Festival Ballet Providence

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 10, 2007

Festival Ballet Providence, 401.353.1129

AUDITIONS:
CHILDREN’S DANCING AND ACTING ROLES IN FESTIVAL BALLET PROVIDENCE’S PRODUCTION OF THE NUTCRACKER SEPTEMBER 16, 2007
(Call backs September 23rd)

Providence, RI – Festival Ballet Providence Artistic Director Mihailo “Misha” Djuric announces open auditions for its annual holiday production, The Nutcracker. Children from the greater Providence area and surrounding communities are offered the opportunity to perform with Festival Ballet Providence’s professional dancers on the magnificent stage at the Providence Performing Arts Center. Auditions will take place Sunday, September 16th at the Festival Ballet Providence studios, 825 Hope Street on Providence’s East Side.

Close to 100 children age 7 and up will be selected to fill many children’s roles, including Party Children, Candy Dolls, Mice, Soldiers, Angels and Russian Maidens. Audition times are scheduled by dancer height, age and experience as noted below. The selective audition process takes approximately one and one half hours for each age group. There is a $15 audition fee payable to Festival Ballet Providence.

10:00 to Noon
— dancers aged 7-9 years old, 4 feet to 4 feet 6 inches tall,
0 to two years of dance training.

12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
— dancers aged 8 to 13 years old, 4 foot 6 inches to 5 feet 4 inches tall,
For dancers with 2-4 years of dance training

2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
— dancers aged 11 and up, 4 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 4 inches tall
For dancers with 3 plus years of dance training

4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
— Boys ages 7 and up, no height or experience requirements
Dance or theater experience a plus.

Girls auditioning for roles should wear a dark leotard, pink tights and pink ballet slippers and have hair in a bun. Boys should be dressed in dark tights, sweatpants or shorts, white t-shirt and black or white ballet slippers.

Call backs as needed will take place September 23rd, from noon to 3:30 pm. All casting will be announced on September 24th. Rehearsals will begin September 30th, with Sunday rehearsals in October, followed by Saturday and Sunday rehearsals in November and December. All rehearsals will be held at the Festival Ballet Providence studios.

Rehearsing for and performing in The Nutcracker is excellent training for untold numbers of young dancers as they pursue their dance education, whether it be a student aiming to be a professional dancer, or a child who enjoys being on stage. For either, the experience is a rich and memorable one.

Festival Ballet Providence’s The Nutcracker has become an annual holiday tradition for thousands of families throughout Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. As noted by the Providence Journal, “Festival Ballet Providence’s The Nutcracker remains the same – excellent”. With colorful costumes and scenery, a cast of over 100, giant mice and toy soldiers, and Tchaikovsky’s memorable score, this colorful production enchants audiences young and old. The magic of The Nutcracker is an unforgetable part of Christmas in Providence. Those participating in the performance have the unequaled experience of performing on the PPAC stage, for a combined audience of over 12,000.

For more details about Festival Ballet Providence auditions or its Center for Dance Education, please call 401-353-1129 or send e-mail to info@festivalballet.com.

To purchase tickets for The Nutcracker, call the PPAC box office or go to www.ppacri.org.

Festival Ballet Providence and the Center for Dance Education are together a not-for-profit arts organization whose EIN is 05-0377245 and whose Rhode Island Corporate ID number is ND-27-137.

Photographs available.

Attention Photographers and Writers:

Please feel free to send writers or photographers to cover auditions and interview candidates for roles in the performance.

The possibilities for great photographs and seasonal stories are endless! We expect over 150 children from throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts to audition for parts in The Nutcracker.