Salt Lake City, UT—This year, the Ballet West Choreographic Festival will showcase an exciting first time collaboration between principal artist and choreographer Emily Adams and alumna of the Sundance Institute’s Music Film Program, Katy Jarzebowski. They have been commissioned by Ballet West to create a new ballet with original choreography and music score for a world premiere work, The Thing With Feathers.
“Ballet West and Sundance Institute are deeply grounded in Utah culture, and I have wanted to combine our disciplines for some time,” said Adam Sklute, Ballet West Artistic Director. “More often than not these days, choreographers and musicians work in silos, however, this has truly been collaborative with Katy and Emily talking weekly and going back and forth on how the movement and music would meld together. It has been particularly exhilarating process during this complicated year.”
The Choreographic Festival will feature an additional four world premieres. The first, by acclaimed choreographer, Matthew Neenan, whose work has been staged around the world, is set to baroque music and harnesses his signature soulfulness and contemplative nature.
A new work, from four Company artists, pays tribute to retiring principal dancer Katherine Lawrence. Principal artists Emily Adams, Katlyn Addison, Adrian Fry, and Rex Tilton asked Sklute if they could choreograph a solo to celebrate Lawrence, the result is an elegant, dreamlike four minutes with new music composed by company pianist Nicholas Maughan.
Newly promoted principal artist Katlyn Addison’s new work Eden takes cues from the past year to create a warm and tender work featuring married couple first soloist Allison DeBona and principal artist Rex Tilton. Using music from the American composer and pianist, George Theophilus Walker, Addison creates a sincere and deeply introspective new ballet.
Finally, retired Ballet West demi-soloist Trevor Naumann returns with his musical partner, Boaz Roberts to create Resist Much/Obey Little a cerebral and amazing look at humanity in his trademark style.
The Ballet West Choreographic Festival at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center is May 12-15 and tickets are just $50. Socially distanced seating means tickets will go quickly. Tickets can be purchased at balletwest.org or 801-869-6900.
