AUDITION GUIDE

Being a Company dancer requires a commitment of participation throughout the year in Westchester Ballet Company’s performances and payment of participation fees. Details are outlined in this guide. Before auditioning dancers and their parents should be familiar with the requirements for auditioning for and dancing with the Company, along with an understanding of the time commitments as laid out in the Nutcracker Rehearsal Schedule.

Watch the video of Westchester Ballet Company’s Nutcracker

Dancers should prepare for their audition by watching the video of Westchester Ballet Company’s 2023 Nutcracker.

Attend the Nutcracker Workshop—August 19-23

Dancers can learn and review WBC’s Nutcracker choreography by attending a special workshop scheduled for August 19 - 23.
Dancers can sign up for the Nutcracker Workshop when they register for auditions. Click here to learn more.

Audition Schedule

Saturday, September 14, 2024
Location: Bethany Arts Community, Ossining, NY
40 Somerstown Rd. Ossining, NY 10562
11:30 am Arrival Time Dancers Ages 6-8 
12:30 pm Arrival Time Dancers Ages 9-11 

Please arrive promptly, dancers will be checked in upon arrival and must be ready to dance. Dancers will be released throughout the day, there is the potential to be asked to stay as late as 4:00 pm. 

All Dancers should arrive with ballet slippers. Dancers ages 9 and up should also bring character shoes if they already have them.
Dancers age 11 may be invited to attend Sunday’s Audition. 


Sunday, September 15, 2024
Location: Bethany Arts Community, Ossining, NY
40 Somerstown Rd. Ossining, NY 10562
1:30 pm Arrival Time Dancers Ages 12-18

Please arrive promptly. Dancers will be checked in upon arrival and must be ready to dance. Dancers will be released throughout the day, there is the potential to be asked to stay as late as 6:00 pm. 

All Dancers should arrive with pointe shoes (if applicable), ballet slippers and character shoes if they already have them.

Not sure which audition(s) to attend? Contact us at info@westchesterballet.org.

Audition Attire

Please note that auditions may be filmed and/or photographed.Dancers should be “camera-ready” at auditions. They should be well-groomed for the audition (hair in neat bun, clean tights, etc.).

Girls, aged 6-8:
·       solid color leotard, no adornment (no skirt required)
·       pink tights
·       pink ballet slippers

Girls, aged 9-11:
·       solid color leotard, no adornment (no skirt required)
·       pink tights
·       pink ballet slippers
·       character shoes (if dancer already has them)

Girls, aged 12-18
·       solid color camisole leotard, no adornment
·       pink tights
·       pink ballet slippers
·       pointe shoes (if applicable)
·       character shoes (if dancer already has them)

Boys:
·       white T-shirt
·       black tights
·       ballet slippers

If your dancer does not already have a leotard, ballet tights or ballet slippers, please contact us at info@westchesterballet.org. We can supply these at no-cost.

Company Dancer Rankings

Based on audition results, dancers are offered one of six positions within the Company:

Student Dancer
These dancers must be at least six years old by the fall audition date, and are required to take at least one ballet class per week at the school of their choosing. Dancers must provide proof of registration from their dance school.

Junior Company
Junior Intermediate Company
Dancers in these ranks are selected on the basis of general ability, and must be at least eight years old with a minimum of two years of ballet training. They must be taking a minimum of one to two ballet classes per week at the school of their choosing. Dancers must provide proof of registration from their dance school.

Senior Company Apprentice
Senior Coryphée
Senior Company
Dancers in these ranks are evaluated and placed in the Company by the Artistic Directors on the basis of a number of demonstrated skills and physical attributes, including strength, technique, musicality, and performance capabilities. Placement does not correlate to a dancer’s age or grade in school. Dancers in these ranks must be enrolled in an intensive track ballet program as defined and approved by the Company’s Artistic Directors. Dancers must provide proof of registration from their dance school.

Casting Decisions

All casting decisions are the purview of the Artistic Directors. All decisions are final. No communication regarding casting is permitted between parents and the Artistic Directors or Westchester Ballet Company Board Members. Any attempt to do so will result in the forfeiture of the dancer’s invitation to be part of the Company and to participate in The Nutcracker and any other future productions.

Technical abilities and height in casting
Dancers are cast in roles the Artistic Directors deem appropriate to a dancer’s abilities, but height is also taken into consideration as dancers need to be similarly paired with others onstage.

Managing expectations
It is essential that dancers and their parents understand and fully appreciate that every role in a production—and every dancer in the Company— is important. We count on parents to be partners in this journey and to help manage disappointments.

Casting and repeating roles
WBC’s Artistic Directors work very hard to give as many qualified dancers as possible the opportunity to participate in its productions and we ask our families to keep this in mind. However, not every dancer who auditions will necessarily be offered a role in The Nutcracker or an invitation to join the Company. Dancers may need more training to meet the standards set by the Artistic Directors. Also, it is important to note that it is very normal for a dancer to be cast in the same role(s) for several seasons in a row. This does not mean that they are not improving or that they are not valued.

Eyewear
Dancers who wear eyeglasses must be able to remove them for rehearsals and performances, and still dance safely.

