Mountain West Ballet artistic director Paul Murphy wants to break a record. The former principal dancer for Ballet West wants to teach 96 consecutive hours of dance instruction over the weekend.
"This has been in the back of my mind for some time," Murphy said in the Deseret Morning News offices. "When I was dancing in Birmingham, Ala., with Ballet South some years ago, I heard of a ballroom dance instructor who taught for three days straight. I thought he had set a record. And I thought to myself, that would be great if I could do it. And so I'm going to."
Actually Murphy's dance-teaching marathon has already begun. It started at midnight this morning and will run through midnight Monday.
The remaining classes, which are being taught at Mountain West Ballet's new home, at 489 W. Parkland Drive (8830 South), Sandy, are 90 minutes in length and will be custom-made for each group that shows up, said Murphy. "We are open to anyone ages 6 and older. Anything earlier than 6 is more pre-ballet. But if they're older than that, there is no age limit. Anyone who wants to come is welcome to come."
Whether the dancers are beginners, intermediate or advanced, Murphy said he will teach what he sees appropriate for the group. "I don't want anyone to feel left out."
Classes that start before 9 a.m. and end after 10 p.m. are free; others are $5. "I want this to be a way for the Mountain West Ballet to make a name for itself," said Murphy. "We are always being mixed up with Ballet West or the Utah Regional Ballet. And I think we deserve to be known for our own accomplishments."
Setting a world record for most consecutive hours of dance instruction has been cleared through the Guinness Book of World Records, said Murphy. "While no one from Guinness is going to actually be there, we have made it known to them what we are doing. And they have sent us some criteria that needs to be met in order for our feat to be officially recorded. Once we finish, we must send them all the logistics and have them verified. Then they will go through their own record books to see if, indeed, we have done what we set off to do."
Murphy, who was with Ballet West from 1996 to 2002, was just named as artistic director for Mountain West Ballet a couple of months ago. "It's an exciting time for me. I wanted to quit dance so many times, but I always found myself going back to the stage. It's just in my blood."
He added that there was nothing to prepare him for this record-setting attempt. He just knew what he wanted to teach and hoped that people would show up. "I think it will be a blast. It might be different if I had an hour between each class. I think I might fall asleep then. But with the way the classes are set up, I think it will be OK.
"I don't sleep very much anyway. So this is also a way to use my lack of sleep in a useful way."
If you go. . .
What: Ballet classes
Where: Mountain West Ballet, 489 W. Parkland Drive (8830 South), Sandy
When: Through midnight Monday
How much: $5 from 9 a.m.-10 p.m.; Free before 9 a.m. and after 10 p.m.
Phone: 801-572-6222.
E-mail: scott@desnews.com