Red Butte 2024

 

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PRINCIPALS
Emily Adams, Katlyn Addison, Hadriel Diniz, Adrian Fry, Tyler Gum,
Jenna Rae Herrera, David Huffmire, Amy Potter, Jordan Veit

SOLOISTS
Kristina Pool, Victoria Vassos

DEMI-SOLOISTS
Dominic Ballard, Lillian Casscells, Nicole Fannéy,
Vinicius Lima, Jake Preece, Rylee Ann Rogers

CORPS ARTISTS
Alexis Bull, Jazz Khai Bynum, Kai Casperson, Kye Cooley, Isabella Corridon,
Amelia Dencker, Anderson Duhan, Taylor Fikes, Maren Florence, Robert Fowler,
Mikayla Gyfteas, Jacob Hancock, James Jobson-Larkin, Schuyler Lian, Joseph Lynch,
William Lynch, Jonas Malinka-Thompson, Lexi McCloud, Anisa Sinteral,
Tatiana Stevenson, Loren Walton, Claire Wilson

BALLET WEST II
Olivia Book, Jaya Dhand, Rémy Gray, Adrian Fite, Lund Fuller, Victor Galeana,
Ava Gray, Callie Herbert, Téa Hinchley, Mirin Hirano, Andre McGregor II,
Anna Murray, Sophia Nanni, Arif Toleugazin
 

 

	Jared Oaks MUSIC DIRECTOR
Pamela Robinson-Harris PRINCIPAL REHEARSAL DIRECTOR	Jane Victorine Wood INTERIM PRINCIPAL REHEARSAL DIRECTOR	Michael Andrew Currey DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION
Bruce Caldwell REHEARSAL DIRECTOR AND ARCHIVIST	Jason Hadley DIRECTOR OF COSTUME PRODUCTION	Calvin Kitten DIRECTOR OF BALLET WEST II AND REHEARSAL DIRECTOR
Michael McCulloch PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER	Michele Gifford ASSISTANT REHEARSAL DIRECTOR	Liz Wiand STAGE MANAGER AND PRODUCTION OPERATIONS COORDINATOR
Nicholas Maughan PRINCIPAL COMPANY PIANIST	Reuben Lehr ARTISTIC OPERATIONS MANAGER AND ASSISTANT TO THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR	Courtney Hellebuyck STUDENT REHEARSAL DIRECTOR

 

WILLAM CHRISTENSEN, CO-FOUNDER & FOUNDING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
GLENN WALKER WALLACE, CO-FOUNDER

 

SPONSORS

This performance is made possible with support from Salt Lake Zoo, Arts & Parks and Intermountain Health. 

 

WELLNESS PARTNERS

 

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ABOUT BALLET WEST

Willam Christensen

Glenn Walker

From Balanchine to Bournonville, Petipa to Tharp, Ballet West boasts a rich and varied repertoire, elegant and versatile artists, and an American style and legacy that is as dynamic, expansive, and as unexpected as the Rocky Mountain region it represents. From its humble beginnings in 1963 as the only professional ballet company between Chicago and the West Coast, Ballet West has grown into one of America’s leading ballet companies. For 60 years, the Salt Lake City-based Company has entertained and excited audiences in Utah and worldwide by presenting the great classical story ballets, including America’s first and longest-running version of The Nutcracker, revivals of rarely-seen historical masterpieces, works by some of the world’s most renowned artists, and new cutting-edge creations by emerging choreographers. The Company also regularly tours both nationally and internationally.

Ballet West was established in Salt Lake City by co-founders Willam F. Christensen, often called the “Godfather of American ballet,” and Utah’s “First Lady of the Arts,” Glenn Walker Wallace. In 1951, Christensen established the first ballet department in an American university at The University of Utah. Over time, this program grew into the Utah Civic Ballet, Ballet West’s first incarnation. Prior to that, along with his brothers, Lew and Harold, Christensen made history by establishing the oldest full-ballet company in the western United States, the San Francisco Ballet.

Since its inception, Ballet West has had five artistic directors, who have each helped build the Company’s unique and expansive profile – its founder, Willam Christensen, Bruce Marks, John Hart CBE, Jonas Kåge, and for the past 16 years, Adam Sklute, who has overseen the artistic product for the longest sustained growth of the Company since its founding. Ballet West continues to grow and evolve with 38 company members, 14 second company members, a thriving Academy, and one of the world’s largest ballet-based Education and Outreach programs, reaching over 140,000 children and adults throughout Utah and the Intermountain Region every year.

The Frederick Q. Lawson Ballet West (BW) Academy builds future ballet and dance artists and audiences by providing training in classical ballet, flamenco, character, contemporary, hip-hop, and theatrical dance training. The BW Academy has over 1,000 students between its four campuses - Salt Lake City, Trolley Corners, Park City, and Utah County. With newly-renovated student housing, the BW Academy is home to local, national, and international ballet students, and more than half of the company’s dancers have risen through the Academy prior to accepting contracts with Ballet West.

With this eclectic and ever-expanding outlook, Ballet West is truly an American pioneer in dance. By honoring the history and traditions of our great artform, while constantly moving forward with new and untried concepts, we continue to keep ballet in Utah and the world alive and thriving into the 21^st Century and beyond.

 

ADAM SKLUTE

Since 2007, Adam Sklute has expanded Ballet West’s outlook, repertoire, and visibility with exciting Company and world premieres, increased touring, heightened public exposure, and greater focus on the Ballet West Academy. He began his career with The Joffrey Ballet, rising through the ranks from dancer to Associate Director. His stewardship of Ballet West has been marked by both financial growth and elevated artistry, and was the subject of The CW Network’s docu-drama, Breaking Pointe, which aired for two seasons. From September 2016 to October 2017, Sklute took on the dual position of CEO and Artistic Director overseeing both administrative and artistic operations of Ballet West. An internationally sought after teacher and adjudicator, Sklute has received numerous awards, including Utah’s Enlightened 50 (2014), The Bronze Minuteman Award for Outstanding Service to Utah and The Nation (2015), and Utah Diversity Connection’s Business Award for outstanding commitment to diversity initiatives. Most recently, Sklute was included in Deseret Magazine’s 25 Changemakers of the West for his efforts to build greater equity and inclusion in classical ballet.

 

MICHAEL SCOLAMIERO

Michael Scolamiero joined Ballet West in 2017 after an extensive international search led by Michael Kaiser, President Emeritus of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Mr. Scolamiero previously served as Executive Director of Miami City Ballet for three years, during which time the organization achieved a significant reduction in debt, as well as robust growth in ticket revenue, contributions, and touring income. Prior to Miami City Ballet, Mr. Scolamiero was Pennsylvania Ballet’s Executive Director for 17 years, the longest tenure in the Company’s history and among the longest of any leader of a major ballet company. During his tenure, Mr. Scolamiero led the organization’s first capital campaign, which raised $11.9 million (against a $10 million goal) to build an endowment and fund repertoire expansion. At Ballet West, Mr. Scolamiero has implemented a strategic plan streamlining business operation and generating increases in subscriptions, paid capacity, and overall business capital by $7 million.   
 

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