ON STAGE
What: Ballet West
Where:
When: Friday Feb. 1 and Saturday Feb. 2, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $29-$99 from , by phone at 250-386-6121, or in person at the Royal McPherson box office
The balance between classical and contemporary is聽a point of fascination for Adam Sklute, artistic director for Utah theatre company Ballet West.
The company has been recognized as one of the top dance organizations in the U.S. at exploring both sides of the form, with Sklute (a former dancer with Chicago鈥檚 storied Joffrey Ballet) becoming increasingly adventurous with his programming.
During his 12 years with the Salt Lake City-based company, Sklute has produced newly conceived reboots of Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and Giselle, in addition to launching programs aimed at developing new creations and supporting burgeoning artists.
True to form, Sklute is bringing a program to Victoria this weekend that showcases both classical and contemporary dance.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about a balance to me,鈥� Sklute said. 鈥淚 always compare putting on a good program to making a good meal. You really want to have a balance that gives the audience everything it is hoping for, while showing off all the aspects of the company. We鈥檙e trying to make something that will appeal to everybody in the audience and be something that is dynamic as well as artistic.鈥�
Sklute and 25 dancers with Ballet West will arrive Thursday for performances at the Royal Theatre on Friday and Saturday. At each performance, two contemporary works 鈥� Sweet and Bitter by Africa Guzm谩n and Fox on the Doorstep from Nicolo Fonte, Ballet West鈥檚 resident choreographer 鈥� surround a classical centre in the form of White Swan | Black Swan, which reimagines two duets from Tchaikovsky鈥檚 Swan Lake.
鈥淚 like to think this shows off the classical chops of Ballet West,鈥� Sklute said.
The company gained fame outside dance circles in 2012 when it was the subject of the six-part reality-TV series Breaking Pointe. The show, which聽ran for two seasons on The CW network, gave viewers a behind-the-scenes peek at the workings of a premi猫re dance company.
Sklute considered the show, which made stars out of several of the company鈥檚 top dancers, akin to Ballet West鈥檚 ongoing outreach programs and touring productions 鈥� it reinforced the Ballet West brand, rather than detracting from it.
The company remains on a strong footing fiscally and creatively. Ballet West opens a full production of Swan Lake next week in Salt Lake City, rehearsals for which are currently in full swing. It鈥檚 important to diversify, Sklute said, which is why he鈥檚 taking dancers on the road to Victoria so close to the launch of a major production back home in Utah.
He鈥檚 proud of Fonte鈥檚 intensely personal effort about the death of his father, and Guzm谩n鈥檚 exploration of the energy and strength of her native Madrid.
Guzm谩n was a disciple of Nacho Duato, the former artistic director of Compa帽铆a Nacional de聽Danza, the most important dance company in Spain, he noted, adding her work reflects that, 鈥渂ut聽in her own, unique voice.鈥�
鈥淚t flips between moody and introspective and high energy and dynamic, hence the title Sweet and Bitter.鈥�
When he鈥檚 tackling a classic, Sklute feels compelled to add something unique, putting his own stamp on it. His exploration of the classic White Swan-Black Swan dichotomy of Swan Lake gives him an opportunity to flex his artistic muscles. 鈥淔or Americans, at least, after The Nutcracker, I think Swan Lake is the most recognizable classical ballet. It really is a benchmark we look at for what classical ballet is all about. These works are eternal, and they say so much about humanity, and who we are as people. All of that becomes a big part of what we鈥檙e doing as a company.
