Music for the ballet, The Giving Tree, was composed during the first four months of 1987 and was performed by the dancers of the School of Ballet West in May 1987at the Capital Theater in Salt lake City. The ballet was choreographed by Carol Degnan. The music depicts the relationship between a tree and a boy as he grows to manhood and eventually cuts down the tree. In the end, the tree re-sprouts from the stump.