Ballet West partners with Park City Opera for first ever collaborative production

PARK CITY — Ballet and opera have always gone hand in hand throughout history, often viewed as the epitome of the performing arts. Ballet West is continuing that connection by sharing the stage with the Park City Opera to portray an iconic tragedy.

The Park City Opera is putting on a production of Charles Gounod's "Roméo et Juliette" next month. Dancers from Ballet West II, the company's pre-professional dancers, will perform alongside the opera with choreography by Ballet West's Michael Waldrop.

"I am a huge opera fan and have loved it my entire life," said Ballet West Artistic Director Adam Sklute. "I am thrilled that our second company dancers will have this marvelous opportunity to take part in an art form that is, in fact, where ballet was born."

Lisl Wangermann, soprano and co-founder of Park City Opera, conceived the collaboration, saying that adding dance to the show is integral to fully telling the love story.

"As a director, this is like doubling the number of colors in a painter's palette," she said. "I cannot wait to work with Michael Waldrop to create a fresh presentation of this timeless story."

While a story is often told through lyrics in an opera, dance can express the story in ways the libretto can't, Wangermann said.

Gounod's "Roméo et Juliette" reimagines the classic Shakespeare tragedy in a French Romantic style, focusing on grandeur, intense emotional expression and lyrical melodies.

The production will be sung in French and feature a 12-voice chorus and 40-member orchestra. English translations will be projected during the performance for the audience.

Collaborations such as this one are exactly the kind of work Park City Opera was built to do, according to executive director Lena Goldstein. The nonprofit performing company, started in 2024, aims to make opera and vocal art more accessible for everyone by celebrating music through community performances.

"Gounod's 'Roméo et Juliette' is one of the great love stories in the operatic repertoire, and having the extraordinary dancers of Ballet West II on stage with our cast elevates this production in ways that honor the full expressive power of the work," she said. "We look forward to celebrating what becomes possible when Utah's performing arts community works together."

The collaborative production will be performed on Aug. 21 and 23 at the Eccles Center for the Performing Arts in Park City.

There will be art, historical displays and themed concessions at the theater before the performance begins to set the scene for attendees. After the performance, the creative team and performing artists will host a Q&A on the production.

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