Ballet West

"The Nutcracker thundered with cannons, but was it truly a ballet? I attended the final performance of this season. You always expect that by this time, musicians and dancers have mastered their parts and are ready to deliver the best quality performance. Exquisite set designs, meticulously crafted costumes, and unexpected special effects, from blank shots with dazzling flashes from the cannons to technological innovations, were enthralling. Undoubtedly, theater starts from the rack, but ballet isn't just about the visual presentation. Unfortunately, the other elements didn't impress me as much. Judging by the enthusiastic ovations, one could assume that the ballet audience is not highly discerning or demanding. But forgive me, where, precisely, is the ballet? The choreography has been simplified to basic elements. It almost seemed like the dancers would start just walking across the stage. Their execution appears more like warm-ups than art. Where is the fusion of technical complexity and graceful execution? Pas de deux without a single jump, when the music builds up in such prolonged culmination. The soloists did almost nothing on stage, attempting to convey the culmination with their hands - their performance and emotions felt artificial! This is a complete failure of such a pivotal moment in the entire piece, and the disappointment lingered with me until the end of the performance. Additionally, I understand that children participate in ballet, and one might overlook (though one should not) their occasional simple movements on stage or their inability to synchronize the march of the toy soldiers. But what about the adults? There's no synchronicity, the dancers appear cumbersome, and their stomping on stage overpowers the music. It all resembled an amateur interest club. In my practice, ballet dancers were not allowed to perform until they mastered silent execution and grace. Yet here, the audience seems to pay for a raw spectacle in beautiful costumes. I was deeply upset by the attitude towards the audience, not only in terms of choreography, but also in terms of music. Some mistakes were too glaring to be present in a professional commercial production. Unfortunately, it seemed like the conductor didn't delve into the intricacies of the musical composition, merely waving through the metrical grid without considering that this is Tchaikovsky's work. Consequently, the essential themes weren't emphasized, significant nuances weren't highlighted, and the dynamics were not developed. The conductor's presence felt perfunctory. The musicians were left to their devices. From the very first bars, the piece was unrecognizable. It was akin to a train rolling without anyone steering it. Most of the nuances and passages were missed by the musicians; the string sections constantly hid when they should have led, yet no one brought them forward. The entire piece sounded at an averaged dynamic level. They played the musical material, but it wasn't music! And how did it happen that the conductor didn't check if the strings were in tune? Even after the intermission, nothing changed - the thick-sounding violins grated on the audience's ears throughout all the important solo themes! Why didn't the conductor hear this and rectify it? The choir's part also lost its clarity and elegance. Due to its non-academic vocal technique, it became flat and off-key. Why do you underestimate and disregard your audience so? In the end, I sincerely thank Tchaikovsky for his beautiful music and the theater for its astounding set designs. I want to ensure that you are aware there are people in the audience who know, love, and can appreciate authentic ballet. Let us revel in the heights of ART! Sincerely, Master of musicology, St. Petersburg Conservatory in Russia, Alena Shvedava."

"2023 Nutcracker was a hit! I love the new outfits and the way the storyline changed from my last visit. The bees were my favorite part."

"This ballet is off the charts professional, tucked away and you get to view these amazing ballets from the comfort of the Capitol Theatre in SLC. I love the fun downtown city life and lots of restaurants at City Creek close by. My daughter was in the nutcracker ballet as a junior high student 4 years ago... 2019 before covid, and it was a magical time to experience true arts, and how lovely it is to be back and see the bright vivid colors. I grew up in Utah and loved visiting Ballet West with my mom for a girls night, and now own 2 season tickets to rotate my family to see ballet's with me. My daughters all love swan lake, Dracula, anything fairy tale, and my oldest daughter and I just enjoyed Firebird, and my favorite of all time is Rosalinda from my teenage years. The lighting, costumes, live orchestra, and gummy bears and sprite at intermission are great not to mention the beautiful floor to ceiling expressive mosaic near the concessions is breathtaking. I can't say enough good about this amazing facility. It's staff, productions, and very talented dancers."

"Paid over $200 for tickets to see Dracula, and ended up not seeing anything at all... We were in box A seats 4&5 at the Capitol Theater. My wife and I were only able to see 1/16 of stage right. Do you know how much of the ballet is in that small corner?!? I saw more of the main characters off stage than I did on stage. My anniversary gift to my wife was ruined due to this terrible choice in seating. It really shows that they put those seats in there to get as much cash as they can without any regards to the people that wanted to watch the performance. I tried reaching out to Ballet West directly, and no one has gotten back to me. They don't care. I wish I could say something about the performance directly, but we didn't get to see any of the performance at all, just a pillar and the back of someones head. Apparently there was a carriage on stage, I had no idea until after the performance was done and someone mentioned it as we were exiting the building... Again, WHY WOULD THEY EVEN OFFER THOSE SEATS?!?! I want my money back, that's time in my life that I will never get back, and the night was ruined for my wife and I."

"Growing up, my grandma would take my two sisters and me to the Nutcracker every year from when I was 8 years old, 16 or so. The staff was always nice, and the rows were clean. You can tell the staff care for the historical importance of this building. As a thanks to my grandma, I bought 2022-23 season tickets for us, through the mail, and the productions were incredible! I was never let down by any of the performances. The costumes, the set design, the live music, the sheer athleticism... I am so glad we did it! Sleeping Beauty was my favorite because the personality is really shown through in the set design, costume, and the dance itself. I hope to see Dracula next year, too! I highly recommend it."