Review: Ballet West's WEST SIDE STORY: BROADWAY AND BEYOND Surpasses Greatness
A first of its kind production for the company but hopefully not its last.
Ballet West’s WEST SIDE STORY: BROADWAY AND BEYOND shatters expectations and surpasses greatness by leaps and bounds. A quadruple bill, this production celebrates Jerome Robbins and Christopher Wheeldon, two prominent ballet and Broadway choreographers, and showcases the company’s artistry and ability to toe the line of what ballet dancers can do (spoiler alert: they can do anything).
Antique Epigraphs (with choreography by Robbins and music by Claude Debussy) lures you in with movements befitting Greek antiquity. Performed with eight dancers, intricate shapes and dynamic textures play out on stage. Delicate and mesmerizing, you won’t want to look away as movement continues even in stillness thus creating a living, breathing masterpiece meant to be admired.
Carousel (A Dance) (with choreography by Wheeldon and music by Richard Rodgers) is different from the opening piece but no less enchanting. Featuring an arrangement of Rodger’s The Carousel Waltz and If I Loved You, this ballet is romantic, lively, and warm. Soloist Rylee Ann Rogers and Principal Artist Hadriel Diniz shine in this dreamy exploration of love. Their use of counterbalance in intricate lifts is executed effortlessly, their expressiveness befitting two young lovers navigating what could be as the world turns around them. Additional Ballet West dancers lend their talents and masterfully execute Wheeldon’s energetic choreography with the use of canon particularly effective in creating a carnival-like feeling.
After the Rain (Pas de Deux) (with choreography by Wheeldon and music by Arvo Pärt), originally created for two of New York City Ballet’s most celebrated dancers, is perhaps the most captivating of the four presented works. Featuring a live pianist (Vedrana Subotic) and cellist (Lauren Posey), this pas de deux is beautifully intimate and moving and relies solely on the artistry and technical strength of Principal Artists Katlyn Addison and Adrian Fry. Simple in its presentation and complex in its execution, the connection between Addison and Fry is captivating, made even stronger by the fluidity of which they portray in extended moments of what seems like slow motion. It is absolutely breathtaking to witness, so much so you’ll be taking a collective cathartic breath as the curtain descends on what can only be called an exhilarating performance.
West Side Story Suite (with choreography by Robbins, music by Leonard Bernstein, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim), incorporating an extracted series of dances from the beloved musical West Side Story (1957), is unlike anything Ballet West has done before… and they knock it out of the park. Trading pointe shoes and ballet flats for heels and sneakers, the story of the Jets and Sharks comes alive through more than just dance. While many traditional ballets require some amount of acting, this production challenges dancers to sing and portray individual characters, some with speaking lines and others taking on full singing parts. Guest Artists Robbie Fairchild and Georgina Pazgoquin lend their talents to Tony and Anita respectively. Both artists demonstrate their versatility and ferocity in many memorable scenes. The Jets and Sharks casts are strong and well-balanced with complex dancing and masterful acting as Diniz’s Bernardo and Principal Artist David Huffmire’s Riff circle around conflict and violence. Most notably, Huffmire executes choreography with a cool precision in a standout performance that features incredible vocals and masterful acting choices.
Ultimately, this whole production reaffirms that Ballet West goes above and beyond in everything they do because they are just that cool. They move the bar higher even as they set it and truly embody the artistry needed to continue pushing the boundaries of ballet.
Remaining performances of WEST SIDE STORY: BROADWAY AND BEYOND run April 16 – April 18, 2026 at the Capitol Theatre. For tickets, call the box office at 801-869-6920 or visit www.balletwest.org.
Photo Credit: Artists of Ballet West by Beau Pearson
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