Ballet West is a professional ballet company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Founded in 1963, it has become one of the premier ballet companies in the United States and has performed around the world. It is well known for its unique repertoire, which includes works by some of the most famous choreographers in the history of ballet.
The company was founded by Willam Christensen, who had been a member of the San Francisco Ballet and later became its artistic director. He wanted to create a company that would be able to produce classical ballets as well as modern works. He believed that this combination would give audiences something different than what they were used to seeing.
In 1965, Ballet West was invited to perform at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow and soon after, became the first American ballet company to tour the Soviet Union. The troupe also performed throughout Europe and Japan and eventually made its way to New York City where it made its Broadway debut in 1968.
It went on to tour extensively across North America over the next two decades. In addition to performing classical ballets such as Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, Ballet West also presented new choreographic works by renowned contemporary choreographers such as George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, Paul Taylor and Twyla Tharp.
Over time, Ballet West has seen changes in artistic direction as well as financial difficulties due to rising costs and decreased ticket sales. In recent years, the company has gone through several artistic directors including Adam Sklute who held the position from 2005-2020 before stepping down due to health issues. Following Sklute’s departure, Christopher Ruud took over as interim artistic director with plans for a permanent replacement still being discussed.
Despite these challenges, Ballet West remains an important part of Salt Lake City’s cultural landscape and continues to produce exciting performances featuring some of today’s leading dancers from around the world.
Conclusion: What happened with Ballet West? The company has experienced changes in artistic direction and financial difficulties but despite these challenges it remains an important part of Salt Lake City’s cultural landscape producing exciting performances with dancers from around the world today.