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Utah
Best of State
Individual Dancer |
Raymond
Van Mason is an independent choreographer
and master teacher, as well as the Artistic Director
of Imagine Ballet Theatre. He was a Principal Artist
with Ballet West (Salt Lake City, UT) where he danced
many leading roles in the ballet classics Swan Lake,
Giselle, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, as well
as many others, Smuin’s Romeo and Juliet,
Stevenson’s Cinderella, Caniparoli’s Ophelia,
White Mourning and Ladies of the Camellias, Prokovsky’s
Anna Karenina, Hynd’s Rosalinda, and contemporary
favorites such as Canfield’s Equinox, Taylor’s
Company B, Marks’ Lark Ascending, Butler’s
Carmina Burana, as well as many, many other ballets.
While with Ballet West he toured throughout the United
States and performed at The Kennedy Center in Washington,
DC. |
He
has danced as a guest artist with The Stars of the San Francisco
Ballet in Marsielle, France, with the Charleston Ballet,
Ballet Pacifica, Ballet Etudes, the National Society of
Arts
and Letters 50th Anniversary Celebration, DanceWest Ballet,
as well as numerous arts festivals.
His choreographic credits include four world premiere ballets
for Ballet West – Seasons, Lady Guinevere, Transparencies
and Desert as a Rose, commissioned for the Utah State Centennial
celebration. In 1998, Mason was invited to choreograph for
Ballet Pacifica’s Choreographic Project and in
1999, he was asked to join Ballet Pacifica as Ballet
Master, Teacher, Choreographer and Dancer. While with
Ballet Pacifica he choreographed two works - Reverie
and Moonlight, which was filmed by the Lloyd Rigler Foundation
for broadcast on the Classic Arts Showcase for Public Broadcasting
Services (PBS) and some cable networks. Mason has choreographed
for Utah Opera Company's productions of Romeo &
Juliet and La Traviata. His choreography has been
selected by New Choreographers On Pointe for "Ballet
Builders, A Showcase in New York City", in 1998 and
1994. For Ballet Builders he presented his ballet Moonlight
(1998) and his Fall pas de deux from his ballet Seasons
(1994). Mason created Pilgrimage: A Liturgical Ballet (1993)
and Requiem: A Liturgical Ballet (1990) works which were commissioned
for The Cathedral of the Madeleine Festival of the Arts
in Salt Lake City, UT. He has choreographed works for Utah
Ballet (Salt Lake City) Chameleon, Carmina Burana and Symphony
#7. Additional works have been created for Ballet
Etudes with the Phoenix Symphony, Les Ballet GranDiva,
Abilene Ballet Theatre for their participation in the Southwest
Dance Festival, Lone Star Ballet, University of Kentucky,
and Texas Christian University - as well as others. In 2003,
he choreographed Hoop Dreams for Les Ballet GranDiva
as part of their Japan tour. Mason continues to create numerous
works for Imagine Ballet Theatre - Pillow Party, The
Three Graces, Waltz Poems, and more.... as well as works
for other ballet companies.
Professional
Career
2004
- Present: Artistic Director of IBT, Choreographer,
Master Teacher, Guest Artist
2004 - Present: Adjunct faculty in Ballet at
Weber State University, Ogden, UT
2000-2003: 2000-2005:
Principal Dancer; Les Ballet GranDiva, Victor
Trevino, Artistic Director
1999: Ballet Master, Dancer; Ballet Pacifica,
Molly Lynch, Artistic Director
1997-1998: Principal Dancer; Ballet West, Jonas
Kage, Artistic Director
1989-1997: Principal Dancer; Ballet West, John
Hart, Artistic Director
1987-1989: Soloist; Ballet West, John Hart Artistic
Director
1985-1987: Corps de Ballet; Ballet West, John
Hart, Artistic Director
1983-1985: Corps de Ballet; Ballet West, Bruce
Marks, Artistic Director
1982-1983: Utah Ballet; Bene Arnold, Artistic
Director |
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Academic
Achievement
Academics
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ballet, University
of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Other Recognition
Utah Best of State Award, 2004, in category
of Individual Dancer
Utah Artists Grants
Past President of University of Utah Fine
Arts Alumni Board |
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