Ballet West brings “Works from Within” to St. George
Four world premiere works debut at Cox Performing Arts Center
Joshua Jones
More than two decades have passed since Ballet West performed in St. George. On March 1, the company returns for a one-night engagement at the Cox Performing Arts Center on the campus of Dixie State University. The repertory program “Works from Within” features four world premiere works choreographed by Ballet West artists.
“I am thrilled to present our art form in St. George,” said artistic director Adam Sklute. “Giving my Ballet West Artists a platform to create — and our audiences an opportunity to experience that creativity — is a vital part of my greater mission to move the art form of ballet into the 21st century. Being able to tour this program to St. George and beyond gives us a chance to expand peoples’ horizons in limitless ways. I am excited by the four choreographers’ ideas, which will produce fascinating works.”
Short treatments of the works were presented in the fall by several company dancers, and Sklute selected these four to be expanded into a full evening’s repertoire. Inventive, bold, and experimental, audiences will see the choreographer’s explorations into their art.
Sklute has chosen the following artists to present at “Works from Within”:
—Presenting “But a Dream,” principal artist Emily Adams has created an introspective work for eight dancers to excerpts from “Man on Wire” by Michael Nyman. This is Adams’ third work commissioned by Ballet West.
—Premiering “Hidden Voices,” soloist Katlyn Addison’s piece uses Antonín Dvořák’s String Quartet No. 12, “American,” which was inspired by African American spiritual music. Repeated humming throughout the ballet is an homage to the inspiration of the work. This is Addison’s second commission for Ballet West.
—Bringing “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” principal artist Adrian Fry was inspired by the classic eponymous story from Hans Christian Andersen; the piece is set to music by Philip Glass. Fry has created other works around the country. This will be his fourth commission for Ballet West.
—Staging “‘68,” first soloist Christopher Sellars’ work is a colorful tribute to choreographer Michael Kidd and the pop culture of 1968. With a cast of 17, the work features the jazz strains of Gil Evans and costuming by Ballet West costume shop based off designs from a 1968 Sears catalog.
Ballet West is being presented by the Celebrity Concert Series at the Cox Performing Arts Center at DSU. Tickets are $30 and may be purchased at tickets.dsutix.com.
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