SALT LAKE CITY, UT – The beloved fairytale The Sleeping Beauty returns to the Capitol Theatre with new sets designed by critically-acclaimed French artist and painter Alain Vaes. The production runs from Feb. 10 – 18 with just nine performances at the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre in Salt Lake City.
Ballet West first produced this beloved classic in the mid-1980s. In 2011, Ballet West Artistic Director Adam Sklute reconceived the entire production visually and choreographically and commissioned Resident Designer David Heuvel to reimagine the costumes. Now, Ballet West unveils the first new sets in 30 years, thanks to a generous contribution from John and Andrea Miller and a grant from the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation.
“The Sleeping Beauty is considered the hallmark of classical ballet and a true test of any ballet company,” said Artistic Director Adam Sklute. “I am thrilled to introduce renowned set designer Alain Vaes’s new take on the sets for the Prologue, Act 1, and Act 3. His vibrant vision for the sets is designed to work with Heuvel’s magical costumes to create a dynamic new look for this beloved classic.”
The sets and costumes combine to showcase the unique artistry of the large-scale production, replete with dramatic theatrical effects, pyro technical elements and flying scenes. The well-known score features music composed by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, performed live by the Ballet West Orchestra.
The Sleeping Beauty premiered over 100 years ago in 1890 at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia originally choreographed by Marius Petipa. Ballet West has presented three different versions of Sleeping Beauty, starting with the first version in 1986, conceived by former Artistic Director Bruce Marks and produced by his successor, John Hart CBE. In 2000, former Artistic Director Jonas Kåge produced his own version and in 2011, Sklute reworked the production, with help from Principal Rehearsal Director Pamela Robinson-Harris and late Rehearsal Director Mark Goldweber.
“Together we reinvented Ballet West’s The Sleeping Beauty in a way that maintained and honored the historical stylistic details but brought a contemporary energy to the storytelling,” Sklute said.
Tickets to Ballet West’s The Sleeping Beauty start at just $29 and are going quickly. They are available by calling (801) 869-6900, or online at www.balletwest.org.
PRESS INQUIRIES
Dana Rimington, Senior Manager of Communications and Publications
drimington@balletwest.org | 801-869-6918
ABOUT BALLET WEST
“Salt Lake City-based Ballet West annually performs America’s 1st Nutcracker – no other city, state, or company can boast that.” – Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox
BALLET WEST, one of America’s leading and largest ballet companies, led by Artistic Director Adam Sklute, has earned an international reputation for artistic innovation and excellence since its founding in 1963. For more than 50 years, the Salt Lake City-based Company has entertained and excited audiences in Utah and worldwide by presenting great classical ballets, historical masterpieces, including America’s first and longest-running version of The Nutcracker, and new cutting-edge creations with only the highest artistic and professional standards. The Company continues to build future ballet artists and audiences by providing classical ballet training through the Frederick Q. Lawson Ballet West Academy and its four campuses and more than 1,000 students. Ballet West also operates one of the largest outreach and education programs in the country which reaches hundreds of thousands of children and adults throughout Utah and the Intermountain Region every year. The 22/23 Season is generously sponsored by the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation and Salt Lake Zoo, Arts & Parks, and Intermountain Health Care.
