FIRST-YEAR COMPANY MEMBER DEBUTS LEAD ROLE AS CINDERELLA
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – Twenty-year-old Ballet West Corps Artist Lexi McCloud is dancing the title character in Ballet West's run of Cinderella until Feb. 16. This moment marks a rare instance of a first-year corps artist performing a principal role - a testament to McCloud's talent. In fact, during Artistic Director Adam Sklute's 18-year tenure with Ballet West, he has only done this one other time, with former Principal Artist Beckanne Sisk as Kitri, the lead female role in Don Quixote.
McCloud joined Ballet West II in 2022 and was recently promoted to the main Company for the 2024-25 season. She is slated to perform the role of Cinderella this evening, Feb. 13, and during the evening performance on Feb. 15. She made her unexpected debut in the role last Saturday Feb. 8 when a cast member fell ill.
"Cinderella has always been something I've wanted to perform because it's not a super classical ballet - it has a lot of storytelling and different characters," says McCloud. "I'm particularly looking forward to the iconic moment when Cinderella walks down the stairs in her cape. It's a magical moment that requires such presence - you have to be in awe of the place while making it look effortless."
A North Salt Lake native, McCloud trained at MOGA Conservatory of Dance. Her accomplishments include winning the Senior Bronze Medal at the 2022 Youth America Grand Prix International Finals, being named Grand Prix Winner at the 2022 YAGP Seattle Semi-Finals, and reaching the finals of the prestigious Prix de Lausanne. High-resolution photos available (NOTE: download will expire in 3 days): https://we.tl/t-p5BNtiB8cM
Dates: February 7-16
Venue: Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre
Tickets: Visit balletwest.org
PRESS INQUIRIES
Dana Rimington, Director of Communications and Publications drimington@balletwest.org | 801-869-6918
