MYBALLET Competitors

Ballet West was established in Salt Lake City in 1963. Willam F. Christensen was the company’s first artistic director, co-founding the company together with Utah’s “First Lady of the Arts” Glenn Walker Wallace. In 1951, Christensen had established the first ballet department in an American university at The University of Utah and with the tireless assistance of Mrs. Enid Cosgriff this program grew into the Utah Civic Ballet, Ballet West’s first incarnation. But this was not the first ballet company Willam Christensen’s founded. Along with his brothers Lew and Harold, Christensen made history by establishing the oldest ballet company in the western United States, the San Francisco Ballet. There he went on to create the first full-length American productions of Coppélia, Swan Lake, and his evergreen production of The Nutcracker, which remains in Ballet West’s repertoire to this day. Since 2007, Artistic Director Adam Sklute, former dancer, Ballet Master and Associate Director of The Joffrey Ballet has further energized and expanded Ballet West’s remarkable repertoire with works by the most renowned choreographers of today such as Ulysses Dove, Jiri Kylian, Mark Morris, Twyla Tharp, and Stanton Welch. Sklute has also introduced the elegant historical masterpieces from the great Ballets Russes of the early 20th Century and continues to preserve Ballet West’s classical legacy. Sklute has further strengthened Ballet West’s heritage by introducing new creations by local, national and international choreographers. For 50 years, Willam Christensen and Ballet West have developed and influenced innumerable great artists in the ballet world. Some notable figures include Bart Cook, Finis Jhung, Jay Jolley, Victoria Morgan, Tomm Ruud, Michael Smuin, Richard Tanner, and Kent Stowell. With this eclectic and ever expanding outlook, Ballet West is truly an American pioneer in the world of dance.

The Royal Ballet School is one of the world’s most celebrated centres for classical ballet training. It is the leading classical ballet school in the UK and an international institution, attracting dancers with exceptional potential from the UK and worldwide. Since its founding by Dame Ninette de Valois in 1926, the School has contributed immeasurably to our rich dance heritage, producing dancers and choreographers of international renown for generations. Former students include greats like Margot Fonteyn, Anya Linden, Kenneth MacMillan, Lynn Seymour, David Wall, Antoinette Sibley, Anthony Dowell, Marguerite Porter, Stephen Jefferies, Darcey Bussell and Jonathan Cope. Now there’s a new generation making its mark on the world stage – Matthew Ball, William Bracewell, Lauren Cuthbertson, Francesca Hayward, Steven McRae, Vadim Muntagirov, Marianela Nuñez, Anna Rose O’Sullivan, Marcelino Sambé, and Christopher Wheeldon, to name a few. Admission to the School is based purely on talent and potential, regardless of academic ability or personal circumstances. Around 90% of students rely on financial support to attend the School. The School fosters academic and artistic excellence, holistically nurturing its extraordinary students and ensuring they are equipped to flourish within and beyond the world of classical ballet. Graduates go on to professional careers with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, and other leading UK and international companies. The School sets the standard for the future of classical ballet training with its extensive teacher training programmes. Its unique expertise empowers all teachers to deliver exceptional training, whether in the vocational or recreational sector. The School also works to raise awareness of the benefits of dance and create opportunities for people worldwide to experience and engage with classical ballet, with dedicated in-person and online programmes for dance students, primary school children and the general public.

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