FOUR OF UTAH'S PROFESSIONAL DANCE COMPANIES SHARE ONE STAGE FOR THE FIRST TIME
SALT LAKE CITY, UT — For the first time in Utah history, four of the state's professional dance companies will perform together on the same stage. Ballet West, Repertory Dance Theatre, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, and SALT Contemporary Dance will unite May 13–16 for Choreographic Fest VII: Spotlight Utah at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center in Salt Lake.
"Utah has some of the most innovative dance companies in America – more than could ever be featured on one program. This program is a celebration of just some of the depth and diversity of talented artistry we have in the dance field here in Salt Lake City," said Ballet West Artistic Director Adam Sklute, who has led the company for 20 years.
"I respect these companies tremendously, and it is such an honor to be able to bring them in and put us all on the stage together, to show our uniqueness, our sameness, and what makes the dance scene so strong and wonderful in Salt Lake City and in Utah."
The program includes a world premiere by Ballet West: Processional, choreographed by Tony Award–nominated choreographer Donald Byrd to music by Igor Stravinsky. Byrd, Artistic Director of Spectrum Dance Theater and a Bessie Award winner, has created works for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Dance Theater of Harlem, and The Joffrey Ballet, among others. Sklute previously worked with Byrd when he was Associate Director of the Joffrey Ballet.
Also featured on the program is Time Comprises A Net by SALT Contemporary Dance, choreographed by award-winning Chicago-based choreographer Noelle Kayser; The Rate We Change by Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, choreographed by Salt Lake City–based multidisciplinary artist Kellie St. Pierre; and Scherzo Fantastique by Repertory Dance Theatre, choreographed by Norbert De La Cruz III, an RDT commission originally created for the company's 60th Anniversary.
PERFORMANCE DETAILS
Dates: May 13 - 16
Where: Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center
Tickets: $50 | balletwest.org or 801-869-6800