Park City residents will see some hometown talent when they attend Val Caniparoli’s “Jekyll & Hyde,” performed by Ballet West through Nov. 2 at the Capitol Theatre in Salt Lake City.The production’s cast of beggar-children features five young Parkites who are enrolled in the Frederick Quinney Ballet West Academy Peggy Bergmann Park City Campus.Those dancers are: Everly Brown, Sammy Mathews, Astrid Mejia, Jane Mullin and   Alison Sanchez-Vazquez.While Mejia and her parents weren’t available for interviews, The Park Record was able to talk with the others earlier this week.Brown, 12, who attends the Weilenmann School of Discovery, said “Jekyll & Hyde” is a different experience for her.“I’ve only done productions with the Ballet West Academy in Park City like ‘The Nutcracker’ and shows like that,” Brown said. “I’ve never been in one that is Halloweenish, like ‘Jekyll and Hyde.’ So this is something that is really different.”Brown and the others were cast in “Jekyll & Hyde” after Ballet West dancers from Salt Lake City came to Park City a couple of months ago to watch and teach some classes.“They decided which of us would be cast members, and I was excited when I was cast,” she said. “I hoped I’d get it.” Brown gets into her character by not thinking of bright and happy things that she would usually do when performing “The Nutcracker.”“Usually I think about something I’m not fond of and that I don’t like or that bothers me, so it helps me put on my mad face,” she said.Still, Brown enjoys working with Ballet West, because dance is something that makes her happy.“The company is fun to work with, and I really love my part,” she said. “I like moving my body, because there’s something about it that really makes me happy. I want to dance for the rest of my life. It’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was a really little kid.”Ecker Hill Middle School student Sammy Mathews, 11, enjoys performing the role of a beggar boy in Ballet West’s production of “Jekyll & Hyde.” Credit: Courtesy of the Mathews FamilyLike Brown, Sammy Mathews, an 11-year-old Ecker Hill Middle School student, likes the dark tone of “Jekyll & Hyde.”“This is so new to me, and it’s so different from what you may think a ballet is,” he said. “Ballet is so beautiful, but this is creepy.”Mathews revels in the opportunity to perform at the Capitol Theatre.“It’s a lot bigger production, and it’s on a much bigger stage,” he said. “There are different costumes, and we have a live orchestra that is cool and exciting.”Alison Sanchez-Vazquez, 12, who attends Ecker Hill Middle School, says performing as one of the beggar children in Val Caniparoli’s “Jekyll & Hyde,” danced by Ballet West, is a “big opportunity.” Credit: Photo by Don Polo PhotographyMathews’ Ecker Hill schoolmate, 12-year-old Alison Sanchez-Vazquez, shares his sentiment.“Being in a production like ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ has been a big opportunity for me,” she said. “Looking back and seeing some dreams come true on the dance floors is the biggest accomplishment ”Sanchez-Vazquez’s mother, Azucena Sanchez, has seen her daughter grow through dancing at the academy.“She’s been dancing since she was 4, almost 5 years old, and she used to be super shy,” Sanchez said. “Now, I feel she’s opened up more, and she speaks up more about what she feels is right for her.”Unlike Brown, Sanchez-Vazquez doesn’t have a routine that gets her into character, according to her mother.“She just knows when it’s time to rehearse and then just does it,” she said.Like Sanchez, Mathews’ mother Jennifer is grateful that Ballet West has given her son this opportunity, and she has seen him develop as a dancer.“He really loves performing, and it’s been an incredible experience for him,” she said. “Ballet West has been incredible with the opportunities they’ve afforded Sammy with regard to both training and performing.”Jane Mullin, a Parley’s Park Elementary fifth grader, says performing in Ballet West’s “Jekyll & Hyde” inspires her to become a better dancer. Credit: Photo by Joshua WhiteheadParley’s Park Elementary fifth grader Jane Mullin, 10, knows performing in “Jekyll & Hyde” is a unique experience.“It’s really important to me because I’ve never been in any Salt Lake ballet show,” she said. “Ballet performances are kind of a big deal, and I feel like it inspires me to be better at ballet and try hard every day.”Mullin’s mother, Maren Mullin, appreciates how the Ballet West Academy Principal Alison Debona and her husband, Rex Tilton, attend to the students.“They are nurturers first,” Maren Mullin said. “Secondly, they have an attitude of excellence. So while they want the academy to be supportive and welcoming, they also have high expectations of how they want things to look.”Another thing Maren Mullin likes is that the academy, which also schools her younger daughter Faye, isn’t part of the dance-competition circle.“We’re not traveling on weekends, so Jane can be a kid who can dance and enjoy this very healthy and supportive company,” she said.Astrid Mejia is one of the five young students of the Frederick Quinney Ballet West Academy Peggy Bergmann Park City Campus who are cast as beggar children in Val Caniparoli’s “Jekyll & Hyde,” performed by Ballet West. Credit: Photo by Joshua WhiteheadMathews, who carpools to rehearsals with the other Park City dancers, also appreciates all of the Park City parents’ support.“Without them we all would be stuck,” he said. “Rehearsals are on a crazy schedule, and I’m so grateful that they take us when we have to disrupt their schedules.” DeBona, who has been the academy’s principal since 2021, said the opportunity for these Park City students to perform in “Jekyll & Hyde” will shape the rest of their lives.“To work directly with the genius that is Val Caniparoli on a production of this magnitude is the purest example of what being a professional artist entails,” she said. “I am so excited for them to walk away from this experience with a new outlook on their training and its significance.” Val Caniparoli’s ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ by Ballet WestWhen: Through Nov. 2 Where: Capitol Theatre, 50 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City Web: balletwest.orgThe post Five young Parkites experience the thrill of ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ on stage appeared first on Park Record.