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Fort Wayne Ballet
Nutcracker Auditions 2010
Dear Parent(s),
I hope your year is beginning well and the transition from summer into fall is a smooth one. It is hard to believe schools are about to or have already begun, and even more difficult to start thinking about The Nutcracker, yet the audition is almost upon us. This letter addresses many questions for you to consider when thinking about your child’s potential involvement. Not all children are eligible for this production at this time, and the information below will hopefully educate you for when the time does come for your child to become a part of this great endeavor. Participating in The Nutcracker can be an exhilarating, yet exhausting addition to your child’s ballet training. Fort Wayne Ballet proudly presents this professional production to our community each year. It is a community tradition that requires a high level of commitment and flexibility from the dancers and their families. You know your family best and we trust you to be a good judge of whether your family has the ability to make the commitment required to be in a professional production.
Why Does FWB Hold Auditions?
This will likely be the first audition experience for your child. This alone is a valuable addition to their ballet education they cannot receive in a classroom. Auditioning is excellent preparation for a future in any performance venue. It is also essential as it allows the Artistic Staff to see each dancer individually in the audition format while looking at an ensemble.
Who Is Eligible To Audition for The Nutcracker?
This audition is open to all dancers in the community.
Youth Company (members & apprentices), Performing Level 1, Performing Level 2 and Trainee students do not audition for The Nutcracker. After they are cast, the remaining roles are supplemented by dancers from other Academy levels.
Ballet Levels IIA and above are eligible to audition. The times are discussed below.
Creative Dance II**, Ballet I students are required to attend a dancer call to be considered for any role. The roles for dancers in these age groups are strictly dependent on the size ranges of the costumes FWB already has made. They are not related to a child’s capability level or age. One example of a children’s role is the Blossoms, whose costumes only fit children 4’3’’ to 4’6’’ tall. Children’s measurements and hair length will be recorded at this time. This is the only time children in these levels will be considered; please do not try to make alternate arrangements with the Artistic Staff. This process allows us to be fair to all students in these level ranges to be considered and allows the Artistic Staff to concentrate on their obligations to our first production of the Performance Season. They have an entire production to mount before the cast list goes up on the call board. Please know that not all children who attend this dancer call may be cast. As described below, there are limitations on roles and costume availability. As a parent, you will have to help your young dancer understand these concepts if they are not cast. If you feel this would be overwhelming for your child, do not feel they need to reach for this performance experience THIS year. Additionally, if your child was cast in previous years, this does not automatically mean they will be cast in this upcoming production. **Satellite Preballet students who are 6 yrs old by 8/1/10 are included in this category.**
FWB is privileged to have an extremely talented Costumer; however, costumes are very expensive to make and can only allow for certain size/height ranges. This factor creates a dynamic that can be disappointing for dancers, but is one we cannot avoid. Parents can partner with us in helping children who may be disappointed in their role or feel they “were not good enough” for a certain role by helping them understand this concept. Children cannot control how tall they are after all. Every one of the 169 dancers in each of the two casts is a valuable member of the production or we would not have that role.
When & Where Is Audition?
Audition will be on Sunday, September 12, 2010 from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm at FWB. This is the only time the audition will take place. Anyone unable to attend this audition will not be eligible to participate in the production. We hope you will not have to be here the entire time, but be aware that this might be required as we progress through the process.
Creative Dance II, Ballet I or 6 and 7 year olds: Dancer Call 12:00-1:00pm
Ballet Levels IIA & IIB or 8 years old and up with 1-3 years of Ballet training: Sign-In is at 1:00 pm & Dancing is 1:30pm–3:00pm
Ballet Levels IIIA & Above or 10 years old and up with 4 or more years of Ballet training: Sign-In is at 3:00 pm & Dancing is 3:30pm-5:00pm
A NOTE REGARDING PARKING – We have a small parking lot and this creates congestion during these types of events. Once the main FWB lot is full, you may park along the street, although please abide by No Parking signs where appropriate, or on the gravel lot to the right across the street. Under no circumstances are cars allowed to park in the used car lots (next to us OR across the street) or in the no parking zone. Please let us know if you have any questions.
What Is Audition Like?
Your child is participating in an audition for a professional production, which is exciting and intense for all involved. They need to arrive on time, dressed in their class level dance attire. If they are female and are 8 or older, their hair must be up in a bun. Dancers in Creative II and Ballet I (6 and 7 year olds) please arrive with your hair in a ponytail rather than a bun. Upon arrival, every student will Sign-In, where he/she has their body measurements taken for costume suitability. Please ensure you arrive at the sign-up time so these measurements may be taken. If you are not here on time, your dancer will be asked to stay after the audition for their measurements to be recorded. These are recorded for casting purposes. Dancers will receive an audition number they will wear while they dance. The dancing portion will involve groups of students performing part-specific movements so the Artistic Staff can see them as a whole.
What Else Should I Consider When Deciding If This Might Be A Good Choice For My Family?
Being in The Nutcracker truly is a family undertaking and the time required of participants can preclude some families from being involved. Some of the requirements involve rehearsals outside of class time, scheduled costume fittings, The Nutcracker parent meeting on Saturday, October 9, 2010 from 2:15-3:30pm and a mandatory rehearsal on Sunday, November 28th which is hopefully the only Sunday requirement outside of the audition and performances. If dancers miss more than two (2) rehearsals, they will be unable to participate in the production. If they have to miss a rehearsal for any reason within the three weeks prior to Opening Night, they will be unable to participate in the production. This may sound stringent, but these standards are consistent with other professional productions and are essential to the quality of the performance. In addition, there are some costs, outside of your time, associated with being in this production. There is a costume maintenance fee of $25.00 per family. You will have to purchase foundation garments and make-up for individual roles. Families typically find themselves driving more to meet The Nutcracker obligations, which can be an added cost in terms of gas. The current economic tenor has impacted families and you will want to weigh the time and monetary requirements of your possible involvement. The quality of your child’s ballet training is not affected if they do not participate in The Nutcracker.
How is casting posted & will I need to go to the Parent Meeting?
Casting will be posted on Friday, October 8th no earlier than 3:00 pm. Due to the short amount of time Artistic Staff has to rehearse and mount the first production of the Season, the week before on October 1st and 2nd, there is no way to have casting before this date. In addition, dancers in Celebrations! need to be focused on that production and not on their role for The Nutcracker. We do NOT post the cast list over the internet for safety reasons for your family. Staff does NOT give casting information out over the telephone. It is up to families to inform themselves of their casting status. If your child auditions, reserve October 9th date and plan on coming to the Parent Meeting. While this may be inconvenient for some families, this system is the best way to coordinate the process for the 169 dancers involved in the production.
Parents, if you are interested in performing as a Party Parent in The Nutcracker, please contact Tess Heet at 260-484-9646 ext. 22 or theet@fortwayneballet.org
We are looking forward to The Nutcracker season this year. Continuing this tradition of bringing The Nutcracker to Fort Wayne is important to us and we are committed to making it a production of high quality that showcases the best of what our dancers can offer.
Sincerely,
Lucia Rogers,
Academy Coordinator
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