BY KAREN BOSSICK
Sun Valley resident George Cassiday is an astronomy professor. But he skipped watching the Great American Eclipse in Sun Valley on Monday to launch the new school year at the University of Utah.
There was no way he and his wife Nancy were going to miss Ballet Sun Valley, however.
The event, which brings together some of the top ballet dancers from around the world for two performances this week, took flight Tuesday night at the Sun Valley Pavilion.
And for those who love ballet—or dance and art in general—the uniting of so many different ballet dancers from the world’s top companies was just as magnificent an alignment of stars as Monday’s dazzling show depicting the sun’s corona.
The festival originated with 30-year-old Isabella Boylston, who took her first ballet steps with Footlight Dance Centre in Sun Valley and has since risen to the pinnacle of the ballet world.
And she was beaming Tuesday night as Boylston described how overwhelmed she was to bring ballet to her hometown.
"Being able to present it in a venue as magnificent as the Pavilion has completely exceeded my expectations," she said. "And seeing my friends enjoy my hometown..."
Boylston brought some of her best friends in the dance world to Sun Valley, including Misty Copeland, who has been getting a lot of attention from the New York Times and other media, and Tiler Peck, who appeared in Broadway's "The Music Man" at age 11and can be seen this month as a guest star on Julie Andrews' Netflix series "Julie's Greenroom."
Boylston, known by her childhood name of Hilda to her friends in Sun Valley, is known for her physicality. And she showed why Tuesday night as she performed difficult turns and other maneuvers with balance and fluidity that made her appear as light as a feather. Isabella left no question in any one’s mind that ballet may just be the ultimate athletic endeavor, in addition to being a thing of grace and beauty.
Following a handful of high-flying energetic acts, she and Eric Underwood, a soloist with The Royal Ballet, presented a slower, more contemplative piece titled "Afternoon of a Faun" that only served to magnify their muscular athleticism and strength. Particularly impressive was the way that Underwood set Boylston down from a sideways position. She wasn’t along for the ride—you could see her muscles quivering as she held on.
The crowd thundered as she pranced off the stage with the long sinewy legs of a deer, her waist-length blond hair flowing behind.
While many of the pieces featured more traditional ballet moves and some mind-boggling demonstrations of flexibility, a high-energy blue collar piece bought the house down before intermission, and a folk-dance piece incorporating ballet moves interjected a little fun into the night with its simple, charming moves, matching steps and twirling skirt.
The real kicker, though was provided by Cassandra Trenary, a soloist with American Ballet Theatre and The Mariinsky Ballet's Kimin Kim, who ended the show with a sort of dueling spins number set to "Don Quixote" that provided too many spins to count.
"These are the world's best dancers," said Sun Valley resident Joyce Fabre, as she watched Boylston bow to the audience, bow to her fellow dancers and then join hands with them as the full house and lawn audience clapped on."We're so lucky to be able to be able to bring this kind of talent to such a small town. And seeing all the children here is fantastic because they can be inspired."
The genesis of the festival originated when Boylston shared her dream with Sun Valley residents Dan Drackett and Robert Smelick, who brought the San Francisco Ballet to Sun Valley in 2012.
“Sun Valley is where I came to love ballet, where the root of inspiration took hold. This is one way I can give back and perform alongside artists I respect in a beautiful yet culturally vibrant place that’s close to my heart,” said Boylston, whose parents still have a home here.
Boylston, the festival’s artistic director, organized the dancers and program. Hardly a prima donna, on Tuesday afternoon she performed her dance during a rehearsal, then cheered on her fellow dancers.
She stopped by the orchestra pit between numbers to thank the musicians. Isabella greeted a friend from long ago. Boylston chatted with her colleagues, as they caught their breath, trying to acclimate to the elevation. An she laughed as Cassandra Trenary incorporated her fan into the act as she chased a pesky fly away.
The dancers will spend today offering free dance classes to young aspiring ballet dancers and adult dancers in what they’ve dubbed a Day for Dance Education.
They will be back on stage Thursday night—Aug. 24—with an entirely different show than Tuesday’s.
Thursday’s show—a world-premiere ballet inspired by Monday’s eclipse--features an original score by Judd Greenstein. The work was choreographed by Gemma Bond, a current member of American Ballet Theatre’s corps de ballet and one of the few female choreographers in the ballet world.
It explores what happens when normality is disturbed by celestial darkness created by a total solar eclipse.
Kate Duhamel, a pioneer in the field of video and dance, created a background video to tell the ballet’s story. New York—based Reid and Harriet is designing costumes and David Robertson, the lighting.
The show will also include six other pieces including Louis Armstrong's "You Rascal You."
IF YOU GO…
Some additional Pavilion seats have been freed up for Thursday’s 7:30 p.m. show. Tickets start at $50 and can be purchased at www.balletsunvalley.com or by calling 208-727-7437 or 208-622-2135. Lawn seats are $25.