Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
TOOELE — Ballets typically include classic fairytales like "Cinderella," "Swan Lake" or "Sleeping Beauty," but the Tooele Valley Academy of Dance is preparing to perform its own, new ballet, inspired by a lesser-known Portuguese fairytale.
"The Enchanted Maiden" is full of the iconic romance, betrayal, forgiveness, magic and hope most ballets have, just in a brand-new story most people won't recognize.
Tooele Valley Academy of Ballet Director Sarah Westhora said she toyed with doing other ballets for the company's spring show, but figured if she was going to create a ballet from scratch, she should do one few people have ever heard of or seen.
"I wanted it to be a fairytale, something that's already been written but is obscure enough, it can be authentically artistic," Westhora said. "I Googled obscure fairytales. I came across this one called 'The Enchanted Maiden,' and it just sounded very balletic. As I read the story, I could just see it in my vision coming alive on the stage."
Inspired by the fairytale set in 1413 Portugal, the ballet starts with a dad who has three daughters. The youngest daughter marries a fisherman from town and, while she's pregnant waiting for her husband to return with food, mermaids are washed into the cave and enchant her baby.
The second act introduces a betrothed prince who falls in love with the enchanted daughter — and drama ensues, including the prince's betrothed (who is also the enchanted maiden's cousin) who pokes out the eyes of the enchanted maiden in typical fairytale fashion.
Along with the betrothed woman impersonating the enchanted maiden, proposals gone wrong and magical negotiations, the story includes timeless narrative tropes worthy of any traditional ballet.
Westhora said the inception of this new show came from the music.
Robyn Jones always wanted to somehow contribute to the studio's ballets. So when she was driving some dancers home in March 2023 and they mentioned the next ballet hadn't been decided yet, Jones knew she could do something to help.
Jones was a master's student in music technology at Southern Utah University and figured she could compose the music for the ballet as her capstone project.
Most students in the program create half an album of music for their projects, but Jones put approximately 600 hours into writing, composing and editing the 60-minutes of music for the show.
"I don't think I realized what I was getting into, the scale of what was happening,"Jones said. "I've loved every second of it — I wouldn't change anything — but it's been big."
Westhora was immediately on board with Jones composing music for a new ballet.
"Robyn offered to write any ballet I wanted; this is a director's dream come true — once in a lifetime opportunity here. I was thrilled. I knew I didn't want to waste the opportunity," Westhora said.
Westhora said she loves to be innovative and is the type of person who doesn't like doing the same thing over and over. So creating a brand new ballet was right up her alley.
"I just feel profound gratitude to be able to synergize on a project like this, with so many capable artists," she said, adding that all of the live instrumentalists are from Tooele. "Everyone coming together, it feels — on the show day especially — like we are stepping into a magical realm."
Collaborating to create scenes on top of the music foundation was "magical," Jones said.
"Different ballets are born out of a desire to push our students and allow them to thrive artistically, while also giving them a solid foundation of classical technique, staging, theatrical production, intelligence. They can step into other areas of their life and take the confidence they gain being in front of people, the emotional intelligence that they gain portraying different characters, and I have seen a lot of growth," Westhora said.
Since Tooele Valley Academy of Dance is a local studio, and the show was adapted from an obscure fairytale, Westhora said she was excited to write the story with modern themes, in a way which the community could relate.
"That's the beauty of theater, music, dance — all the arts, is you're able to express this emotion in a safe environment and process through it," she said.
Westhora said one of the most rewarding parts of the project is to create something relevant to current culture and society and address what she's seen youth and community struggle with.
Jones said the music for the ballet has been described as cinematic, and it's not traditionally balletic, but she is hoping people feel something when they hear it.
"I'm super excited and a little bit nervous because I've never put something of this magnitude out there. Anytime you put art out there, it's just scary because it's part of you," Jones said. "I'm just excited to see my imagination really come to life on stage. I want it to evoke emotion."
She said it was so fun to see the dancers react to her music at the auditions, and see the scenes come to fruition as choreography was added.
The more than 140 performers, including a live goat and a 1-year-old child, will perform in Salt Lake City at the Rose Wagner Theater on April 29 and at Tooele High School on May 4. Tickets can be purchased online, at tvadance.org/.
