Ballet West CEO and artistic director Adam Sklute said the upcoming season will be his most intense season given the size and scope of the ballets he’s producing and the amount of programming. Also, the company will tour the country as a cultural ambassador for Utah with one of the stops at the Kennedy Center.
Sklute said, as Ballet West celebrates its sixth decade, he wants to highlight the work of forward-thinking founder Willem Christensen.
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“Willem Christensen, considered the godfather of American dance, born and raised in Brigham City, Utah, founded the San Francisco Ballet and then came back to Utah and founded Ballet West," Sklute said. "We have a lot of history that I wanted to honor. But I also really wanted to look forward into the future with our 60th. So, we've got a great lineup, and it's probably, in my opinion, the most ambitious season since I have been at Ballet West and perhaps Ballet West’s history.”
Ballets programmed for next season include Dracula in October, followed by a triple bill of three works in November that honor Christensen with his production of “Firebird,” the world premiere of Ballet West demi-soloist Joshua Whitehead’s “Fever Dream” and George Balanchine’s “Stars and Stripes” to show off the entire scope of the company’s abilities.
“The Nutcracker” returns for most of December and in February, the company will bring back “Swan Lake,” another audience favorite.
“These are these timeless tales,” Sklute said. “They're stories that are just so beautiful and they're great, again, for people who have never seen ballet but also for people who love ballet. You can never get tired of that amazing Tchaikovsky score that just pulls at your heartstrings. Plus, what's so special about a ballet like Swan Lake is it really comes alive in different ways when different dancers perform it.”
The season will close with “Love and War,” which Sklute said is a powerful triple bill of astonishing dances. He said two of the three pieces are hot, contemporary works. The third is the revival of “The Green Table,” from 1932.
“This is considered one of the world's greatest theater works ever,” Sklute said. "It is an anti-war ballet but it really takes no sides. And it really just talks about how challenging war is and all aspects of that. So, it's a really amazing program. And I think one that really sets us apart as an artistic organization.”
Season tickets are on sale now. Single tickets go on sale Sept. 5.