LOGAN – The Ballet Aligned studio here has slated a benefit performance to raise funds for Zootah at Willow Park.
That animal-themed performance will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 24 in the Ballet Aligned studio in Logan.
Entitled “Ballet Menagerie,” the benefit will be performed by Ballet Aligned summer camp participants and their guests, including artists from Ballet West, according to Steffani Casperson, the ballet school’s director.
One hundred percent of the show’s ticket sales will be donated to Zootah’s planned project to remodel its petting zoo.
“Classical ballet is full of animal references,” Casperson explains. “Those range from step names and roles in ballets to whole ballets based on animals, like Swan Lake and The Firebird.
“We are delighted to give our dancers the opportunity to not only know these ballets better, but also to use that knowledge to make life better for animals here in Cache Valley.”
Casperson’s dancers are no strangers to this type of benefit ballets, having previously performed in The Night Before Christmas in December of 2022 in support of the Little Lambs Foundation and more recently in Hansel and Gretel for The Family Place in April.
Four performances of those original ballets raised nearly $6,000 for the local non-profits.
“But our dancers need to keep up their training over the summer,” Casperson says, “so we’ve pressed on to create yet another opportunity for them to perform and do some good for our community.”
Unlike The Night Before Christmas and Hansel and Gretel, “Ballet Menagerie” will not follow a narrative format. Instead, Casperson explains, it will feature excerpts from those original ballets plus selections from Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty.
The benefit performance will last about one hour and be followed by a hands-on animal encounter present by the staff of Zootah. Zootah at Willow Park is home to more than 40 different species of exotic animals and others native to Utah. The seven-acre zoo was founded in 1970 and became a private non-profit organization in 2013.
Zootah offers family outings at affordable prices and also educational programs for schoolchildren of all ages. The facility currently has plans for a $50,000 upgrade to its petting zoo, of which about 38 percent has been raised so far. Additional information about Zootah can be found at www.zootah.org.
Casperson adds that tickets for the Ballet Aligned benefit performance of “Ballet Menagerie” are $5 each and can be purchased at the door. According to its website, Ballet Aligned is an organization committed to making better ballet more accessible to all audiences.
It offers mini-sessions, providing young dancers their first taste of classical ballet; master classes with professional dancers; and community engagement efforts to help parents, students, and teachers expand their expertise in this art form.
The Ballet Aligned studio is located at 1115 North, 200 East (Suite 320) in Logan.
Additional information about Ballet Aligned can be found at www.BalletAligned.com