innovative programs that consists of weekly dance classes for 5th graders and each spring, about 1,000 I CAN DO dancers perform for a standing-room-only crowd at West High.  This year’s performances were Tuesday March 27 and Wednesday the 28 of March at 7:30 pm.  Our intent is that with an active presence in Salt Lake City communities and statewide that we will be able to cultivate and inspire new generations of artists and arts advocates.

Drawing by Allee Parkside

I CAN DO kids

-Beau

Marius Petipa’s first work staged in St. Petersburg, Russia, was Joseph Mazilier’s Paquita in 1847.  He added The Grande Divertissement, or Gande Pas, section of the ballet (what we know as Paquita now) to the two act ballet in 1881.  Elena first performed in Paquita at the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia.  Later, as a ballerina with the Maly Theater (now the Mikhailovskiy) she danced in two more versions of the Grande Pas.  Elena researched many different versions of Paquita to develop the current version she stages for companies around the world.  Her updated version not only preserves the Spanish flare of Paquita but also the style and sensitivity of the nineteenth century ballet.  Elena told me she wanted to pass on the charming and sometimes even humorous qualities of Paquita to us at Ballet West.

Elena Kunikova

Elena Kunikova is a graduate of Vaganova Ballet Academy, the Mariinksy (former Kirov) in St. Petersburg, Russia.  At Maly Theatre, where Elena started her career, she performed principal and soloist roles in classical and contemporary ballets including Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Giselle, Paquita, Serenade (Balanchine), Macbeth, Carmen, Esmeralda, Sleeping Beauty and many others.

In the U.S. Elena performed as a guest star.  She was well received by audiences and very favorably reviewed by the press (New York Times, Dance Magazine).  She was known as a “fascinating performer.”  Subsequently, Elena pursued teaching and choreography.

Elena Kunikova coaching Emily Adams

In NYC Elena taught ballet and repertoire at the School of American Ballet, Joffrey, The Juilliard, and Columbia University/Barnard College.  At Barnard Elena taught technique and academic courses in repertoire/history.  Other engagement included American and Japanese ballet companies, as well as art festivals.

In addition to master classes, Elena conducts Vaganova Technique seminars and coaches professional dancers.  Many of Elena’s students became well-known performers with top ballet companies around the world (NYC Ballet, ABT, Boston Ballet, Joffrey, Dutch National, Berlin Ballet, Kirov Ballet, and many others).  A large number of them were noted for their exceptional artistic achievements.

Elena Kunikova coaching Sayaka Ohtaki

Over many years, Elena has been active in staging of classical repertoire for American, European and Japanese ballet companies.  Among her productions are full-length Don Quixote, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, as well as Les Sylphides, Grand Pas from Paquita, Little Humpback Horse, Esmeralda, Harlequinade, Grand Pas de Quatre, Pas des Odalisque, Esmeralda, Laurencia, and other gems of Russian classical ballet.  Her stagings had great success with the audiences and critics who unanimously noted their authenticity and respect for the material.  Many critics noticed her detailed coaching with “besotted attention to the particularities of ballet”, “real steps and proper style”, “wit and vivacity”.  Robert Gottlieb of New York Observer called her “one of our leading authorities on the Russian classical style”.

As some critics have put it, Elena’s involvement was instrumental and “invaluable” to the success of Les Ballet Trockadero, where she has staged a large portion of their current repertoire, helping them to win a prestigious “Best Classical Repertoire” award from London Critics’ Circle.

Interviews with Elena appeared in many professional publications, documentaries, and TV programs.  As a dance writer, she is contributing to Dance Magazine, Pointe and The Wall Street Journal Europe.

Elena’s most recent works include stagings for Staatsballet Berlin, Kansas City Ballet and Ballet West.

-Beau

These pictures don’t get old …

Sayaka Ohtaki rehearsing PAQUITA

-Beau

Now that Don Q is behind us, we’re all looking forward to the next program.  At two different times during Don Quixote rehearsals, Sandra Jennings came to Salt Lake City to set most of the principal steps from Emeralds (George Balanchine) on the dancers.  She will be back this month to complete the work.  I may have mentioned in the past that we are typically never just working on one program.  We learn different ballets throughout the year based on the most convenient times choreographers or guests can come.

Sandra Jennings

Sandra Jennings was born in Boston and began her dance training with June Paxman of the Washington Ballet and later with E. Virginia Williams at Boston Ballet.  At the age of 13, she received a Ford Foundation scholarship to the School of American Ballet in New York.  At the age of 15, Jennings performed George Balanchine’s Tarantella at New York’s City Center.

Sandra Jennings working with Adrian Fry

In spring 1974, Jennings was asked by George Balanchine to join New York City Ballet where she worked with him for the next nine years.  During her tenure, she danced an enormous repertoire that included principal and soloist roles in many Balanchine and Jerome Robbins ballets.  In addition, Jennings danced works by John Taras, Jacques d’Amboise, Sir Fredrick Ashton, and Peter Martins.  She also performed in concerts with Jean Pierre Bonnefoux, Patricia McBride, Melissa Hayden, Helgi Tomasson, Violette Verdy, and Edward Villella.  She performed on television in Dance in America, Live from Lincoln Center, Live from Studio 8H, and Canadian Broadcast.

Sandra Jennings working with Emily Adams

Jennings has taught at schools and companies in the United States and abroad.  She was ballet mistress and company teacher for The Pennsylvania Ballet for nine years and San Francisco Ballet for four years.  Jennings is now a full time repetiteur for The George Balanchine Trust and also on staff as a teacher and repetiteur at Marin Ballet.

-Beau

Salt Lake Tribune Don Quixote Review

-Beau