Adam Sklute, Ballet West artistic director

• 1978: begins ballet training at age 15 with Oakland Ballet and San Francisco Ballet schools

• 1980: receives scholarship with Joffrey Ballet School in New York

• 1982: joins Joffrey Ballet

• 1995: appointed schedule assistant/assistant ballet master as the company relocates to Chicago

• 1998: promoted to ballet master

• 2000: spearheads development of Arpino Apprentice Program

• 2004: appointed with Cameron Basden as co-assistant artistic director

• 2005: both are promoted to associate artistic directors

• Dance career includes lead roles in works by choreographers Gerald Arpino, Sir Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, John Cranko, Robert Joffrey, Jiri Kylian, Paul Taylor. Instrumental in acquiring Ashton's full-length "Cinderella" for Joffrey Ballet.

• Has appeared with The New York Metropolitan Opera Ballet, The Dallas Metropolitan Ballet and California's Diablo Ballet. Has appeared on numerous TV programs and in Robert Altman's film "The Company," which was based on The Joffrey Ballet.