Performances

Important Christmas Dream 2021 Information

December 13, 2021

Dress Rehearsal

Today, December 13, 2021

Students will need to arrive in the Ballet Center Studio at least 30 minutes before their scheduled rehearsal time with hair and makeup done as requested by their instructor:

5:00-6:00 p.m. Centre, Basic 2, Intermediate Advanced 1
6:00-7:00 p.m. Intermediate Advanced 2, Centre, Intermediate Advanced 1, Intermediate 1, Basic 1, Character
7:00-7:30 p.m. Kinderdance, Elementary, Basic 3

If students prefer to wear masks for the performance, a neutral colored mask can be provided or students can bring a solid, light colored mask to wear.

December 14-16, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.

Students will need to arrive at least 30 minutes before each performance with hair and makeup done as requested by their instructor.
A quiet activity may also be brought to be used backstage while students wait for their turn to perform.
Students will need to remain in the Ballet Center Studio until the performance has concluded.
No food or drink is allowed backstage except for a personal bottle of water (no flavored waters please).
Masks are optional for those who are fully vaccinated but are recommended for those who are not.

Important Dates

Holiday Break

After our last performance of A Christmas Dream on December 16, Ballet Center Utah, Inc. will be closed from Thursday, December 17 to Saturday, January 1 for the holiday break. Classes will resume Monday, January 3.

Virtuoso – The Legend of Paganini

March 24, 2021

Ballet Center Utah, Inc. is grateful for the opportunity we had recently to support our own Isabelle Armstrong in her senior project for Westminster College Dance titled Virtuoso - The Legend of Paganini. This piece explores the legend of Italian violinist Niccolò Paganini who allegedly sold his soul to the devil to become a successful musician. We are excited to bring this piece in its entirety to you!

Click the image below to view the full performance. Run time is approximately 15 minutes.

Isabelle created this piece in collaboration with Ballet Center Utah, Inc. using scenery, stage, costumes and dancers from our studio. She will be graduating from Westminster College with her BFA this spring.

Choreography/Videography/Editing: Isabelle Armstrong

Dancers: Lora Andersen, Oliver Wilson and Delaney Dow

Music: Sergei Rachmaninoff, Niccolò Paganini

Costumes: The Costume Centre

Scenery: Ballet Center Utah, Inc.

Photography: Amber Giles

Meet the Cast – Anastasia

February 26, 2021

Meet the cast of our original production of Anastasia, coming to the Ballet Center Utah, Inc. stage on March 11-13, 2021! Tickets are available online only and seating is limited to 75 people per performance. The show begins at 7:00 p.m. each day. We look forward to seeing you there!

Click Here to Purchase Tickets for Anastasia

Note: A strobe light will be used for a brief moment during the performance.

Lusiano Pasillas

Tsar Nicholas Romanov

How long have you been dancing?
More than 20 years.

What inspired you to begin dancing/what inspires you to continue dancing today?
When I was just about 19 years of age. I pursued dance thanks to my really good friend Marina Davydova who asked me one day to be her Ballroom dance partner. It was from that day forward that my love for dance grew, and wanting to pursue it as a career.

What is the most memorable role(s)/favorite piece(s) you have participated in?
One memorable role was my character in a Musical called The Gondoliers. Where I played a Masked mime dancer playing a comedy roll.

Elizabeth Myers

Tsarina Alexandra Romanov
Townsperson, Minion

How long have you been dancing?
Since I was about 3 or 4.

What inspired you to begin dancing/what inspires you to continue dancing today?
I continue dancing because I like to be able to tell stories with my whole self, not just my mouth.

What is the most memorable role(s)/favorite piece(s) you have participated in?
One of the most memorable pieces I’ve participated in would probably be Peter Pan, in which I played Tiger Lily.

Delaney Dow

Anastasia's Sister
Gypsy, Minion

How long have you been dancing?
11 years.

What inspired you to begin dancing/what inspires you to continue dancing today?
I am inspired to dance by all of the lovely people I get to work with here at The Ballet Center Utah, Inc.

What is the most memorable role(s)/favorite piece(s) you have participated in?
Participating in My Fair Lady in 2020 and our character suite in 2019 have been my favorites throughout my time in Centre Class.

