When the Repertory Dance Theatre hits the stage with "American Masters," which features works by Doris Humphrey, Martha Graham and Helen Tamaris, it will be history in the making. "It will mark the first time in 70 years that a professional dance company has been able to present choreography of those three founders of modern dance in a single evening," said RDT artistic director Linda C. Smith.
She added that "The program (which features Humphrey's 'With My Red Fires,' Graham's 'Diversion of Angles' and Tamaris' 'Dance for Walt Whitman') will make a statement and testament of Salt Lake City and its role in modern dance. These works are the best choreography of these founders of modern dance."
"American Masters" is only a tiny part of the grande dance and music season of 2001-02. Other companies, such as the Utah Symphony and Utah Opera, are gearing up for the most anticipated seasons in their careers.
Calling it an "eclectic" season, Utah Symphony music director Keith Lockhart told the Deseret News that for the 2001-02 season, the orchestra will be expanding and developing its repertoire of works. "We're going to try to explore the breadth of the orchestral repertoire."
Lockhart said that one way the orchestra will be doing this is through taking advantage of the Winter Olympics. "The Olympics are going to define us this year, and so we're going to use the 'welcoming the world' slogan as an excuse to bring in more contemporary music — not just American, but from around the world."
As an example, Lockhart pointed to the March 22-23, 2002, program in which the Utah Symphony will present the local premiere of Tanaka's "Guardian Angel," written by a young Japanese composer who's beginning to receive international exposure.
Because of the Olympics, Utah Opera has found it necessary to mount only three productions in the coming year instead of the usual four. And that's inspired Utah Opera general director Anne Ewers to give local opera lovers something special.
"We're excited about the new season," said Ewers, adding that the 2001-02 season will get off to a blazing start with a new production of Bizet's "Carmen." "We felt that we needed to open with a blockbuster. And this production will erase previous 'Carmen' experiences for everyone."
Stephen Sondheim's "A Little Night Music" will be Utah Opera's contribution to the Cultural Olympiad. Ewers wanted to stage something distinctly American for the Olympiad. "If you're going to do something for the world, then you need to show something uniquely American, and musical theater is an American art form."
Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company is gearing up for its season. Renowned choreographer Daniel Ezralow is in town setting up a world-premiere work, tentatively titled "Prelude," on the company for its Olympic performance on Feb. 13. Choreographer Doug Varone has also set three new pieces for his acclaimed "Let's Dance," which will also be part of the evening.
"It's exciting and nerve-racking all at the same time," said RW co-founder Shirley Ririe. "We titled the season 'Yin, Yang and Gold' because, at one end of the spectrum — the fall concert — we will have an evening of works all choreographed by women. The final concert in the spring will be comprised of works by men."
Abby Fiat's "Inclinations," Charlotte Boye-Christensen's "Siesta," Ririe's own "Chinese Sleeves" and Woodbury's own "L'Invasions" will be performed, along with Laura Dean's "TenMile," Cia Chi Chang's "III" and an unnamed work by Loa Clawson.
"We wanted to give this season balance," said Woodbury. "And we wouldn't just settle to entertain the audience, but hopefully the works will touch them on some level that will cause them to have a positive experience."
The spring concert will feature another Varone work "Smashed Landscapes," Nolan Dennett's "Aphelion/Perihelion," Alwin Nikolais' "Tensile Involvement, Stephen Koester's "This Ain't No Tango" and "Ruminaglia" by company member Brandin Scott Steffensen.
The unveiling of the new and improved Gardner Hall in 2000 also brought something special and unique, the mid-sized Libby Gardner Concert Hall.
This year, concert series director Becky Durham said that she's just trying to keep the momentum going from last season.
"The artists we have are very diverse," Durham said. "The thing that's really exciting about this series is, you get artists that you would normally see in the middle of a huge orchestra (or) in a two-hour concert, and you are maybe only 10 or 15 rows back. The thing people remark about the most is, you really feel like you're experiencing the personality and the gift of this artist first-hand."
Alisa Weilerstein follows, an artist that Durham said she chose after reading that the cellist had been chosen by Joshua Bell for a concert series in London. Although not quite 20 years old, she has already had an impressive career playing with all the major orchestras and conductors, said Durham.
"Another big one that is going to be really unusual for our Salt Lake audiences will be Evelyn Glennie," said Durham. A well-known percussionist, Glennie is known for both her performance quality and her ability to concertize in spite of being deaf. Durham explained that Glennie will perform barefoot so she can feel the vibrations of the various instruments. She also noted that Glennie will appear with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra during the Olympics.
One of the challenges that faced Ballet West was trying to figure out who the audience would be during the company's Olympic performance, "A Gala Celebration of 20 Century Masterworks," in the Capitol Theatre on Feb. 23. "I wanted to give a variety of repertoire," said artistic director Jonas Kàge. "But I also wanted to feature a real, true American choreographer. And we got one."
Ballet West will perform "Afternoon of a Faun," by the late Jerome Robbins. "I loved this version because it is beautifully subtle," said Kàge. "It takes place in a dance studio and it is very refreshing."
Also on that evening's bill will be Hans van Manen's "Solo" and "Polish Pieces," George Balanchine's "Theme and Variations" and "Who Cares." "It will be a bit longer that usual, but it will be worth it," said Kàge.
Other Ballet West performances are the season opener "La Sylphide" and two evenings of repertory works, which will include another van Manen work, "Black Cake." The season will wind down with Kàge's own version of "Swan Lake."
"I haven't even thought about that one, yet," he said with a laugh. "But we're not ending with 'Evening of Ballets II' this year because 'Swan Lake' is so big, and we didn't have time to start it right after the Olympic performance.
E-mail: rcline@desnews.com, ereichel@desnews.com and scott@desnews.com