Master choreographer Michael Uthoff steps in to take over for St. Louis’ grande dame of dance
By Renée Stovsky
Photograph courtesy of Dance St. Louis
Sally Brayley Bliss scored a coup by signing tap dance superstar Savion Glover to the 2006–2007 Dance St. Louis season. But as retiring executive director, Bliss may have scored an even greater coup by replacing herself with Michael Uthoff, her former partner at The Joffrey Ballet. Uthoff, 62, who officially stepped into the role July 1, says his ultimate objective here is to equate Dance St. Louis with “absolute quality in dance.”
“I want to bring in the kinds of productions that audiences in London, Paris and New York have the opportunity to experience,” he says.
If anyone is in a position to make that happen, it’s Uthoff. A Santiago native, the son of refugee German modern dancers who founded the Chilean National Ballet, Uthoff came to New York at age 18 with a Rockefeller Foundation scholarship to study dance at the School of American Ballet, The Juilliard School and the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. From there, he became a member of the José Límon Dance Company and then of The Joffrey Ballet.
In 1972, Uthoff established the Hartford Ballet; in 20 seasons there, he created more than 100 ballets, now performed by companies worldwide. In 1992, he became artistic director of Ballet Arizona. Since 1999, he has taught at the New World School of the Arts in Miami, choreographed both nationally and internationally and debuted the Michael Uthoff Dance Theatre in Arizona.
He says he is here “for a new experience,” and his to-do list is ambitious. He envisions establishing thematic Dance St. Louis seasons: “One year could be called ‘World Dance,’ showcasing companies from Argentina, Finland, Georgia and Israel. The next could be called ‘Made in America,’ and that might be followed by ‘The British Are Coming.’”
If there’s one thing Uthoff has learned, it’s that dance needs an angle to stay competitive with pop culture. Way back in ’95, when the classical arts were competing with MTV (rather than YouTube or Netflix), Uthoff choreographed a contemporary ballet version of Alice in Wonderland for Ballet Arizona, scoring it with both Bach and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The ballet included a rollerblading Cheshire Cat and a Greek chorus of lobsters in scuba gear—and sold out as quickly as The Nutcracker, a lesson Uthoff hasn’t forgotten. He has plans to find sponsorship to stage Alice here in St. Louis—which suggests that he may do for dance what David Robertson has done for classical music.
“Sally did a fantastic job of increasing and solidifying our fundraising support,” Uthoff says brightly. “Now, we just need a push to help us really flourish.”
Dance St. Louis 2006-2007 Season
Ballet West’s Swan Lake (October 6 & 7)
Fox Theatre, 527 N. Grand, 314-534-1111
Performed by Ballet West, with the Ballet Orchestra of St. Louis
“Classical Savion” (October 20 & 21)
Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center
University of Missouri–St. Louis campus
8001 Natural Bridge, 314-516-4949
Jazz improvisation and tap choreographed to classical pieces, including Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
Smith & Shapiro Dance, “Anytown: Stories of America” (November 17–19)
Edison Theatre
Washington University
1 Brookings Drive, 314-531-4833
Tells the stories of three working-class families, scored to the music of the E Street Band
Hungarian State Folk Ensemble (February 9–10)
Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center
Budapest Troupe uses authentic Eastern European folk dances and costumes
Stomp (February 16–18)
Fox Theatre
Former buskers from the streets of England blend drumming, dance and physical comedy
Dance Brazil (February 23–25)
Edison Theatre
Just in time for Mardi Gras: the rhythms of samba, the movements of Capoeira and a healthy dash of modern dance.
Edward Scissorhands (February 27–March 11)
Fox Theatre
Tim Burton’s whimsical film, adapted for stage by British choreographer Matthew Bourne
Shen Wei Dance Arts (March 9–10)
Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center
“Painterly, mathematic and idiosyncratic” choreographer Wei fuses Chinese opera, visual art, theatre and dance
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet (April 27–29)
Edison Theatre
Deemed “magical and poetic,” by the New York Post, this company combines the technical rigor of ballet with the airy, experimental spirit of modern dance.
