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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Artistic director Jonas Kage is leaving Ballet West.
Kage, who was out of town in San Francisco Wednesday and unavailable for comment, told the board of directors on Tuesday that he was leaving to pursue other opportunities, said Carol Carter, board chairwoman.
Carter said the departure was Kage's decision. He had one year left on his contract, but during a routine performance review Tuesday, Kage said he had decided to move on.
"It's just that he realized there were some other pursuits he would like to enjoy," Carter said. "When we really got into the (review) process he realized that he had accomplished most of the things we asked of him, if not everything. It was time to take on a new challenge."
Carter said the board members took things in stride.
Kage's wife, Deborah Dobson, is principal teacher at Ballet West Academy. Their daughter Isabella graduates from high school this spring.
Kage was the director of Sweden's Malmo Opera Ballet for almost 10 years before he replaced former Ballet West artistic director John Hart in 1997.
During Kage's tenure with Ballet West, the company performed at the Edinburgh International Arts Festival in Scotland in 2004, toured China in 2000 and performed at the 2002 Winter Olympics Cultural Olympiad in Salt Lake City.
The Stockholm native began his dancing at the Royal Swedish Ballet School. He has danced with the Royal Swedish Ballet and was a principal with the American Ballet Theatre. Other ballet companies Kage has danced with include the Stuttgart Ballet, the Geneva Ballet, the Zurich Ballet and the Malmo Opera Ballet. He also worked with the late George Balanchine and Patricia Neary, and the English National Ballet.
Next week the board will select a committee to begin the search process for a new artistic director.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