Megan Fotheringham

Anastasia's Sister
Gypsy

How long have you been dancing?
17 years

What inspired you to begin dancing/what inspires you to continue dancing today?
The ability to create and tell a story through physical movement is so fulfilling, and seeing so many creative voices through the years inspires me to continue finding my own.

What is the most memorable role(s)/favorite piece(s) you have participated in?
Thumbelina in Thumbelina (2019), Kitri Variation in Vivat Ballet Russia/USA (2019), Princess Eilonwy in The Black Cauldron (2017), Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz (2016), The Ballerina in Petrushka (2015).

Dmitry Bair

Prince Alexei Romanov

What are you looking forward to most about participating in Anastasia?
I love ballet, it is really fun. I love to be on the stage and dance in the story.

Lucy Struthers

Young Anastasia Romanov

What do you enjoy most about dancing?
All the friends I have there and that it is really fun.

What are you looking forward to most about participating in Anastasia?
All the music and costumes and playing little Anastasia.

Lora Andersen

Anastasia

How long have you been dancing?

13 years

What inspired you to begin dancing/what inspires you to continue dancing today?

The people that I get to see everyday and dance with inspire me the most to continue dancing.

What is the most memorable role(s)/favorite piece(s) you have participated in?

Student showcase shows, Character Suite of ballet under the stars 2019, and Frog in Thumbelina have been my favorite shows, pieces and roles I have been in.

Elizabeth Armstrong

Rasputin
Anastasia's Sister

How long have you been dancing?
22 years

What inspired you to begin dancing/what inspires you to continue dancing today?
I dance because it is a passion of mine. Dancing enables me to express and transform myself into any person I want to be, whether it’s the villain in a story or an invincible version of myself flying through the air.

What is the most memorable role(s)/favorite piece(s) you have participated in?
One of my most memorable roles was the White Rabbit in the Ballet Centre’s 2010 production of Alice in Wonderland. This role helped me come out of my shell and become comfortable with acting. There were multiple times in the ballet when I had to look at my pocket watch and put my hand to my head in a gesture saying “I’m late!” while making a shocked face. I always felt a bit silly doing this so my movement was kept small, but I remember during one of the first shows making the audience laugh and feeling a rush of excitement. This gave me the confidence to have bigger motions on stage and strive to make the audience laugh even more. Comedic roles are still my favorite to perform to this day.

Isabelle Armstrong

Rasputin
Anastasia's Sister

How long have you been dancing?
19 years

What inspired you to begin dancing/what inspires you to continue dancing today?
I have been dancing for my whole life and my passion for dance has never ceased. When I dance, everything just feels complete. I love the spirit behind dancing and I love portraying different characters through acting and dancing.

What is the most memorable role(s)/favorite piece(s) you have participated in?
My most memorable performance was when I was a witch in The Black Cauldron. I remember that this was my first character where I started to really delve into my acting skills. It was the first role where I started to become the character on stage by using musicality, acting, and dancing all together to tell the story. Plus, it was really fun to portray an evil character and I am glad to have the opportunity to play another great villain.

Oliver Wilson

Dimitri

Who do you portray in Anastasia?
I portray Dimitri, the young con-man, who is looking for a young woman who can fool the royal family. Hoping to collecting the reward money for returning the long lost Duchess Anastasia.

How long have you been dancing?
A total of 11 years. I started dancing my junior year in high school. Doing jazz, tap, modern, and ballet. Michelle Armstrong was the ballet teacher there and invited me to join her studio. I’ve been dancing with Ballet Center Utah, Inc. for the last 9 years.

What is the most memorable role(s)/favorite piece(s) you have participated in?
A few years ago we performed The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I had the privilege of dancing as Quasimodo. I had a wonderful time dancing as the character and exploring movement in his mindset.

Tynan Tuckness

Young Dimitri,
Tonwsperson, Bug

What do you most enjoy about dancing?
The shapes and movements. I like the music too.

What are you most looking forward to about participating in Anastasia?
Being in an older kids show. I get to have a part. Longer ballet rehearsals. To be with other classes.