Declining a role
Dancers must accept all or none of the roles for which they are cast. If declining their role(s), they must understand that they are also declining membership in the ballet company for the fall season. They are, however, welcome to audition again in the Spring if the Artistic Directors make such an allowance. Please note that dancers must notify the Artistic Directors of their decision to decline their roles before rehearsals begin.

A dancer who withdraws from the production once rehearsals have begun will be dismissed from the Company for the season. Participation fees will not be refunded.

Role Notifications

Dancers will receive email notification regarding their Company placement and their Nutcracker role(s) within 4 days of their audition via roles@westchesterballet.org. The email will include a link to the Dancer Agreement. This agreement must be carefully read by the dancers and their parents before it is signed and submitted. You can read a preview of this document westchesterballet.org/dancer-agreement.

2024 Participation Fees

Student Dancer — $350
Junior Company—$475
Junior Intermediate Company—$500
Senior Company Apprentice—$525
Senior Coryphée—$550
Senior Company—$575

Families with more than one child in the Company receive a $100 discount on participation fees for each additional child after the first. Families with multiple children in the Company should make their payment for participation fees via check.

Financial Assistance
Dancers may apply for financial assistance to cover and/or offset participation fees once they have been invited into the Company. Please email: info@westchesterballet.org. Please include your dancer’s name in the subject line.

Deadline To Accept Invitation—Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024

Parents must accept or decline their dancer’s invitation by noon, Thursday, September 19, 2024. Payment of participation fees may be made by check or credit card and due before rehearsals begin. Directions for payment will be included with your dancer’s role notification.

Participation Requirements

All DANCERS must:

  1. Agree to the terms of and sign the Dancer’s Agreement.

  2. Attend the Company Meeting on Saturday, September 21 from 3:00-4:00 pm in Ossining, New York. Exact location to be announced.

  3. Attend the first three rehearsals for each of the roles in which they are cast.

  4. Attend all venue rehearsals for their specific roles. Spacing rehearsals for the 2024 Nutcracker are scheduled for after-school hours on Monday, November 18 (does not include Mice, Soldiers, Group Clowns, Group Jesters, and Pages). Details about these rehearsals can be found on the rehearsal page at westchesterballet.org.

  5. Attend all rehearsals for their roles in December. All rehearsals in December are mandatory. No exceptions.

  6. Attend all costume fittings.

  7. Miss no more than three rehearsals during fall or spring performance seasons outside of the mandatory periods. Any excused absences require written approval from the Artistic Directors. Absences for illness that are documented with a doctor’s note will not count against a dancer’s allotted three absences. Email info@westchesterballet.org ASAP about absences for sickness, religious holidays, travel, etc. Dancers are allowed up to 3 absences for these situations as long as they don't occur during mandatory rehearsals but they must receive written approval from the Artistic team for each absence.

  8. Maintain a level of dance training associated with the dancer’s rank in the Company.

  9. Miss two days of school for Nutcracker dress rehearsals on Thursday, December 12 and the performance on Friday, December 13.

  10. Be available to perform on Saturday, December 14 and Sunday, December 15, 2024.

PARENTS must:

  1. Accept or decline their dancers’ roles no later that Thursday, September 19, 2024.

  2. Agree to the terms of and sign the Dancer’s Agreement.

  3. Make payment of participation fees or apply for financial assistance no later than Saturday, September 21, 2024 (before dancer’s first rehearsal).

  4. Review the rehearsal and performance schedule prior to accepting their child’s roles to confirm that all attendance requirements can be met.

  5. Attend a mandatory Parent Meeting on Friday, September 20 from 7:00-8:00 pm in Ossining, New York. Exact location to be announced.

  6. Ensure that their dancer(s) arrive on time to weekly rehearsals and all performances.

  7. Perform a minimum of eight hours of volunteer work during the Nutcracker season. In addition, if your dancer is 12 years of age or younger, you must help to supervise a dressing room during one weekend performance of the Nutcracker. Please note that four additional volunteer hours are required for Spring Repertoire if your dancer participates.

Nutcracker Roles

There are approximately 100 roles in our production of The Nutcracker. Most roles are performed by non-professional youth dancers, but a small number of professional adult dancers are part of the cast.

Roles for younger dancers and non-pointe dancers are highlighted below in boldface. Note: Some older and more advanced-level dancers may be cast in non-pointe roles if their height allows them to perform in a particular scene.

ACT 1 ROLES
Clara
Fritz
Uncle Drosselmeyer
Party Children
Party Adults
Mechanical Dolls
Mice (Group and Solo)
Mouse King
Nutcracker
Soldiers
Snowflakes (Corps and Soloists)

ACT II ROLES
Pages
Angels
Opening Act II (Includes: Clara, Nutcracker, Flowers, Gigue, Tea from China, Flute Soloists, Dew Drop, Spanish, Sugar Plum & Cavalier)
Chocolate from Spain
Marzipan Reed Flute Soloists
Marzipan Reed Flutes Corps
Coffee from Arabia
Tea From China
Little Chinese
Caviar from Russia
Gigue from England
Mother Ginger
Group Jesters
Group Clowns
Solo Clowns
Solo Jester
Hopak from Ukraine
Dew Drop
Crystalline Flowers
Sugarplum Fairy & Her Cavalier
Finale (Includes all Act II EXCEPT NO Angles, Pages, Group Clowns, Group Jesters)

Please send all questions to info@westchesterballet.org.

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