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Show Zin idief Opens on 24fh I "The Zion Ballet Festival," featuring the Utah Civic Ballet Bal-let Company, will open a summer sum-mer program at the Zion Bowl In Sprlngdale Monday, July 24. Playing six nights a week for two weeks, this first annual an-nual program will feature seven ballets on alternating programs, according to William Wil-liam Christensen, company artistic ar-tistic director. The Ballet Festival is an additional program being offered of-fered to residents and travelers travel-ers in the Southern Utah area during the popular summer' reason. It is hoped that the Ballet will compliment the Utah Shakespearean Festival, now enjoying its sixth season. Included in the ballets to be presented are "Con Amore," the company, the community of Springdale, and the entire "Color Country" of Southern Utah, it is anticipated that the Festival will eventually be expanded to include eight to ten weeks each summer. Special preparations and special numbers have been prepared by the Ballet Company Com-pany for this special run. The Utah Civic Ballet is one of the more unique ballet companies of the United States. It is now in its fourth year with plans which promise to add to the ever increasing circle of reknown which it has enjoyed since its founding. In a real sense, the company com-pany is 15 years old, being the outgrowth of an organization organiza-tion started at the University of Utah in 1952 by William F. Christensen. Mr. Christensen came to the University in 1951 to set up a ballet department and the foundation of the University Theatre Ballet fol- lowed a year later. Recognizing the need in later years for a permanent company, Utah civic leaders, headed by Mrs. John M. Wallace, Wal-lace, set about to make the student organization a permanent per-manent civic company. In 1964 the Ford Foundation awarded the fledgling company com-pany a grant of $175,000 to be spread over five years. The growth and development since that time have been fantastic. The University continues to serve as the official school of ballet. "Les Bijoux du Mai," "Serenade," "Seren-ade," "Swan Lake," "Pas de Six," portions of the second act of "The Nutcracker," and "Filling Station." Officials of the Ballet are excited about the prospects of the productions in the outdoor out-door atmosphere of the Zion Bowl. A cooperative effort by j |