Ballet West Announces In The Balance: Ballet for a Lost Year A World Premiere Documentary Series

SALT LAKE CITY, April 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ballet West and Skyscape Studios announced today the world premiere of a nine-episode documentary series featuring the iconic ballet company, In The Balance: Ballet for a Lost Year. The first episode debuts on Ballet West's social media channels May 7 and episodes will be released every week through the spring and early summer. Award-winning filmmakers Diana Whitten and Tyler Measom direct the series. Measom most recently co-directed the acclaimed documentary, Murder Among the Mormons on Netflix.

For one month, Skyscape Studios gained unfettered access to Ballet West's studios and theater as the Company mounted its first public performances in the Covid-19 era. "We followed the dancers, the choreographers, the crew, and the staff as they navigate colossal logistical and emotional challenges in anticipation of opening night, wondering if the curtain will rise," said Measom and Whitten. "Gently set against the backdrop of a volatile world, the series explores how art can be essential in a time of crisis, how passion can displace fear, and how collective grief can be alchemized into beauty."

[DOWNLOAD trailer and stills: https://we.tl/t-RRlb3FvoXk]

In The Balance also follows four dancers throughout the series for an intimate and soulful examination of the art form. Principal Artists Katlyn Addison, Beckanne Sisk, Chase O'Connell, and Corps Artist Vinicius Lima provide a textured study of ballet and ancillary issues of race, masculinity, and gender.  

Executive producers are Skyscape Studio's Steven Labrum and Ballet West's Executive Director Michael Scolamiero, Artistic Director Adam Sklute, and Chief Development Officer Sarah West. The series is produced by Cristin Carlin, JJ Neward, and Joshua Jones. The series is made possible, in part, by the Utah Office of Tourism, Create in Utah, and BMW of Murray.  

In a joint statement, Scolamiero and Sklute said, "Ballet West was thrilled to connect with Skyscape Studios. With their accomplished resume, discerning storytelling, and passion for our art form, they elegantly narrate a moment in our history that is both honest and compelling. This series is an authentic love story to ballet and the performing artists and crewmembers who suffered in the past year. At the same time, it is a behind-the-scenes gift to our patrons and anyone who enjoys the art form." 

For more information, visit www.balletwest.org/balance

ABOUT SKYSCAPE STUDIOS

Skyscape Studios is a boutique film production company focusing on creative non-fiction storytelling for wide audiences. Our team has created a portfolio of non-fiction long-form productions featuring story-driven content and colorful characters that reflect and challenge the issues of our time. Our work has played at hundreds of festivals around the world and achieved wide distribution.

ABOUT BALLET WEST

BALLET WEST, one of America's leading and largest ballet companies, led by Artistic Director Adam Sklute, has earned an international reputation for artistic innovation and excellence since its founding in 1963. For more than 50 years, the Salt Lake City-based Company has entertained and excited audiences in Utah and worldwide by presenting great classical ballets, historical masterpieces, and new cutting-edge creations with only the highest artistic and professional standards. The Company continues to build future ballet artists and audiences by providing classical ballet training through the Frederick Q. Lawson Ballet West Academy and its four campuses and more than 1,000 students. Ballet West also operates one of the largest outreach and education programs in the country which reaches hundreds of thousands of children and adults throughout Utah every year.

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ballet-west-announces-in-the-balance-ballet-for-a-lost-year-a-world-premiere-documentary-series-301279552.html

SOURCE Ballet West