Raymond Van Mason
Artistic Director, Founder of Imagine Ballet Theatre
Founder of Rocky Mountain Choreography Festival and Artistic Director of American Ballet Competition
Dance Credits
He was a Principal Artist with Ballet West (Salt Lake City, Utah) where he danced many leading roles such as Swan Lake, Giselle, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty. He has dance main roles in many others such as Smuin’s Romeo and Juliet, Stevenson’s Cinderella, Caniparoli’s Ophelia, White Mourning and Ladies of the Camellias, Prokovsky’s Anna Karenina and Hynd’s Rosalinda.
He also danced many contemporary favorites such as Canfield’s Equinox, Taylor’s Company B, Mark’s Lark Ascending, Butler’s Carmina Burana, as well as many, many other ballets.
Choreography
His choreographic credits include four world premiere ballets for Ballet West – Seasons, Lady Guinevere, Transparencies and Desert as a Rose, commissioned for the Utah state centennial celebration.
In 1998, Mason was invited to choreograph for Ballet Pacifica’s Choreographic Project and in 1999, he was asked to join Ballet Pacifica as Ballet Master, Teacher, Choreographer and Dancer. While with ballet Pacifica he choreographed two works – Reverie and Moonlight, which was filmed by Lloyd Rigler Foundation for Broadcast on the Classic Arts Showcase for PBS and some cable networks.
Mason has choreographed for Utah Opera Company’s Productions of Romeo & Juliet and La Traviata.
Mason created Pilgrimage: A Liturgical Ballet (1993) and Requiem: A Liturgical Ballet (1990) and Sacred Dances (2007) works which were commissioned for The Cathedral of the Madeleine Festival of the Arts in Salt Lake City, Utah.
He has choreographed works for Utah Ballet (Salt Lake City): Chameleon, Carmina Burana and Symphony #7.
Additional works have been created for Ballet Etudes with the Phoenix Symphony, Les Ballet GranDiva, Abilene Texas Christian University, Les Ballet GranDiva – as well as others.
Mason has choreographed three full length ballets for Imagine Ballet Theatre which include: Secret Garden to an original score by Kurt Bestor. Nutcracker, Alice: Adventures in Wonderland and most recently Cinderella.
Jessica Gabler Teaches PALS (Performing Artists, Lengthening Strides) and Modern
Jessica graduated Cum Laude with her bachelor’s degree in Dance Performance and Choreography from Weber State University in 2014. She has over 26 years of experience in dance and has been teaching for eleven years. She has trained in many different dance styles but specializes in modern. Jessica has recently had the opportunity to start teaching the PALS class here at Imagine Ballet Theatre and absolutely loves it! She enjoys piecing dances together and cultivating an environment that welcomes creativity. Jessica is passionate about the art of dance and hopes you will join her in class!
Miriam Panek Teaches Adult Ballet
Miriam is a spirited, fun loving, follow your dreams type of gal. She was born and raised in Costa Rica where she grew up doing Hebrew Folk dance and then segued into ballet and contemporary from there. She traveled to the United States to follow her dream of becoming a professional dancer in 2020. She has been hired here and there for dance jobs, but is now a part of Imagine Ballet Theatre’s Professional Division.
Tessa Fillpot
Rehearsal Assistant/ Beginner Variations Teacher
Tessa has been dancing with Imagine Ballet Theatre since 2004. She originally fell in love with dance as a young child after her brother was prescribed dance as a way to control his body after being diagnosed with epilepsy. She has performed many memorable parts, such as Tigerlily in Alice: Adventures in Wonderland, Lily Archibald in The Secret Garden, as well as Snow Queen, Clara, and Sugarplum in the Nutcracker. She taught pre-ballet for IBT for 9 years, and assists with staging performances throughout the year. Tessa is a member of Imagine Ballet Theatre’s Professional Division.
Randee Hunter / Teaches Movement and Music and Pre-Ballet
Randee is a graduate of Weber State University’s Dance Program and is Dance Faculty for Venture High School. She has been teaching for Imagine Ballet Theatre for 3 years.
Lexie Keller / Teaches Beginning Ballet and Intermediate and Advanced Ballet
Lexie began dancing ballet at the age of four. She received most of her early training at Brindusa-Moore Ballet Academy in Pocatello, Idaho where she quickly fell in love with the beauty and storytelling that ballet offers.
Throughout her high school and college years, she expanded her movement vocabulary into contemporary, jazz, lyrical, hip hop, modern, and ballroom, but always maintained her affinity and admiration for the ballet arts.
In 2018, Lexie moved to Logan, UT where she performed on the Cache Valley Civic Ballet Company for 3 years. Her favorite roles have been ‘Arabian Princess’ in the Nutcracker and ‘Dew Fairy’ in Hansel and Gretel.
Lexie has since found a great love for teaching and choreography. She hopes to inspire students and help them grow in both artistry and character.
Genevieve Frank / Teaches Beginning Ballet and is Costume Mistress
Geneviève trained for 10 years at SAB dancing many children roles with NYCB and had the honor of performing the role of Marie (Clara) for several years in George Balanchine’s Nutcracker. She attended the University of Utah Ballet Program graduating in multiple disciplines. For the last 9 years she has danced character roles in Bournonville, Nutcracker, Cinderella and Secret Garden and currently enjoys passing on her knowledge and love of ballet to the students at IBT.
Emily Pope / Teaches Beginning Ballet for Teens
Emily is currently attending the University of Utah’s School of Dance. She is also a member of Imagine Ballet Theatre’s Professional Division. Emily has been dancing with IBT for the past 7 seasons and has danced Mary in the Secret Garden, Clara, Snow Queen and Mirlitons in the Nutcracker as well as works by, Christina Stockdale, Shani Robison and Jessica Gabler.
