Ballet West is returning to the Red Butte Garden with performances back by popular demand, featuring internationally recognized chorographers, Gerald Arpino and William Forsythe. Opening the program will be Forsythe’s “Blake Works I” with music by Grammy award-winning pop musician James Blake, creating this elegant and sensual work on the Paris Opera Ballet in 2016. To date, San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet and now Ballet West are the only American companies given permission to produce the work.
“Red Butte is a wonderful community event in a casual, outdoor setting within the beauty and nature of Salt Lake,” says Artistic Director Adam Sklute. “Our programming is designed to move brightly along, giving the audience a flavor to the new and more contemporary works we do, but also the classic repertoire that is our backbone. It’s a diverse spectrum of works that stay true to our mission of always doing something for everyone.”
According to the Utah Review, the work features seven songs from Blake’s album “The Colour in Anything,” a 2016 release and according to The Utah Review, “The stacked layering of the electronic and production effects in the music parallel beautifully with Forsythe’s choreography. Likewise, the Ballet West dancers lock into the atmosphere created by Blake’s idiosyncratic vocal stylings that can be both magically transcendental and bittersweet in the yearnings evoked by the lyricism.”
Also included in the programming is excerpts from Arpino’s “Kettentanz,” a classical take on old Vienna with its balls and Weingartens, showing a diversity of technique. Prior to the performance, a reception will be held at 5:30 p.m. with the opportunity to meet Sklute and Executive Director Michael Scolamiero. The event will also include food, drink and preferred seating starting at $100 per person.
Date:
- Sept. 10, 2024
Times:
- Gates open 5 p.m.
- Academy Pre-Performance 6:30 p.m.
- Performance at 7 p.m.
- VIP Reception: 5:30 p.m.
Location:
Red Butte Garden
300 Wakara Way
Salt Lake City
Tickets:
- Starting at $50 can be purchased at redbuttegarden.org
Recommended for ages 8 and up.
Season subscriptions for the 2024-25 season are still available, featuring the 80th anniversary of America’s First Nutcracker, four Utah premieres and the return of “Cinderella.” Five-show packages start at just $156. Contact Ballet West at 801-869-6900 or visit balletwest.org.