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Across town, Utah dance companies show their work at moving forward despite the economic downturn, in the form of a new building for Ballet West and continuing to tour.

The pointe of an expanded stage

Forget that little economic downturn: In October, Ballet West partnered with Salt Lake County to announce plans to build the $32 million Jessie Eccles Quinney Center for Dance while renovating the next-door Capitol Theatre.

On the road again

Two Utah dance companies, Ballet West and Ririe-Woodbury, are hitting the road. Under artistic director Adam Sklute, the company has performed in New York and Chicago festivals, and most recently, in Las Vegas. R-W hit the road as part of a two-year Alwin Nikolais Centennial Tour, the only company licensed to perform full-evening performances of Nikolais' works.

Ambitious reviews

Ballet West's "Nutcracker" won praise from New York Times dance writer Alistair Macaulay, who opined that Willam F. Christensen choreography surpasses even George Balanchine's in Act II. The company's national-scale ambition is evident in Sklute's big-deal restaging of "Swan Lake," for which he brought in a talent coach in the form of Cynthia Gregory, the ultimate Swan Queen of her generation.

Building the scene's dance muscle

New developments display a continuing, even developing dance scene: The U.'s Modern Dance Department has added strength to strength with the addition of ballet teacher Sharee Lane. Dancer Ashley Anderson has launched an online journal, "learning to loveDANCEmore," and programs Mudson, a works-in-progress performance series.

Emerging talents

New Ballet West soloists are drawing buzz: Haley Henderson and Easton Smith, former dancers with San Jose Ballet, fresh off Broadway stints in "Dirty Dancing" and "Billy Elliott." Other dancers to watch around town include RDT's M. Colleen Hoelscher, who danced a sensuous duet between a woman and a plexiglass tub of water in October's "H2O" program.

Kathy Adams,Celia R. Baker