Utah Ballet is borrowing the "Romeo and Juliet" balcony scene equipment from Ballet West, plus some men's ballet boots, for its fall production, but the talent belongs to the 26 dancers and the University of Utah ballet department as "Souvenirs" takes the Kingsbury Hall stage Thursday through Saturday.
"When choreographers Tom Mossbrucker and Jean-Philippe Malaty offered the pas de deux from 'Romeo and Juliet' to our dancers, we were delighted. We also were glad that Ballet West was able to loan us the equipment," said U. ballet associate professor Maureen Laird, co-artistic director of the production, along with Sharee Lane, also an associate professor of ballet.
Mossbrucker and Malaty are co-artistic directors of the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Company and have been visiting guest artists teaching masters classes at the U.
Set to music by Prokofiev, "Romeo and Juliet" is the third piece in a four-piece presentation, each choreographed by different artists offering "something for everyone," Laird said.
The 90-minutes performance opens with "Between Signs," choreographed by Eloy Barragan, a National Endowment for the Arts winner and recipient of a Governor's Award in Idaho, who now is with the University of California, Irvine dance department.
"The piece is set with the combined music of Tchaikovsky and Anne Detton and includes classical music and contemporary movement," Laird explained, adding that the piece is at once romantic and athletic.
The second offering, "Spring," comes from Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" and is choreographed by Jiang Qi, U. alumnus and former ballet master and principal dancer at Ballet West before becoming assistant professor of dance at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in 2001.
"When we spoke with Jiang Qi about the upcoming program, he mentioned that the piece was being performed in Las Vegas. He asked, 'Do you want it? I will come to Salt Lake for a week and set the ballet,'" Laird recalled.
"We wanted it."
The final piece, "Espana," showcases Spanish dances from a variety of ballets, including "Carmen," "Don Quixote" and Willam F. Christensen's second-act Spanish dances from "The Nutcracker." Laird describes the mood as temperamental and fiery.
"Its energy is infectious," she said.
Utah Ballet was founded in 1982. Dancers, recruited from top performing arts schools and preprofessional regional companies, regularly tour throughout Utah.
"Our dancers work hard, carrying a full academic load as well as mandatory practices for ballet performances," Laird said.
She added that, although years vary, nearly 10 percent of Utah Ballet dancers are selected to join professional ballet companies.
"Only about 1 percent of athletes wind up in professional sports," she added.
Something for everyone
The University of Utah's resident ballet company, Utah Ballet, will present its fall concert "Souvenirs" in Kingsbury Hall, Thursday through Sunday at 7:30 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday. Tickets are $12, $10 and $5, with U. of U. and group discounts available.
Tickets may be purchased at the Olpin Union main desk, through ArtTix outlets, or by calling 801-581-7100 or 801-355-ARTS.
