Open Auditions at The School of Pennsylvania Ballet

Ballerina Misty Copeland

The Power of Dance-Misty Copeland

Like many girls and some boys, I went through a beautiful phase in my life when I wanted to be a ballet dancer.  I took ballet lessons at the Gwendolyn Bye Dance Center http://www.gbyedance.org/  I went religiously to performances of the Pennsylvania Ballet to see my then idol Heidi Cruz.  I even went to an audition, with my friend Kristen, for the Rock School for Dance.  http://therockschool.org/programs  I passed through that phase.  Though I am not a dancer, I love dance.  And I always will.

But there are those young people for whom dance is not a phase, but in the blood and their desire to dance will not be quieted.  They are my idols, too.

The School of Pennsylvania Ballet has announced a second date for open auditions. It will be this Saturday, June 16, 2012.  Here are the details from the source.  Let the dancing begin.

Source: Marissa Montenegro of the Pennsylvania Ballet

This session will accommodate students who were unable to attend the first open audition in April. Set to open in Fall 2012, the School also has named current Company Member Laura Bowman and former Principal Dancer Martha Chamberlain to its faculty. Guest faculty will include current Principal Dancers Amy Aldridge and Zachary Hench and former Principal Dancers Alexei Borovik and Alexander Iziliaev.  

Auditions on Saturday, June 16 will be held at Pennsylvania Ballet’s studios at

3502 Scotts Lane

, Building 4, Philadelphia, PA, 19129. There is no audition fee. Girls and boys ages 8 to 18 are invited to take an audition class, divided by age (see schedule below). Girls should wear tights and a leotard. Boys should wear a white t-shirt and black tights or shorts (no long pants). Girls ages 12 and above should bring pointe shoes. Previous ballet training is not required to audition. To register for auditions, please complete the form on this link:
http://www.paballet.org/BalletSchoolAuditionForm/Default.aspx

Ages 8 to 12
Check-in: 9:30 a.m.
Audition Class: 10 a.m.-11 a.m.
Ages 13 to 18
Check-in: 11 a.m.
Audition Class: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

All ages indicated are as of September 1, 2012. Auditions are for the Student Division (ages 8-18) only. The School of Pennsylvania Ballet also will offer Pre-Ballet (ages 6-7) and Open Adult classes, with no audition required.

Based on current contractor projections, the Louise Reed Center for Dance, Pennsylvania Ballet’s new home on the Avenue of the Arts, will be ready for occupancy in December 2012. The School of Pennsylvania Ballet will move into the new facility in January 2013. In the meantime, fall classes for Levels 3, 4, 5, 6, and adults will be held in the current Pennsylvania Ballet studios in the East Falls section of Philadelphia. Fall classes for Pre-Ballet and Levels 1 and 2 will be held at the Philadelphia Performing Arts Charter School in South Philadelphia. School of Pennsylvania Ballet staff will assign a level to each student accepted for Fall 2012.

Re-opening the School of Pennsylvania Ballet is one pillar of the Company’s current $25 million capital campaign, Building Beyond 50. Other goals include constructing the Louise Reed Center for Dance; artistic priorities such as expanding the repertoire, increasing the number of dancers in the Company, and maintaining the Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra; as well as strengthening the Company’s balance sheet and working capital. For more information on the Building Beyond 50 campaign, please contact Hilary Alger, Director of Development, at 215.587.6912 or halger@paballet.org.

Founded in 1963 by Balanchine student and protégée Barbara Weisberger, Pennsylvania Ballet is one of the nation’s leading ballet companies. Headquartered in Philadelphia, the Company’s annual local season features six programs of classic favorites and new works, including the Philadelphia holiday tradition, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™.  For more information, visit paballet.org or call 215.551.7000.