Posted September 3, 2021
DAYTON, OH (September 1, 2021) – Dayton Ballet is excited to announce auditions for children’s roles in its 2021 production of The Nutcracker. Auditions will be held on Saturday, September 25, 2021, from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm at Dayton Ballet’s downtown studios at 140 N. Main Street, 4th Floor, Dayton, OH.
Eligible Dancers for Auditions
This year, due to safety concerns related to COVID-19, all dancers who are 67 inches in height (5’7″) or under, 12 to 16 years of age, with at least one vaccination prior to audition, are qualified to audition. Dancers must show proof of vaccination on the day of audition.
At this time, children under the age of 12 are ineligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, per FDA and CDC guidelines. Therefore, children under the age of 12 unfortunately are not eligible to audition for Dayton Ballet’s 2021 production of The Nutcracker. Please continue to check our website for any updated audition information, as policies are subject to change.
There is no fee to audition, and no résumé is required.
All eligible dancers must download a Dayton Ballet 2021 Audition Form, and they must bring a completed form to the audition. Dayton Ballet 2021 Audition Forms can be downloaded here: https://daytonperformingarts.org/wp-content/uploads/Dayton-Ballet-Nutcracker-2021-Audition-Form.pdf
What to Wear to Auditions
Audition attire for girls is a solid-color leotard, pink tights, ballet shoes, and a mask. All hair must be prepared in a bun prior to the audition.
Audition attire for boys is white tee; black tights, jazz pants, or shorts; socks; ballet shoes; and a mask.
Masks must be worn during the entire audition process. Note: if cast in the production, dancers will also wear masks throughout the entire rehearsal process.
Eligible dancers should arrive at Dayton Ballet dressed in their dancewear, with a small bag for shoes, warm-ups, and water. Please be mindful of our limited space and bring only what is necessary for the audition. We encourage students not to bring valuables to the audition.
Before the Audition
• Sign-ins for auditions will take place one half hour prior to audition start time.
- Height requirements will be verified by Dayton Ballet staff at the door prior to admission to the audition. Vaccination status will also be verified.
- Parents will drop their dancer off at the Dayton Ballet door, dancers will be measured and registered, and dancers will be given a number to wear. Dancers will then be escorted up the elevator to the studios by Dayton Ballet staff and volunteers.
- Dancers may be released any time before 3:00 pm, so parents are asked to remain accessible by phone and in close proximity, in the event of an early pick-up time.
After the Audition
- When auditions are over, dancers will be escorted back down to the lobby of the Victoria Theatre, where they can be picked up by authorized individuals.
- Dancers will be notified of the status of their auditions via email.
- All casting decisions will be delivered at the mandatory parent/dancer meeting at the Schuster Center on October 16, 2021 at 3:00pm. Casting is at the sole discretion of the Dayton Ballet artistic team, and all casting decisions are final.
- Cast members must be available for rehearsals beginning October 29, 2021 through December 9, 2021. Additionally, cast members must be available for all Nutcracker performance times.
Important Dates
There will be a mandatory parent/dancer meeting for parents of accepted dancers only on Saturday, October 16, 2021 at 3:00 pm at the Schuster Center in the Mead Theatre.
There will be a $25 fee to cover administrative costs for those children who are cast in the production. The $25 fee will be collected at this initial mandatory parent/dancer meeting.
The rehearsal schedule will be posted and can be found at https://daytonperformingarts.org/nutcracker-auditions/ after October 16, 2021.
Note that no more than one excused absence for illness is permitted. All casting is final, and no changes can be made based on personal schedules.
Dayton Ballet’s The Nutcracker performances dates and times* are listed here:
Friday, December 10, 2021, at 7:30 pm
Saturday, December 11, 2021, at 2:30 pm and 7:30 pm
Sunday, December 12, 2021, at 2:30 pm
Friday, December 17, 2021, at 7:30 pm
Saturday, December 18, 2021, at 2:30 pm and 7:30 pm
Sunday, December 19, 2021, at 2:30 pm
*Note: Performances will alternate between two casts. Cast members should be available for all performances, even if they are not being called.
Dancer Expectations
The children’s cast is an important part of The Nutcracker each year. Please be aware, as this is a professional production, attendance at all practices/rehearsals is extremely important. All children’s cast members are expected to commit to attending all scheduled rehearsals and performances.
Note, again, that no more than one excused absence for illness is permitted. All casting is final, and no changes can be made based on personal schedules. If a cast member is not able to participate because of the attendance policy, the artistic staff will assign the role to another dancer.
In addition, Dayton Ballet expects our children’s cast members to act respectfully and professionally when they share the studio and the stage with our professional dancers.
For additional information about Dayton Ballet auditions for children’s roles, please contact Dayton Ballet at (937) 223-1542 ext. 1222. Information on auditions can be found online at www.daytonperformingarts.org/nutcracker-auditions/.
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About the Dayton Ballet
The second-oldest ballet company in the United States, Dayton Ballet is known internationally as “The Company of Premieres.” As one of the top three dance companies in the nation that produces and presents new work, as well as the only dance company to establish a fund designated specifically to create new full-length 21st-century ballets, the organization takes special pride in celebrating its 84nd anniversary this 2021-2022 season. Dayton Ballet hosts a season of four performances that includes familiar traditional ballets, the classic family-friendly holiday staple The Nutcracker, and new and innovative works. Our “homes” are the historic 1,139 seat Victoria Theatre and the state-of-the-art Schuster Center, which accommodates 2,300 patrons. While performances are Dayton Ballet’s most high-profile events, it is our commitment to dance education, training, and outreach that remains at the core of our existence and allows us to develop future audiences through the Dayton Ballet II Company, featuring pre-professional training and performing and our local association with Muse Machine.
About the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance
The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance (DPAA) was formed in July 2012 as the result of a groundbreaking and innovative merger between the Dayton Ballet, the Dayton Opera, and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. Together, they are the largest performing arts organization in the greater Dayton community, with a mission to be the community’s indispensable source for traditional, diverse and innovative experiences in ballet, opera, and orchestral music. The vision of the DPAA is to transform lives through the power of music and dance. The DPAA offers a wide variety of performance and education programs, setting a new standard for artistic excellence. DPAA performances reach an audience of more than 90,000 people annually, and their rich arts education programming serves over 60,000 schoolchildren in 150 schools in the Miami Valley. These performances and education initiatives are made possible in part through major support provided by the Ohio Arts Council, Culture Works, the City of Dayton, Montgomery County and the National Endowment for the Arts.