Imagine Ballet Theatre Inc

Imagine Ballet Theatre was founded on the belief that all children should have the opportunity to dance. To that end, we offer a safe, non-competitive environment that fosters self-expression, healthy body image and self-discipline. Imagine Ballet Theatre is in performance at the beautiful Peery's Egyptian Theater in Ogden, UT.

Imagine Ballet Theatre hosts a special dance class. PALS stands for Performing Artists Lengthening Strides, which is a dance group featuring dancers with special needs. PALS provides dancers with an opportunity to grow as individuals, build transformative friendships, and have fun with their peers. This year this group of wonderful dancers will be performing with Imagine Ballet Theatre dancers in Jazzy Nutcracker, set to the score of Duke Ellington's Nutcracker.

Imagine Ballet Theatre sponsors the Rocky Mountain Choreography Festival which gives choreographers a chance to showcase their works in the beautiful
Peery's Egyptian Theater and be judged by dance professionals.

Imagine Ballet Theatre hosts Bournonville Workshop with the Masters which allows dancers to study with ballet professionals from the Royal Danish Ballet right here in Ogden Utah.

Imagine Ballet Theatre is also honored to be the home of the American Ballet Competition which brings dancers from all over the country to our beautiful Ogden home to not only compete, but learn from master classes and workshops. 

Imagine Ballet Theatre focuses on developing well-rounded dancers by exposing them to a variety of styles and perspectives with an emphasis on classical ballet. The distinguished staff consists of well-respected professional artists and teachers. The aspiring dancers have the opportunity to perform in a professional environment at least twice a year. Dancers who have trained with IBT have received scholarships from The Rock School for Dance Education, Austin Ballet Summer Program, Atlanta Ballet Summer Program, Royal Danish Ballet Summer Program in France, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Boston Ballet, Washington Ballet and other esteemed summer dance intensive programs.

Imagine Ballet Theatre (IBT) was established in 2004 as the resident ballet company of Ogden, Utah. IBT provides to Ogden a quality dance company. It enhances the lives of our community residents as well as those of our surrounding communities. The operation of the dance company is not easy given the area it encompasses.  We have been able to touch around 6000 students annually through student outreach in partnership with the Peery's Egyptain Theater. Ogden is located in Weber County, it consists of the Urban Ogden Area and the rest is rural. Ogden’s inner city population has been designated by the Federal Government as an “Enterprise Zone”, due to its poverty rate (66% living below the national poverty level[1]), lack of education, low performing schools, and lack of adequate housing and employment that pay a livable wage. Given the economic concerns Ogden faces it is clear why creating a quality dance company and having continuous funding is a challenge. The needs are overwhelming. There is never enough funding to provide for basic services. Utah in general has the lowest per-pupil funding in the nation. Our schools have eliminated everything but the basics. There are little if any arts in our schools.  It is a question of feeding the soul or the body. Needless to say the basic human survival wins. Ogden’s history has been colorful and profitable. 

[1] 2010 Census and 2010 American Community Survey