Ballet West, Kage keep talks private

Discussions between Ballet West and former artistic director Jonas Kage are continuing this week. But both sides have agreed to a gag rule, which prevents anyone involved in the discussions from revealing new developments.

"They are working through a mediator," Ballet West spokeswoman Jodie Fisher said Monday. "But we don't know all the people involved with the process. And there hasn't been any new news since Thursday."

The discussions are an attempt to settle a dispute between Ballet West and Kage, who was released from his contract a year early.

The Ballet West executive board said that Kage wanted to "pursue other opportunities," but Kage says he was ordered to resign or the company would terminate his contract.

"We had tried to make this as painless as possible," executive board chairwoman Carol Carter said last week, before the gag rule was imposed. "But then Jonas decided to go the other route."

That other route was to go public. "This is the community's company and they have a right to know," Kage said last week.

Since the announcement of Kage's leaving, the dance community is split on the issue.

Legrand Bagley, a close friend of some of the company's dancers and stage crew, has supported the board's decision to let Kage go. In an e-mail to the Deseret Morning News, Bagley claimed Kage "hasn't been doing his job for a while now. If you are going to see the ballet, you will know from seeing firsthand that Jonas isn't utilizing the dancer's talents.

"Besides a few loyal fans, who, in my opinion, only like him because he embodies European sexiness, and a few of Jonas' employees ... everyone who works there is excited to get a director with some real direction and motivation."

However, others disagree. Employees Annie and David Van Alstyne, Ballet West's administrative manager and associate conductor, have come forward to support Kage.

They offered up their position in a written statement last week: "The Van Alstynes say the decision to terminate Kage's employment one year before his contract ends defies explanation. ... The Van Alstynes believe that Kage is a strong leader. He makes the decisions that need to be made for the good of the company."

During Kage's time with Ballet West, the company acquired four Antony Tudor works, including, most recently, "Echoing of Trumpets." It was the acquisition of these works that led to an invitation to dance at the prestigious Edinburgh Festival in Scotland, where the company performed three of them.

The company has also performed works from critically acclaimed choreographers such as Hans van Manen, William Forsythe, Richard Tanner and Glen Tetley.

Kage has also staged his own works, including "Swan Lake," "Sleeping Beauty," "Giselle" and "Romeo & Juliet," to audience and critical acclaim.

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E-mail: scott@desnews.com