2023 Festival Ballet of North Central Texas Nutcracker Auditions

Festival Ballet of North Central Texas is a vibrant company with a broad reach and a longstanding partnership with the Denton community. Festival Ballet first presented the well-known and cherished classical tale The Nutcracker in 1988, and it has become a holiday tradition.

All dancers MUST audition with their age group at time of audition. Anyone auditioning with pointe must meet both age and experience noted. Anyone not adhering to these stipulations may not be cast in the production.

GENERAL INFORMATION REGARDING AUDITIONS

• Dancers are cast through open auditions. Registration is now open for auditions for youth talent as well as for professional dancers. Because audition slots are limited, we ask everyone to register early. While auditions are held throughout the day, audition spots are separated into age/ability categories with limited slots per

• Dancers need to arrive 15-20 minutes prior to audition time for check-in and to receive an audition number. Late arrivals may not be allowed into the audition if the group has already been escorted into building.

• Parents, guardians, and guests wait outside or in cars during auditions.

DRESS CODE FOR AUDITION

• Girls 5-8 yrs old | leotard (any color/any style) with pink tights (under leotard) and pink ballet slippers. No skirts or shorts.

• Girls 9+ | leotard, pink tights (under leotard), pink ballet slippers (bring pointe shoes if applicable). No skirts or shorts. For those 10+ that meet requirements for pointe auditions, please remember to bring your pointe shoes along with ballet shoes.

• Boys 5-18 with No or Limited Dance Experience | Tights or shorts, t-shirt & jazz shoes/ballet slippers or socks (no sneakers).

• Boys 13+ | Tights, fitted shirt & ballet slippers • Dancers will leave all bags, street shoes, food, and cover-ups outside.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW

• Non-Professional Cast reveal will be on September 9th at 12:00AM online at www.festivalballet.net. Dancers will receive an email shortly before the reveal with the season’s password for the Cast Login section.

• Costume Fittings and Rehearsals begin September 16th at Denton Ballet Academy (DBA). Dancers are required to attend all scheduled costume fittings and rehearsals for the role they are cast. Our production is a full-length professional ballet, and a quality production requires all performers to fully know choreography, music, characterization, and timing in a specific sequence. Missing even 1 rehearsal is a detriment to the dancer and to all others in the scene. Absences must be excused for dancers to maintain their role. Absences should only be due to dancer's required school events, illness, and emergencies. Parties are not considered an excused absence.

• Certain roles may not rehearse every date listed, but many roles do rehearse at least 1 day a week. Weekend Rehearsal Dates (starting at 1PM) include September 17, 23, 24, 30 | October 1, 7, 8, 14,15, 21, 22, 28, 29 | November 4, 5, 11, 18, 26 | December 2, 3, 9, 10.

• Dancers cast in more advanced roles (dancers 13+) may be required to attend Thursday Rehearsal dates (starting at 7:45PM) that include September 21, 28 | October 5, 12, 19, 26 |November 2, 9, 16, 30 | December 7.

• Photo Day (photos for program), Tech Week rehearsals, and Performance dates will be announced as soon as information is available.

• Dancers may be cast to perform in some or all performances. Specific information on casting/performances will be provided online at Cast Reveal.

COVID Protocol: The health and safety of our dancers, volunteers, employees, teachers, and their families means a great deal to us. We continue to monitor information that is available from the CDC and WHO to be mindful of their current recommendations. We also continue to monitor practices that local schools and municipalities are following. At the DBA studio, we are committed to following a schedule in disinfecting common surfaces, restrooms, and dance equipment. We encourage everyone to practice good hygiene such as regular hand washing with soap and water, sanitizing hands regularly, avoiding hand shaking, touching of face and mouth, sharing food, drinks, and containers, covering coughs and sneezes, and remaining home when running a fever or having symptoms. We also recommend you regularly disinfect dance bags and contents and limiting items brought into the studio. While masks are not currently required at the studio, we respect dancers that may choose to wear one during rehearsals. We will communicate with our dancers should changes become necessary to our standard operating protocols. Dancers that have tested positive or are experiencing COVID 19 symptoms should not attend rehearsals or events. We recommend consulting with your physician and following the guidelines established by the CDC before returning to rehearsals and events.

Festival Ballet of North Central Texas is 501 (3) (c) non-profit organization.