BY KAREN BOSSICK

“The Nutcracker” is the reason—and will always be the reason—that dance companies can stage a season’s worth of dance performances, says Ballet Idaho’s artistic director Garrett Anderson.

Fortunately for Sun Valley audiences, that means that they will get to see an anthology of Ballet Idaho’s work Saturday, Nov. 2, at The Argyros in Ketchum. Fifteen professional company dancers will perform in the Sun Valley show, which starts at 7:30 p.m.

Dancers will dance to the music of Marc Mellits, contemporary composer Anna Clyne, Nina Simone and Igor Stravinsky.

The performance will feature a couple of the pieces that the ballet performed during its “Sound in Motion” show this weekend in Boise alongside the Boise Philharmonic. And it will include a couple other dances. Tickets start at $13, available at https://ci.ovationtix.com/35937/performance/11522388.

“Ballet Idaho is the only residential ballet company in Idaho—or Wyoming and Montana--for that matter,” said Donna Delahorne, a board member with Ballet Idaho and former board member of The community Library. “They perform four to five programs a season employing over 20 full time professional dancers. They’ve long wanted to show the valley their artistry and athleticism and are thrilled to be at The Argyros.”

Saturday’s program will feature four dances:

“Congruence,” jointly choreographed by Anne Mueller and Garrett Anderson, is set to the music of Chicago-based composer Marc Mellits, one of the most performed living composers in the United States.

Terrance Marling’s “Twice (Once)” is set to the music of contemporary composer Anna Clyne’s “Within Her Arms,” which she created for the Chicago Symphony. The poignant, yet uplifting,  piece contemplates the afterlife, drawn from the personal experiences of both composer and choreographer.

Clyne wrote the piece honoring the passing of her mother; Marling drew upon his own near-death experience as a child.

Danielle Rowe created “For Pixie,” inspired by the lives and love of her grandparents, to the music of Nina Simone’s “Wild is the Wind.”

“We thought: What if the dancers in the duet didn’t see each other’s work beforehand, and then we combined the music,” Anderson told an audience during a conversation with Delahorne earlier this month at Ketchum’s Community Library. “It was an experiment for us that was fun.”

Justin Peck’s “Pulcinella Variations,” a classical-like piece peppered with mirth set to the jubilant, complex music of Igor Stravinsky, a classical-like piece peppered with mirth. The work was originally created for the New York Ballet.

“It’s neo-classical but it feels fresh—almost contemporary,” said Anderson, who chaired the Dance Department at New Mexico School for the Arts in Santa Fe before taking on Ballet Idaho in 2018.

Anderson talked about ballet in the classical and contemporary sense during his talk at the library. He noted that dances performed in Beethoven’s time could have been considered contemporary at the time.—even “Sleeping Beauty” was once considered contemporary.

“Some seek to honor classical tradition in ballet; some seek to be groundbreaking,” he said. “So, the terms are pretty fluid.

“I can innovate a traditional work, seeking to move it forward,” he added.

Anderson said that Ballet Idaho is known for its diversity and variety, noting that many dancers in other companies are often jealous of the workshops and choreographers the company brings in. Currently, the dance company has 25 dancers and 18 trainees. The trainees are typically dancers who have finished conservatory but are not yet ready to go pro.

“They can do the steps but there’s a lot they don’t understand about what it means to be part of a company,” he said, adding that the trainees come in handy when needed for big production.

Anderson said he chooses his dance menus to be challenging for dancers and audience.

“I want them to want to leave wanting to see something again. I want them to leave talking about it…I want it to be something that brings joy and inspiration.”

One of the most accessible of ballets, of course, is “The Nutcracker,” which is performed by ballet companies to turn-away audiences across America. This is an American phenomenon, said Anderson, as “The Nutcracker is not performed as religiously by European ballet companies. When it is performed in Europe, it’s often performed at times other than Christmas.

“Fortunately, I love the Nutcracker…and it’s also an opportunity to see dancers mature into new roles,” said Anderson, who danced with the Royal Ballet of Flanders. “When I was in Europe where they didn’t do it, I missed it.”