BALLET WEST ANNOUNCES MAJOR TALENT FOR “NIGHT OF SHINING STARS”

Glittering Array of International Artists to Dance Alongside

Ballet West at One-Night-Only Event

SALT LAKE CITY – January 27, 2016 – Internationally-renowned dancers will grace the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre stage for a dazzling one-night-only event when Ballet West hosts Night of Shining Stars on Saturday, February 27, 2016. Dancers from New York City Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, MOMIX, and Dancing with the Stars will join Ballet West dancers for a spectacular evening of classical and contemporary ballet. The evening will be the exciting culmination of Ballet West’s hosting of a semi-final audition with Youth America Grand Prix, the world’s largest ballet scholarship audition.

Night of Shining Stars is dedicated to iconic dancer, choreographer, former Artistic Director of Ballet West and Boston Ballet, and the former Chairman of the International Jury of the USA International Ballet Competition, Bruce Marks. Dancers from around the world have enthusiastically enlisted to take part in this thrilling evening in order to honor Marks for his lifetime achievement to the art form.

Confirmed dancers include:

  • Daniel Ulbricht leading Principal Artist with the New York City Ballet will perform two solos especially created for him.
  • From San Francisco Ballet, Principal Dancers Vanessa Zahorian and Taras Domitro will perform the pas de deux from Act III of Don Quixote.
  • Utah-based Ashly Costa, one of the celebrity coaches from Dancing with the Stars, will perform with Jared Makaio Murillo, star of the the High School Musical franchise and the upcoming film, Hail, Caesar!
  • Internationally renowned dance company, MOMIX, known for inventive illusions, will present Skia, a fascinating, powerful, and humorous work with performers wearing skis and boots.
  • Josie Walsh, Artistic Director of Ballet Red, will present a World Premiere ballet, Intertwined, starring Ballet West First Soloist Adrian Fry and Kenedy Kallas of the Ballet West Academy Professional Training Division.
  • Ballet West Principal Artist Beckanne Sisk and Joffrey Ballet star, Fabrice Calmels, will perform the popular pas de deux from Light Rain.
  • Multi-award winning Utah-native and former Boston Ballet Principal Artist, Whitney Jensen will dance the Black Swan pas de deux from Swan Lake, alongside Ballet West Soloist Chase O’Connell.

Ballet West Artistic Director Adam Sklute said, “It is with great joy that we present a one-night-only event of international guest stars with our brilliant Ballet West artists. All of this is to honor the renowned Bruce Marks, a man of vision and good friend – who with never ending kindness and generosity of spirit, has done so much for the dance world. I am so proud to make Ballet West the first professional ballet company in the world to host this prestigious international ballet competition and audition.”

Night of Shining Stars will take place at the beautiful historic Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre on February 27, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets start at $25, and are selling quickly. A special pre-performance cocktail reception with Bruce Marks will be held at 5 p.m., immediately prior to the Night of Shining Stars To purchase tickets to the cocktail reception and the performance, please contact Ballet West Events at 801-869-6917 or email events@balletwest.org

For more information about Night of Shining Stars, along with events happening during the entire YAGP weekend, may be found by visiting www.balletwest.org.