Register for the Audition

 To register for the audition:

  • ONLINE REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED
  • Please arrive at least 30 minutes before the audition to complete registration

To participate in the audition:

Welcome to the 2017-2018 Performance Season

Dear Dancers and Parents,

Thank you for auditioning for Princeton Youth Ballet’s 2017-2018 performance season!

Please read all of the registration information carefully and review our company policy.

  • One company audition will be held on September 23rd, 2017 for the performance season

o  Cast list for The Nutcracker will be posted by September 27, 2017

o  Cast list for Carnival of the Animals/Graduation Ball will be posted by February 16, 2018

  • Performances will be at the Princeton High School Performing Arts Center on Saturday and Sunday

o  The Nutcracker on December 9th and 10th (4:00 pm)

o  Carnival of the Animals/Graduation Ball on May 5th and 6th (4:00 pm)

o  Technical rehearsal will be held at the theater on the Friday evening prior to each performance

o  In-theater dress rehearsals will be held on the day of Saturday performances

o  In-studio dress rehearsals will be held 1-2 weeks before performances

  • Registration Fees are payable by check, cash or credit card. (Note: Check or cash is strongly preferred to keep our expenses down.) The fee includes rehearsal instruction, coaching, one t-shirt per dancer and one DVD per family. Fees are only refundable if a dancer is not cast in the ballet; they are not refundable if a dancer declines to participate because of casting. Need-based full and partial scholarships are available. Please e-mail info@princetonyouthballet.org for more information.

o  Dancers auditioning for the full performance season (2 productions) will have the option of  paying 50% of the registration fee at the time of the audition, with the balance paid with a post-dated check on February 1, 2018. The registration fee is discounted for those paying the full amount at the time of the audition.

  • Rehearsals*
  • For The Nutcracker begin Friday, September 29th
    • Fridays from 6:30 to 8:30 pm (ONLY intermediate/advanced pointe dancers and boys age 14+ [PDT level 5 and CP])
    • Saturdays from 1:00 to 6:00 pm
    • Sundays from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
    • There will be rehearsals over teacher convention weekend in November (November 12th / 13th)
    • Thanksgiving weekend, rehearsal will be on Sunday only (November 26th)
  • For Carnival of the Animals/Graduation Ball begin Friday, February 24th
    • Fridays from 6:30 to 8:30 pm (ONLY intermediate/advanced pointe dancers and boys age 14+ [PDT level 5 and CP])
    • Saturdays from 1:00 to 6:00 pm
    • Sundays from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
    • No rehearsals Spring Break weekend (March 30th, 31st and April 1st)

o  Older dancers should expect to rehearse approximately 4-10 hours/weekend

o  Youngest dancers will rehearse approximately 1-2 hours/weekend until we get closer to the performance.

o  ALL REHEARSALS ARE MANDATORY. Dancers are REQUIRED to be available for and to attend every rehearsal for which their roles are scheduled, with no exceptions. Any dancer who misses a rehearsal under this policy will be removed from the production without a refund of fees. Dancers who are removed may be reassigned as alternates at the discretion of the Artistic Director (see Alternates, below).

  • Absence due to illness will be considered a violation of the no-miss policy. Dancers who are injured or mildly ill should attend rehearsals but ‘mark’ or observe.

o  The rehearsal schedule for the coming weekend is posted every Monday evening on the PYB website (www.princetonyouthballet.org) under Your Documents. A weekly e-mail will link to the schedule. Please include your e-mail address on the registration form.

  • Company forms on the website, including casting and rehearsal schedules, can only be viewed by dancers and their parents. Please be sure to provide the e-mail address that you will be using to log in to the site on the registration form so that this e-mail address will be added to the Company list.
  • An initial e-mail with a link to the cast list will be sent within one week of the audition. If you do not receive this e-mail, please e-mail info@princetonyouthballet.org.

o  Rehearsals start promptly at the time scheduled. Dancers should be in the designated studio and ready to dance no later than the start time of the rehearsal. Even one minute late is not acceptable.

o  If there is a change in the rehearsal schedule mid-week due to inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstance, the change will appear on the website and an e-mail will be sent.

o  If a dancer is unable to attend a studio rehearsal, please call (609)222-7592 and leave a voicemail, or e-mail talinpyb@gmail.com. If a dancer is unable to attend a stage rehearsal, please call or text the emergency contact number provided in the Performance Handbook. Remember, all rehearsals are mandatory. Absence will result in forfeiture of role(s) without a refund of fees.

  • Alternates

o  If a dancer is unable to commit to the no-miss policy but would still like to attend rehearsals and potentially participate in the production, he/she may audition for a position as an alternate at the discretion of the Artistic Director. Alternates may have the opportunity to perform if necessary (for example, if the dancer originally cast in a role is unable to perform) or may assist with the production as part of the backstage crew if they are not needed for a performance.

