Ballet Theatre Company in West Hartford has opened registration for its summer sessions.

BTC’s new, state-of-the-art, The Ron and Nancy Compton studio equipped for classes, rehearsals and performances. Photo credit: Rebecca Berger

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The School of Ballet Theatre Company, located in West Hartford, will continue to offer high-caliber, professional dance training all summer in week-long intensive sessions. Intensives include half-day sessions for all six of the school’s training levels, two Mini Summer Dance Intensive sessions for younger dancers in Creative Movement and Primary Ballet levels, its acclaimed Ballet Bootcamp session, and new this year, a Variation Intensive.

Summer is the ideal time for students to pursue a dance education. Without academic pressures or busy extracurricular activity schedules, dancers are able to excel at a more rapid pace in technical skill, strength and performance, while exploring a variety of dance styles. BTC recommends that dancers train for several consecutive weeks to support and sustain their dance technique and strength, however, it is understood that not all dancers wish to train in this fashion. Program schedules have been designed to allow dancers the flexibility to train all summer or for selected weeks.

BTC’s Summer Intensives are open to the public and registration is now open! In-studio and remote learning options are available for most sessions and all intensive sessions run Monday through Friday. New students who wish to train with BTC this summer should contact School Administrator, Sydney Hitchell at [email protected] to determine the appropriate class level.

Students participating in strength and conditioning classes. Courtesy photo

The School of BTC will kick off its summer training with a new, one-week Variation Intensive taught by BTC’s Artistic Director, Stephanie Dattellas, and Ballet Mistress, Emily Silva. Dancers with at least one year of pointe experience are welcomed to participate in daily pointe technique and variation classes, where each dancer will receive one-on-one professional coaching in performing a level-appropriate classical ballet variation. To culminate each session, dancers will perform the prepared variation for a panel of judges and have their performance live streamed for family and friends. This intensive is offered in-studio only and has limited capacity in order to accommodate health and safety protocols and assure 1:1 coaching for each student.

Variation class dancer performing for a panel of judges and their peers in winter of 2019. Courtesy photo

The Variation Intensive for Pointe I and II level students will be held from May 24-28 and for Pointe III-IV levels will be held from June 14-18. Dancers who participate in the Pointe III and IV session may be selected to perform in BTC’s membership event, Encore Society Soiree, in a  livestream performance on Friday, June 25. Dancers who are chosen for this exciting opportunity will be invited to attend company class and rehearsal alongside BTC’s Season Dancers on June 23 and 25 to prepare.

From July 19-Aug. 13, BTC will offer week-long, half-day summer intensive sessions for its Ballet I-VI levels. Intensive weeks will consist of daily ballet technique classes, pointe or pre-pointe class, strength and flexibility training, and a rotating schedule of jazz, contemporary, modern, improvisation, or choreography classes. All classes will be taught by BTC’s professional dance instructors who train, study, and teach in a variety of styles. BTC is proud to offer such a wide variety of training techniques and styles to support well-educated and versatile dancers.

Two sessions of BTC’s Mini Summer Dance Intensive will be held in mid-August for Creative Movement and Primary Ballet levels (ages 3-7). This popular summer intensive is structured to develop ballet technique skills in young dancers, while immersing them into a classical storybook ballet. Students will learn about the chosen classical ballet’s story, its characters, the music, and its history, through story-telling, arts and crafts, and choreography. Additionally, they  will prepare a short showcase performance to present via live stream to families and friends at the end of the week-long session. A 15% discount is applied for dancers who enroll in both sessions! Students who wish to participate remotely, will be asked to pick up craft materials the Sunday prior to the start of the intensive week at Ballet Theatre Company’s studio, located off of New Park Ave in West Hartford.

Students in BTC’s Primary Ballet level participating in weekly classes. Courtesy photo

To conclude BTC’s summer offerings, BTC’s Ballet Bootcamp intensive will be offered to dancers in Ballet III-VI levels for one week only from Aug. 16-20. The goal of this final summer training intensive is to prepare students for the beginning of the dance season, which often includes auditions for BTC’s Corps de Ballet pre-professional training program and its annual production of The Nutcracker. In addition to ballet and pointe technique training, this program focuses on strength, flexibility, core stability training, and dance conditioning. Dancers also learn about proper nutrition and injury prevention.

Registration is now open! To learn more and to register, visit www.dancebtc.org/summer-2021.

As COVID-19 regulations and suggested safety procedures continue to change, BTC will adjust class sizes and protocols accordingly based on recommendations from health professionals. BTC will continue to implement its current protocols for in-studio training for the safety of all staff and participants. In-studio training protocols include temperature checks upon entering the building, wearing face masks and social distancing, keeping common dressing room areas and lobbies closed, and hand washing upcon entering and exiting. For a complete description of BTC’s in-studio training policies, visit BTC’s website. Any changes to BTC’s current policies will be communicated to registered students and families.

Ballet Theatre Company is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. It is supported in part by the State of Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development Office of the Arts, The Edward C and Ann T Roberts Foundation, Cricket Press and We-Ha.com.

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