Central Utah Ballet to Perform Ballet to Broadway on May 12-13
Central Utah Ballet is excited to present Ballet to Broadway on May 12-13, choreographed by the talented Lindsay Folkman
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LEHI, UTAH, May 2020—Central Utah Ballet will perform Ballet to Broadway, choreographed by award-winning choreographer, Lindsay Folkman and directed by Jennie Creer-King, at the Mid Valley Performing Arts Center in Taylorsville, Utah on May 12 and 13, 2022. This two-night performance almost sold out weeks before the performance in anticipation of the event.
Ballet to Broadway is a unique performance with a re-imagination of Broadway classics through the ages. From Singin’ in the Rain, Cabaret, andChicago, to Annie, Mama Mia, and Finding Neverland, each dance celebrates the original style and choreography with a contemporary dance reimagination by Folkman.
This is a new style of performance for the dancers at Central Utah Ballet, whose typical performances focus on classical, contemporary, and modern dance. The show, explained Folkman, includes “Some lip-syncing, some yelling, some singing—90% of these dancers have never had this type of experience before.” This challenge was intentional, according to Folkman, who sought to draw out a more facial and emotional performance from each dancer, pushing them to engage in greater expression on stage and to connect with the audience. “Being comfortable with being uncomfortable has been the biggest challenge for them,” said Folkman.
While the style of performance is new for Central Utah Ballet’s dancers, Broadway-style choreography is not new to Folkman, who has choreographed three musicals with Scera Center for the Arts in Provo and has choreographed retellings of The Wizard of Oz, Pinocchio, Les Miserables, and an original story titled Unspoken.
“I’ve always told stories in my dance,” says Folkman. “People often ask me which choreographers inspire me the most, but I don’t find my inspiration from other choreographers—I’m most inspired by Steven Spielberg and Walt Disney…I’m inspired by taking the audience on a journey.”
Folkman says her goal with the show is to engage every single audience member throughout the performance. “I want to make it so they’re not just looking through the program for when their child, sibling, etcetera is in the show. I want to engage the entire audience and get them to feel something.”
Tickets to the May 12 performance have sold out with limited tickets remaining available for purchase online for the May 13 performance. More details can be found at https://my.arttix.org/overview/28735
About Central Utah Ballet
Central Utah Ballet is a fully comprehensive, classically based ballet program for youth seeking to learn classical ballet and contemporary dance. The ballet studio provides preschool and toddler ballet, children’s ballet technique classes, pre-professional ballet training programs, junior and senior ballet companies, adult dance classes, and live stage performance opportunities.
Central Utah Ballet focuses on training students with a proper syllabus appropriate to the emotional and physical development of each student. Parents find that the young children’s creative ballet programs are fun and engaging while introducing techniques, children’s ballet classes teach a progression of classical technique and discipline, and the pre-professional/company ballet programs prepare young adults for college or professional auditions.
About Lindsay Folkman
Lindsay has designed, choreographed, and directed full-length contemporary productions and countless repertoire pieces, boasting over twenty years of experience teaching and mentoring aspiring dancers and choreographers nationwide. Her extensive choreographic career includes ten original contemporary ballet productions on both studio and professional levels. She is a eight-time recipient of Utah’s “Best of State” Award in Choreography, including winning this year’s Best Choreographer award.
Outside of her artistic production work, Lindsay is a freelance choreographer and master instructor for various dance studios, musical theater companies, and competition dance soloists. Lindsay’s work has achieved multiple accolades at the internationally prestigious Youth America Grand Prix semi-final competition and has twice been awarded as YAGP “Outstanding Choreographer.” Her work has also won local awards and acknowledgment at the annual Utah Dance Festival, Shakespeare Festival, and the Utah High School Activities Association.