Ballet Theatre Company will hold auditions for the 2021 version of ‘The Nutcracker’ at the West Hartford studio, with this year’s performance to be held at The Bushnell in Hartford.

Scene from BTC ‘The Nutcracker’ in 2019. Photo by Thomas Giroir (courtesy of BTC)

Submitted

Open auditions for Ballet Theatre Company’s (BTC) “The Nutcracker” will take place this Saturday, Sept. 11, at BTC’s facility located at 20 Jefferson Ave., West Hartford.

Dancers ages 6 and up are eligible to audition for a variety of roles in BTC Artistic Director Stephanie Dattellas’ “The Nutcracker.” Dancers currently enrolled in The School of Ballet Theatre Company (SBTC) are asked to follow the times for their appropriate level, while dancers joining us from other schools should follow the times for the appropriate age ranges. For complete audition and production details and pre-registration, visit www.dancebtc.org/audition-the-nutcracker.

The schedule for the audition is as follows:

• 1:30-2:15 p.m. – SBTC’s Primary I & II or ages 6-7
• 1:45-3:15 p.m. – SBTC’s Ballet I & II or ages 8-9
• 2:45-4:30 p.m. – SBTC’s Ballet III & IV or ages 10-13
• 4:30-5:30 p.m. – Pointe Audition
• 5:30-6:30 p.m. – SBTC’s Ballet V & VI or ages 14+

BTC’s “The Nutcracker,” choreographed by Dattellas, will take place Dec. 11 and 12, 2021, with a total of three, public performances and the return of its Community Outreach performance, “A Children’s Ballet” – a sensory-friendly performance offered to local advocacy agencies, free of charge.

Grade pas de deus from BTC ‘The Nutcracker’ in 2019. Photo by Thomas Giroir (courtesy of BTC)

BTC is thrilled to announce that after nearly two decades of performing this beloved holiday classic at the University of Saint Joseph’s Hoffman Auditorium, BTC will present its special 20th anniversary performance of “The Nutcracker”at the Bushnell’s Maxwell M. & Ruth R. Belding Theater. This exciting move to Connecticut’s premiere theater is an incredible milestone in BTC history that we look forward to sharing with our dancers, crew and patrons. In addition, BTC’s spring performance of “Aladdin” will be presented at The Bushnell in April 2022 with open auditions scheduled for Dec. 17 and 18, 2021.

In addition to the excitement of presenting a production in a new theater, students involved in BTC’s “The Nutcracker” will also be offered the unique opportunity to work alongside BTC’s newly-inaugurated company of professional dancers on a weekly basis. In the past, while some local and guest professionals brought in by BTC have attended multiple rehearsals leading up to a given production, many of the professional dancers’ busy schedules allowed only minimal rehearsal time with the student dancers. The presence of BTC’s resident professional dancers throughout the rehearsal process will further elevate this experience for young dancers.

Ballet Theatre Company is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. It is supported in part by Ron and Nancy Compton, The State of Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development Office of the Arts, The Greater Hartford Arts Council, The Hoffman Foundation, The Long Foundation, The Ensworth Charitable Foundation, The Edward C and Ann T Roberts Foundation, Beam & Barre, Laurel Graphic Design, Cricket Press, We-Ha.com, and Connecticut Public.

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