Bruce Caldwell

Ballet Master | Company Archivist
 

Bruce Caldwell, a native of Salt Lake City, Utah, began his early ballet training in 1961 from Bene Arnold and later from Willam F. Christensen.  He first appeared on stage in Salt Lake City in Kingsbury Hall with the University Theater Ballet as a child in The Nutcracker in 1962.  Joining Ballet West, then known as the Utah Civic Ballet, as an apprentice in 1968, he moved through the ranks becoming a principal dancer in 1973. Caldwell also trained under Bruce Marks, Toni Lander, Royes Fernandez, David Howard, Denise Schultze, Sondra Sugai and Petrus Bosman.  During his tenure at Ballet West he has danced most major roles in their repertoire, including Albrecht in Giselle, Siegfried in Swan Lake, the title roles in Don Juan, and Don Quixote, Sugar Plum Cavalier in The Nutcracker, Prince Florimund in The Sleeping Beauty, Count Vronsky in Anna Karenina, Franz in Coppelia, Christ in Sanctus, Oberon in The Dream, Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, as well as principal roles in Etudes, Symphony in C, and Carmina Burana.

Caldwell has the distinction of being the only dancer to have danced under the direction of all four of Ballet West’s Artistic Directors; Willam Christensen, Bruce Marks, John Hart, and Jonas Kåge.  He has appeared as guest artist for many regional companies throughout the U.S., as well as performing in international competitions in Moscow, Russia, and Osaka, Japan.  Caldwell has been a guest artist, guest teacher, and choreographer with many companies in the United States and has traveled to La Paz, Bolivia to teach and choreograph, assisted by Partners in America and the United States Department of State.

Caldwell is currently Ballet Master for Ballet West.  In 1989 he received the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce Excellence in the Arts Award, and a year later, the Governor’s Award, presented by the Utah Arts Council.