11th DANCING UNDER THE STARS Set For Aug. 26-27 at SCERA Shell

It's a little challenging to reach Kim Delgrosso, the artistic director of the national award-winning Center Stage Performing Arts Studios in Orem. That's because she serves as an ambassador for dance throughout the United States, and a typical week might include hopping from state to state. This month alone Delgrosso has already promoted and adjudicated dance in Utah, New York, California and British Columbia.

For more than a decade however, Delgrosso has put the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre squarely on her August calendar and presented an annual production entitled Dancing Under The Stars. This year the event will be Aug. 26 and 27 at 8 p.m. and highlight a wide variety of Utah's best dance groups, along with a special musical guest appearance by the "cinematic pop" trio known as Gentri. A 7:15 p.m. pre-show will feature some of Utah's top dance studios.

"Expect a night of incredible choreography of ballroom, jazz, ballet, contemporary and hip-hop from award-winning teams at Center Stage as well as professional principals from Ballet West and Salt Contemporary Dance," Delgrosso says. "Friday night audiences will be treated to the amazing Repertory Dance Theatre as well."

She is also "stoked" to bring in Gentri. "I can't tell you how high I am on this group," she says. "I have become a huge fan of these talented, talented singers." Gentri formed a little more than two years ago using the talents of tenors Brad Robins, Casey Elliott and Bradley Quinn Lever. And while they are a relatively New Group, their self-titled debut album spent 10 weeks on two different Billboard Charts, including three weeks at number 2 on both classical and classical crossover charts. Their first music video of the hit single, "Dare," brought the group international attention on such news outlets as ABC World News, NBC Nightly News and Inside Edition.

Among the dancers will be Allison de Bona, who joined Ballet West in 2007 and was promoted to demi-soloist in 2011, soloist in 2013 and first soloist in 2015. In her free time, she teaches master classes throughout the United States, including Joffrey School's Summer Intensive in San Francisco, Broadway Dance Center, Lincoln Midwest Ballet and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, among others. She was a featured cast member on the first two seasons of the documentary series, "Breaking Point."

Her partner, Rex Tilton, began studying at the age of 13 became a Ballet West dancer in 2008 and was promoted to first soloist in 2013 and principal in 2014. Before joining Ballet West, he trained at Pacific Northwest Ballet School, San Francisco Ballet School and the School of American Ballet.

Other dance guests will include Salt, a 12-member Dance Company in Salt Lake Valley founded in 2013 as a way to promote some of the highly-trained students graduating from Utah's colleges and universities. Utah's celebrated Repertory Dance Theatre, which recently celebrated a golden anniversary that recognized it as a living archive of modern masterpieces, will be featured in Friday night's show.

"I really shook things up a bit this year," Delgrosso says. "I want to show Utah audiences how ridiculously talented our dancers are in this state. I've never put together a show like this, and I'm thrilled, because I know these companies rank with some of the best dance companies anywhere."This is not just an idle boast. Her own Center Stage dancers recently received National Studio of the Year honors in New York City, edging out more than 176 studios across the nation and eight foreign countries. Her students have appeared on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars, NBC's "America's Got Talent," and Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance." Others have been seen on "American Idol" and "Glee," in Disney shows and movies, Broadway and in Las Vegas in Cirque de Soleil, La Reve and Donny and Marie.

"Our phenomenal hip hop team won the entire competition at the 2016 Dance Awards, and we will be showcasing that same number," Delgrosso says. "In ballet, just watching Allison de Bona and Rex Tilton will be jaw-dropping. Their pas de deux is stunning. Salt is a trending, up-and-coming group of great dancers, and I feel privileged to get Repertory Dance Company, even though their dance schedule was open for only one of our two performances."

She is committed to helping dancers and puts together DanceFest, a weeklong festival that not only complements Dancing Under the Stars but also inspires and educates budding artists with workshops from top dancers, choreographers and industry professionals. Workshops Aug. 26 and 27 will feature Denise Wall, Jason Parsons and Francisco Gella. (dancefestutah.com). Additionally, as an ambassador for the Dance Teacher Summit in New York City, she supports the dance industry and this month gave insights describing how she has been able to help her students succeed as dancers.

"My dancers literally are everywhere, and I taught a class on how to promote your students. I It gave me an opportunity to also laud Utah's talent, strong work ethic and support for the arts. We have an abundance of talent, which you will see at SCERA."

General admission tickets to Dancing Under the Stars are $20 for adults and $15 for children (age 3-11) and seniors (age 65 and older). Reserved tickets range from $25 to $35 for adults and $20 to $30 for children and seniors. Tickets are available at www.scera.org, by calling 801-225-ARTS, in person at SCERA Center for the Arts, open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m., or at the Shell gate prior to the concert.

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