Nathaniel Woolley

Vladimir

How long have you been dancing?
19 years

What inspired you to begin dancing/what inspires you to continue dancing today?
Dancing is an integral part of how I explore the world. Anytime I need to step back or take a break I start spontaneously dancing anyway. It’s in my heart.

What is the most memorable role(s)/favorite piece(s) you have participated in?
I’ve been lucky enough to participate in several modern dance projects that explore the relationship of body, meaning, and environment. In my junior year of college, I was a dancer in 4 iterations of the development of PLACED PIECES, a dance about animals that get stuck in the Rozel Tar Pits of The Great Salt Lake. The next year I won a grant to do my own dance research project through The Institute For Mountain Research. My project was entitled SACRED MOUNTAINS: WHERE BODY AND SPACE CONVERGE. This project developed into a masterclass seminar that I brought to students at Westminster College, the University of Utah Honors College, and the 2020 Southwest Region ACDA conference; and I developed the research into a dance film that remains an unfinished passion project of mine. Finally, this summer I was approached by theologian and choreographer, Sophia Diehl, to do the cinematography and editing for her dance film, EROSION, which was filmed in the red rocks of southern Utah and explored concepts of destruction and erosion giving way to new form and new beauty in both the landscape and the human soul. You can view EROSION at https://youtu.be/jTpquS55Pbk

Aubreeonna Ritter

Cousin Sophie
Gypsy, Minion

Hey there, hi there, ho there! My name is Aubreeonna and I’ll be playing Cousin Sofie, among other roles, in our next show, Anastasia.

How long have you been dancing?
I have been dancing for about 11 years and have been performing in shows like this for 5 years now.

What inspired you to begin dancing/what inspires you to continue dancing today?
What inspired me to start dancing is a little embarrassing. I started ballet because of Barbie in the Nutcracker. Not the most inspiring story to tell people but it’s the truth.

What is the most memorable role(s)/favorite piece(s) you have participated in?
Now, while I love my current role(s), I’d have to say that my favorite so far has to be the Beetle from our show Thumbelina. I love having the ability to be weird and fun on stage and hopefully make some people laugh.

Thank you to everyone that has supported us through this awkward time and I hope to see you all at the show.

Amber Giles

The Dowager
Empress Marie

How long have you been dancing?
26 years total, 23 of which have been at Ballet Center Utah, Inc.

What inspired you to begin dancing/what inspires you to continue dancing today?
Ever since I was two years old, my mom knew that I needed to be in ballet. I attended my first ballet class at the age of 5 and never looked back. It is something that fills my soul with joy and I am so glad I can continue to do what I love every day.

What is the most memorable role(s)/favorite piece(s) you have participated in?
My most memorable performance I have participated in was when we did Ebenezer Scrooge from 2005 to 2010. That show holds a special place in my heart because it is where I developed the ability to perform on stage and stage manage backstage at the same time (a role I continue to hold and enjoy today). A few other memorable roles include playing the Horned King in The Black Cauldron and the Evil Duchess in Twelve Dancing Princesses. I enjoyed stepping into those roles that were atypical for my personality and develop their characters.

Anastasia the Ballet

January 28, 2021

We are excited to bring an original performance of Anastasia the Ballet to our stage on March 11-13, 2021. Seating is limited to 75 people per performance.

Enjoy a brief sneak peek into our show by clicking the YouTube video below.

2020 Christmas Virtual Performances

December 28, 2020

A Christmas Dream

This year is unlike any we've ever seen but we are excited to bring you a virtual performance of A Christmas Dream! To watch on YouTube, click here: https://youtu.be/dYSjxyWj68Q.

Student Showcase

Looking for a fun way to ring in the New Year? Watch our virtual performance of the 2020 Student Showcase, a collection of original pieces choreographed by students in Centre class: https://youtu.be/CqKfKsD8VBo.

Thank You

In order for us to continue to bring quality performances to you and our community, we ask that you consider donating the amount you would have spent on tickets at the door to attend this performance by visiting balletcenterutahinc.com/donations.

Thank you again for your support and enjoy the show!

2020 Virtual Concert

July 20, 2020

We are excited to share with you, virtually, our summer performance that we were not able to hold due to the pandemic. We hope you enjoy our virtual shows and feel free to share the link! We are looking to begin our 2020-2021 school year on September 8.