Boise’s Ballet Idaho Is at the Frontier of Creativity
The gold rush of 1863 put Boise, Idaho, on the map, but today the city is experiencing a boom of a different kind. As one of America’s fastest-growing cities—and ranked second on the 2024–25 U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Places to Live” list—Boise enjoys a thriving arts community that includes opera and philharmonic companies, the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, and the small but mighty Ballet Idaho.
“It’s been really fulfilling to see what the company is turning into,” says principal dancer Adrienne Kerr, now in her 17th season with the 25-member company, founded in 1972. When she joined at age 17, fresh out of Pacific Northwest Ballet School, Ballet Idaho was under the direction of Peter Anastos, who emphasized his own full-length ballets and Balanchine repertoire. Since taking the helm in 2018, artistic director Garrett Anderson has added modern and contemporary dance—and dozens of original commissions—to the repertoire. “Garrett has really opened up the possibilities,” says Kerr.
Anderson danced with San Francisco Ballet, Royal Ballet of Flanders, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and he first experienced Boise while performing with the Trey McIntyre Project, which was based there from 2008 to 2014. “We’re in a unique place geographically, pretty isolated, and the dancers were not being exposed to a whole lot,” he says. “I wanted to try to create an environment where people could take risks and grow as artists. If everyone is there to explore together, that’s an exciting place to be.”
Anderson has commissioned 39 new pieces from choreographers like Dani Rowe, Robyn Mineko Williams, and Penny Saunders; cultivated the choreographic talents of company dancers; and staged work by artists like Alejandro Cerrudo, Justin Peck, Johan Inger, and Lar Lubovitch. He’s also maintained Ballet Idaho’s commitment to full-length ballets: A new Swan Lake premiered in 2023, while this season brings Christopher Stowell’s Sleeping Beauty, and the annual Nutcracker run has increased from five shows to nearly a dozen in the 2,000-seat Morrison Center at Boise State University. (Contemporary and experimental rep is performed in BSU’s 435-seat Special Events Center.) Robust community-outreach programming also includes public-school performances.
As the company has grown artistically, so has the enthusiasm from donors and audiences. “They love the art form, and they want to support the arts community,” says Anderson. In recent years the operating budget has doubled from $1.7 million to $3.45 million. Ballet Idaho benefits from donated rehearsal space (featuring a newly renovated primary studio), and a dedicated fundraising campaign covered the purchase of a new sprung floor for performances. Donors with real-estate ties subsidize affordable housing for company members, and a partnership with BSU grants limited free credits to dancers; Kerr estimates the program covered 65 percent of her bachelor’s degree tuition. Anderson’s longer-term goals include raising dancer salaries, enhancing benefits, lengthening the season, and expanding the wellness program.
To pull off such big feats with a small roster, Ballet Idaho relies on dancers who thrive on challenge, collaboration, and variety. “The dancers we’ve hired in the last couple of years are good with who they are as a dancer and as a person,” says Kerr. “They’re smart and multifaceted, and they’re really hungry to learn.”
The company also relies on its 15 to 19 trainees. “In Swan Lake and Nutcracker last season, we had every single trainee onstage in multiple roles,” says Anderson. Headed by his fellow SFB alum Stephanie Orza, the Ballet Idaho Trainee Program mirrors professional life, including taking company class three times a week and performing original work, and serves as a feeder for the corps—when there are openings. The average tenure at Ballet Idaho is nearly 10 years, and several current dancers are in their second decade. That’s a testament to the artistic fulfillment they feel as well as the lifestyle they enjoy in Boise, from hiking, biking, and camping to restaurants and nightlife. “Everybody who comes here talks about how much they love it,” says Kerr. “I’ve really been able to grow with Ballet Idaho.”
Ballet Idaho at a Glance
Number of dancers: 21 in main company, plus 4 apprentices
Length of contract: 29 weeks guaranteed, plus special performances and touring
Compensation: Meets or exceeds union minimum for regular season, plus compensation for additional performances
AGMA signatory: Yes
Performances per season: 35 confirmed for the 2024–25 season
Website: balletidaho.org
Audition Advice
After screening applications, the company invites dancers to group auditions in the spring in Boise. The next round is an immersive, multiday experience. “I like to be able to see people in a variety of environments,” says Anderson, so expect to take company class, learn rep from the current season, and improvise phrases. Solid classical technique is essential, but “the main thing I look for in a dancer is curiosity. When a new choreographer comes in, you start building a whole new vocabulary of movement. That can be intimidating, but it can also be freeing and refreshing.”
Anderson believes that the right fit is good for the dancer as well as for the company, so the next step is a 30-minute interview. “I ask what they’re looking for, what’s challenging, what they’re interested in. We don’t want to bring someone in if we can’t provide what they’re looking for on their path.” Turnover at Ballet Idaho is low, so remember that “ ‘no’ for now doesn’t mean ‘no’ forever,” says Anderson, who recently hired a dancer (now a soloist) who auditioned three years in a row. “I always say it doesn’t hurt to audition more than once. I did that in my career.”
