What does it take to come back to the stage mid-pandemic? While many American dance companies have already called off all live performances through the end of the year (or longer), some, like Salt Lake City’s Ballet West, are cautiously starting to return to some semblance of “normal.” For the past three weeks, Ballet West […]

Briar Nolet’s “My Prerogative” routine on NBC’s “World of Dance” last season encompassed every crowd-pleasing acrobatic move you could imagine—and not imagine: aerial forward rolls and walkovers that seemed to come out of nowhere; leaps, turns and tumbles all stitched together in well-crafted, surprising ways. Nolet’s body looped, bent and threw itself through impossible-looking sequences […]

Most ballet administrators will admit that they hear the tinkling of a celesta each December and think “Ka-ching!” Performing The Nutcracker generates revenue to fund the remainder of many companies’ seasons. But what if families didn’t wait 12 months to return? While not every 6-year-old is ready to sit through Swan Lake, some enterprising troupes […]

Audition classes may not differ much from any other class—but directors have ways of sussing out who has what they’re looking for. We spoke to three artistic directors to get their perspective from the front of the room. Show You’re Adaptable Lopez says that dancers must have a clean, classical foundation. Alexander Iziliaev, Courtesy Miami […]

A breath of fresh choreographic air is coming to Salt Lake City. Ballet West artistic director Adam Sklute has invited companies from across the country to join Ballet West for the first annual National Choreographic Festival, May 19–20 and 26–27. Over the course of two weekends and two different programs, premieres and recently acquired repertory […]