Summer Intensive, By The Numbers

Every June, Ballet West Academy’s studios fill with dancers who’ve traveled from afar. This year, 512 students came from 36 states and internationally, all with the same goal: serious training with people who take their dancing as seriously as they do.

For many dancers attending the program was filled with firsts. Zach Montgomery, 12, who traveled from Steamboat Springs, Colorado, it meant finally sharing a studio with other boys. “I like being able to have a class with the boys because at my hometown, I am the only boy who dances, so it’s kind of cool to be with people who like dance like me.”

Students who participated in the artÉmotion Choreographic Workshop hit the stage in Park City as part of the inaugural Summit Festival. Their outdoor performance of Ballet West at the Summit where they brought four world premieres to the stage was a highlight of the summer! Ballet West Academy’s reach even extends through a partnership with artÉmotion for a St. George Summer Intensive, held this year at Utah Tech University.

“Summer Intensives bring students from all over the ballet world together to connect, share their love of the art form, and build relationships that will take them throughout their career,” said Director of Ballet West Academy Evelyn Cisneros-Legate. “We love hosting students and sharing the beauty of our state.”