The Marriott Library has a number of dance collections from both on and off the University. They include photographs, correspondence, scrapbooks, dancer files, auditions, tour information, programs and many other areas that explain the hard work and art of a dance company.

The exhibition in the Special Collections Reading Room at this time mostly concerns traditional ballet from the Ballet West Records (Accn1129).  The collection is an accumulation of the history of Ballet West, which was created in 1951 by Willem Christensen as the first ballet dance department in America at the University of Utah.  It was through his efforts, along with his partner Glenn Walker Wallace (Utah’s “First Lady of the Arts”), that the program developed into the Utah Civic Ballet company, which would become Ballet West in 1968. It obtained the name as a bow to the Federation of Rocky Mountain States, who chose the company as a representation of the western United States.

Christensen’s ambition was such that he developed more than one ballet company. He and his brothers Lew and Harold established the oldest ballet company in the west, the San Francisco Ballet Company. It was during this time that he choreographed programs that are still used today-Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, which is performed during Christmas in Utah and other places.

The exhibition contains set designs from such ballets as Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. These pieces were used as a way to not only set up the stage, but to make decisions about creating it. While the designs are not being used anymore, their importance is still valuable to the history of Ballet West. The set designs are in the first three cases., and the middle one in the second row.  The ballet shoes belong to Sara Caroline Davis, a dancer and archivist in Special Collections. The photos in the third case are from the University School of Dance. The posters on the walls are also from the School of Dance, and while they are mostly traditional ballets, the bottom row is from the Modern Dance department. The cardboard piece is Willem Christensen. It is a great acknowledgement to his sense of humor and love of Ballet West. Finally, we have a tutu that was created for Special Collections by designer Cindy Farrimond, who works for Ballet West. The tutu is for the Snow Queen from The Nutcracker.