Chase O'Connell-bio

Chase O’Connell

Sponsored by the Janet Quinney Lawson Foundation

Joined Ballet West: 2012
Joined Ballet West: 2013
Promoted to Demi-Soloist: 2014
Promoted to Soloist: 2015
Promoted to Principal: 2016

2016-17 Season

  • Madame Butterfly (Welch) Pinkerton
  • The Nutcracker (Christensen) Arabian Soloist – On Tour
  • The Nutcracker (Christensen) Snow King, Sugar Plum Cavalier, Arabian soloist, Waltz of the Flowers soloist
  • The Sleeping Beauty (Sklute, after Petipa) Prince Desire, Prince of the North
  • YAGP Gala – White Swan pas de deux (Petipa)
  • Tremor (Oguma), Rendering Stillness (Nielson) On Tour
  • Chaconne (Balanchine) Principal
  • Facades (Smith)
  • The Green Table (Jooss) The Standard Bearer, The Gentlemen in Black
  • Fox on the Doorstep (Fonte)
  • Tremor (Oguma)
  • Dances for Lou (Caniparoli)

 

2015-16 Season

  • Fancy Free (Robbins) On Tour – Northrup Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Sailor
  • Fancy Free (Robbins) (Capitol Theatre, Salt Lake City)
  • Overgrown Path (Kylian) (Capitol Theatre, Salt Lake City)
  • Symphony in C (Balanchine) First and second movements principal (Capitol Theatre, Salt Lake City)
  • The Nutcracker (Christensen) Arabian Soloist – On Tour – Austadt Auditorium, Ogden, Utah
  • The Nutcracker (Christensen) Host , Snow King, Sugar Plum Cavalier, Arabian soloist, Spanish, Waltz of the flowers soloist (Capitol Theatre, Salt Lake City)
  • Romeo and Juliet (Cranko) Romeo, Paris, (Capitol Theatre, Salt Lake City)
  • Black Swan pas de deux (Petipa) Prince Siegfried Youth America Grand Prix Gala Performance (Capitol Theatre, Salt Lake City)
  • The Rite of Spring (Fonte) (Salt Lake City, Capitol Theatre)
  • In Memorium (Ruud) (Salt Lake City, Rose Wagner Theater)
  • Fragments of Simplicity (Oguma) (Salt Lake City, Rose Wagner Theater)
  • HOMER (Naumann) (Salt Lake City, Rose Wagner Theater)
  • Lyric Pieces (Lang) (Salt Lake City, Rose Wagner Theater)

 

2014–15 Season

  • Divertimento #15 (Balanchine) Principal On Tour – Aspen Performing Arts Center, Aspen, Colorado
  • Mercurial Landscapes (Gates) On Tour – Aspen Performing Arts Center, Aspen, Colorado
  • Giselle (Sklute after Perrot/Coralli) , Peasant Pas de Quatre, Peasant Men.(Salt Lake City, JEQ Capitol Theater)
  • The Nutcracker (Christensen) On Tour- Austad Auditorium, Ogden, Utah, Parent, Nutcracker Prince, Russian Corps de Ballet
  • The Nutcracker (Christensen) On Tour – Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. Host, Parent,Nutcracker Prince, Spanish, Russian Corps de Ballet
  • The Nutcracker (Christensen) Snow King, Sugar Plum Cavalier, Host, Parent, Nutcracker Prince, Spanish ,Arabian Soloist, Russian Corps de Ballet, (Salt Lake City, JEQ Capitol Theater)
  • Swan Lake (Sklute, after Petipa) Prince Siegfried, Benno, Spanish (Salt Lake City, JEQ Capitol Theater)
  • Presto (Fonte) On Tour – Joyce Theater, New York City, New York
  • The Lottery (Caniparoli) On Tour – Joyce Theater, New York City, New York, Mr.Adams
  • Square Dance (Balanchine)Corps de Ballet (Salt Lake City, JEQ Capitol Theater)
  • Almost Tango (Fonte )2nd Pas de Trois, !st Male Pas de Deux (Salt Lake City, JEQ Capitol Theater)
  • In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated (Forsythe) Man #2 (Salt Lake City, JEQ Capitol Theater)
  • Mercurial Landscapes (Gates) On Tour -Royal Theater, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
  • In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated (Forsythe) On Tour -Royal Theater, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, Man #2
  • The Lottery (Caniparoli) On Tour – On Tour -Royal Theater, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, Mr. Adams
  • Homage (Adams) (Salt Lake City, Rose Wagner Theater)
  • Pulse (Fry) (Salt Lake City, Rose Wagner Theater)
  • The Hunt (Addison) (Salt Lake City, Rose Wagner Theater)
  • Divertimento #15 (Balanchine) On Tour – Belcher Center, Longview, Texas, Principal
  • Mercurial Landscapes (Gates) On Tour – Belcher Center, Longview, Texas
  • Divertimento #15 (Balanchine) On Tour – Winspear Opera House,Dallas, Texas, Principal
  • In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated (Forsythe) On Tour – Winspear Opera House, Dallas, Texas, Man #2
  • Mercurial Landscapes (Gates) On Tour – Winspear Opera House, Dallas, Texas

About Chase O’Connell:

O’Connell was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia and started taking dance classes at the age of 2. At age 13, he received a scholarship to train at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C. He studied under Vladimir Djoulouhadze and Anatoli Kucheruk from 2007 to 2009. In 2009 he received a scholarship to train at the Royal Ballet School in London, England. There, he studied under Meelis Pakri and David Peden. While at school he had the privilege to perform with English National Ballet in their 2010 Nutcracker.

After studying at the Royal Ballet School for 2 years, Chase joined the world-renowned Paris Opera Ballet to perform in their 2011 production of Rudolf Nureyev. In 2012 he began his contract with Ballet West II. He was promoted into the main company in 2013 then promoted to Principal in 2016.

While at Ballet West he has performed principal roles in ballets by John Cranko, Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, Jiri Kylian, Jerome Robbins, Nicolo Fonte, Stanton Welch, and Adam Sklute. He also had contemporary principal roles created on him by Nicolo Fonte, Edward Liang, Africa Guzman, and Val Caniparoli.

Chase has danced in galas internationally and his performance in Onegin was one of Pointe Magazines top performances in 2019.

“He is a dynamic dancer, the consummate prince, and a caring partner to his ballerinas.” By Adam Sklute