RISING STAR: BALLET WEST’S LEXI MCCLOUD STEPS INTO THE SPOTLIGHT
In the demanding world of professional ballet, first-year company members typically spend their time in the corps de ballet, dancing in uniform formations and waiting for their moment to shine. For 20-year-old Lexi McCloud, that wait was remarkably brief.
When a principal dancer learned she was unable to perform just before the first Saturday matinee performance of Cinderella in February, Ballet West Artistic Director Adam Sklute made an extraordinary decision: he tapped McCloud, a first-year corps artist, to step into the glass slippers and dance the title role.
What followed was a whirlwind. With barely any time to process the magnitude of the opportunity, McCloud secured tickets for her parents and prepared to perform a role she had not yet rehearsed in costume on stage.
“It’s almost more exciting the way it happened because there was no time to think about it,” she explains. “I felt like I could go for things more easily instead of stressing about anything going wrong.”
This moment marked a rare achievement in Ballet West’s history. During Artistic Director Adam Sklute’s 18-year tenure, only one other first-year corps artist performed a principal role: former Principal Artist Beckanne Sisk as Kitri in Don Quixote.
A North Salt Lake native who trained at MOGA Conservatory of Dance, McCloud comes with an impressive line of experience, including the Senior Bronze Medal at the 2022 Youth America Grand Prix International Finals and reaching the finals of the prestigious Prix de Lausanne. Leading up to those moments included years of competition experience.
“I’m very lucky in that sense that I did [Youth America Grand Prix] every year since I was 15. I was constantly preparing variations and working on something,” said McCloud. “As a result, I’ve always kind of been ready for this because it’s all I’ve been training for my whole life.”
After her emergency debut on Feb. 8, McCloud was scheduled to perform the role again on Feb. 13 and 15. The opportunity to revisit the character allowed McCloud to deepen her connection to the role. “I fell in love with Cinderella,” she says. “It’s a very sweet story and was a very emotional experience.”
As she continues into Ballet West’s next season, McCloud’s motto remains the same: “The only thing you can do is your best.”