THE ESSENTIAL A&E PICKS FOR JAN 5 - 11 

• Izzy Arietta

RDT: Emerge
All artists worth the name are aware of being part of a legacy—that their work inevitably exists thanks to those who broke ground, offered inspiration, or even offered direct instruction. Organizations like Repertory Dance Theatre are built around not just presenting the art of dance to local audiences, but ensuring the future of the form by providing opportunities for their dancers to work on choreography, and for having those dancer-choreographers in turn teach other young dancers.

Emerge—RDT's annual showcase of choreography by its dancers and artistic staff—continues that tradition with a wonderful collection of works, incorporating dancers from several community dance organizations. RDT Artistic Associate Nicholas Cendese and dancer Lindsey Faber were both formerly students at Tanner Dance, and now return to bring students into their own choreography. Company member Ursula Perry presents a piece featuring dance students from Brigham Young University, while company member Lauren Curley creates her work on teen dancers from Holladay-based Winner School. Fem Dance Company and Altitude Dance Company are also among the participating artists, with works created by Elle Johansen and Trung "Daniel" Do, respectively. Additionally, company Education Associate Austin Hardy will be creating new work for students who will be attending RDT's Winterdance Workshop this month.

RDT's Emerge runs Jan. 6-7, with performances 7:30 p.m. nightly plus a 2 p.m. Saturday matinee, at the Rose Wagner Center's Leona Wagner Black Box (138 W. 300 South). Tickets are $20 general admission; visit arttix.org to purchase tickets and for additional event information. (Scott Renshaw)

BalletNEXT @ Park City Eccles Center
After a decade in New York, veteran American Ballet Theatre dancer Michele Wiles brought her BalletNEXT company to Park City in 2021, introducing Utah locals to their work in unique venues like the Rockwell Listening Room and Deer Valley's Talisker Club. Now, BalletNEXT is coming to Park City Institute's showcase stage at the Eccles Center for the first time—and in so doing, is offering a chance to glimpse some of the highlights of their pre-Utah existence.

In this case, that includes the local premiere of the 2014 piece Surmisable Units, by celebrated choreographer Brian Reeder. The work is set to Steve Reich's composition "Piano Phase," which is performed by pianist Elliott Figg using one hand each on two grand pianos. Opening with a solo by Wiles herself, it segues into a group piece involving five additional BalletNEXT dancers. Upon its premiere, New York Observer wrote "Wiles and her group ... have been given passages of movement that are inventive and at times compelling. ... Reeder shows us is a distinctive imagination, a strong response to music and a sophisticated vocabulary of steps."

In a press release, Wiles says of the collaboration with Park City Institute, "As Park City's local ballet company, BalletNEXT is focused on building impactful partnerships between world class dance and the creative organizations in our community." Join BalletNEXT at the Eccles Center (1750 Kearns Blvd., Park City) on Sunday, Jan. 8 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $5.50 - $37.50; visit parkcityinstitute.org to purchase tickets and for additional event information. (SR)

• Emilio Madrid

Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations @ Eccles Theater
The concept of the "jukebox musical" dates back more than 40 years, to shows like Ain't Misbehavin' and 42nd Street, but recent years have seen a huge surge in the concept. Popular music artists—from ABBA to Billy Joel, from the Go-Go's to Neil Diamond—have seen their work used to adorn thin narrative scaffolding, often having little to do with the stories of those artists themselves. Rarer examples are tales like Jersey Boys, which fold a biographical drama into the classic music—and that's exactly what you get with Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations.

The story tracks the experiences that led to the formation of the legendary vocal group, told from the perspective of founding member Otis Williams (whose autobiography provided most of the source material). Williams, Melvin Franklin, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams and David Ruffin all find their way from the American South to Detroit in the 1950s as part of the "Great Migration," and eventually into the stable of Motown Records. And along with the history of the members' lives and loves, you certainly also get to enjoy the hits like "My Girl," "Just My Imagination," "Ain't Too Proud to Beg," "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" and many more.

Ain't Too Proud visits the Eccles Theater (131 S. Main St.) Jan. 10 – 15, with performances at 7:30 p.m. weeknights, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday matinee and 1 p.m. & 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $45 - $159; visit arttix.org for tickets and other event information. (SR)