Community auditions will be held in West Hartford on Saturday, Aug. 24.

BTC Nutcracker soldiers. Photo credit: Thomas Giroir

Submitted

West Hartford’s Ballet Theatre Company (BTC) will hold community auditions on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019 at 20 Jefferson Ave., West Hartford for its 2019-2020 Corps de Ballet and its annual production of The Nutcracker.

BTC’s Corps de Ballet is a selected group of young aspiring dancers who are given the opportunity to train at a high caliber, experience professional dance at a young age, and, if interested, prepare for a future in dance. Members learn the importance of discipline and goal setting, leadership skills, working well with others, and professionalism in and out of the performing arts world.  

Last year, BTC inaugurated this distinguished program with a talented group of 12 Corps de Ballet members and three Apprentice dancers.

This season, BTC will audition community dancers to perform in three full-length productions as well as numerous collaborative performances and community appearances throughout the 2019-2020 season.

The audition will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 24, with registration opening at 8:30 a.m. All auditionees must register online at www.dancebtc.org prior to the audition and bring a $20 registration fee, and a 4×6 headshot to the audition.

The audition will consist of a ballet barre en pointe, center work en pointe, and excerpts of repertoire selected from the upcoming season. Dancers with at least one year of pointe experience are eligible to audition.

With the most wonderful time of the year quickly approaching, Ballet Theatre Company is busy preparing for its annual performances of The Nutcracker which will be held at the University of Saint Joseph Hoffman Auditorium on Dec. 12-15. Community dancers ages 5 and up are welcomed to audition for various roles in Artistic Director Stephanie Dattellas’ rendition of The Nutcracker, newly choreographed last season. The beloved holiday classic never ceases to amaze audiences and Dattellas’ choreography and staging captivated both new audience members as well as long time patrons of BTC’s productions.

A parent of a cast member commented, “There is a spirit about BTC which is very attractive to our family … [BTC] provide[s] opportunities for the most gifted and focused dancers as well as enrichment for students of all abilities.”

Nutcracker Auditionees must register online at www.dancebtc.org prior to the audition to sign up for the age/level appropriate time slot. Females should wear pink ballet tights, pink ballet shoes, solid color ballet leotard or level appropriate leotard (for current BTC students), and secure hair in a high neat ballet bun. Males should wear black ballet tights or leggings with black ballet shoes and a white t-shirt or tank top with hair combed away from the face. Please no jewelry, wrist bands, watches, dangling earrings or hair scrunchies. A registration fee of $20 as well as a 4×6 headshot of the auditionee (recommended in ballet wear) will be collected at registration the day of the audition.

Ballet Theatre Company is thrilled to celebrate 21 years of artistry this 2019-2020 season. Since its founding in 1999, BTC has staged over 75 ballet productions, has trained nearly 1,000  aspiring dancers, and has made dance accessible to over 10,000 underserved Greater Hartford children. BTC is proudly sponsored in part by the generous support of The Greater Hartford Arts Council, The Department of Economic and Community Development, and Connecticut Office of the Arts.

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BTC Nutcracker – Fritz. Photo credit: Thomas Giroir