*    Rehearsal policies and casting are subject to change at the discretion of the Artistic Director

  • Volunteering is required from every family during the production period and during the performance weekend.

o  Theater rental, costumes, backdrops, props, and the hiring of technical crew are expensive. In order to ensure that PYB will be able to afford high-quality productions, PYB families are expected to volunteer their time and effort before and during the production. Families are asked to solicit businesses for ads for the program, contribute gift items to be sold during the performances, donate items for our raffle baskets, and participate in one or more of the committee activities listed on the Parent Volunteer Form. Although one parent may have to spend one show “working,” every parent will be able to enjoy at least one performance from the audience.

o  Families may choose to pay a $100 opt-out fee (per performance) in lieu of volunteering.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Princeton Youth Ballet?

Princeton Youth Ballet (PYB), formerly DanceVision, is a not-for-profit corporation (501(c)(3)) founded in 2005 by Susan Jaffe and Artistic Director Risa Kaplowitz. PYB’s mission is to enrich the community with quality dance experiences, including performances and outreach. Performances include two full-length ballets each year with opportunities for additional performances and outreach, such as collaborations with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and Boheme Opera.

What is the relationship between PDT and PYB?

Princeton Dance and Theater Studio and PYB are financially separate organizations that share one artistic soul. PDT provides exceptional and compassionate ballet training within a culture of high expectations. PYB provides young dancers with the professional-quality performance experiences needed to help young artists grow. PDT donates studio space to PYB for rehearsals, and Risa Kaplowitz, the owner/director of PDT, serves as the Artistic Director of Princeton Youth Ballet. Many PYB company members are students at PDT, but auditions are open to the public and trained dancers from other schools are welcomed.

How much ballet experience is needed to perform with PYB?

Younger dancers should have at least 1-2 years of ballet training. A basic knowledge of ballet vocabulary is necessary. Older dancers who would like to perform on pointe are expected to have at least 2 years of pointe training. Serious advanced dancers 14 and older who are not PDT students and would like to audition for principal and soloist roles and / or corps roles performed on pointe are asked to take an additional assessment class prior to the scheduled audition. An assessment class will be held on Saturday, September 23rd at 10:30 AM. Please e-mail info@princetonyouthballet.org to register for the assessment class or for more information.

COMPANY NO-MISS POLICY

(*Please review carefully*)

Dancers will be REQUIRED to be available for and to attend every rehearsal, for which their roles are scheduled, with no exceptions. This policy is intended to benefit the dancers themselves, their peers and the Artistic Director and staff. With all dancers present to learn choreography and practice staging, the rehearsal period will be condensed and dancers will have a reduced weekend commitment.

ALTERNATES: If a dancer is unable to commit to the no-miss policy but would still like to attend rehearsals and participate in the production, he/she may audition for a position as an alternate at the discretion of the Artistic Director. Alternates may have the opportunity to perform if necessary (for example, if the dancer originally cast in a role is unable to perform), or may assist the artistic staff or with the production as part of the backstage crew if they are not needed for a performance.

********

Performances will be at the Princeton High School Performing Arts Center

  • The Nutcracker on December 9th  (4:00 pm) and 10th (12:00 pm and 4:00 pm)
  • Carnival of the Animals/Graduation Ball on May 5th and 6th (4:00 pm)

o    Technical rehearsal will be held at the theater on the Friday evening prior to each performance

o    In-theater dress rehearsal will be held on the day of Saturday performances

o    In-studio dress rehearsal will be held 1-2 weeks before performances

Rehearsals

  • For The Nutcracker begin Friday, September 29th
    • Fridays from 6:30 to 8:30 pm (ONLY intermediate/advanced pointe dancers and boys age 14+ [PDT level 5 and CP])
    • Saturdays from 1:00 to 6:00 pm
    • Sundays from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
    • There will be rehearsals over teacher convention weekend in November (November 11th / 12th)
    • Thanksgiving weekend, rehearsal will be on Sunday only (November 26th)
  • For Carnival of the Animals/Graduation Ball begin Friday, February 24th
    • Fridays from 6:30 to 8:30 pm (ONLY intermediate/advanced pointe dancers and boys age 14+ [PDT level 5 and CP])
    • Saturdays from 1:00 to 6:00 pm
    • Sundays from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
    • No rehearsals Spring Break weekend (March 30th, 31st and April 1st)

Any dancer who misses a rehearsal under this new policy will be removed from the production. Dancers may be reassigned as alternates at the discretion of the Artistic Director.

***I have read and will adhere to the no-miss policy.

Participation Fees

Audition Category Fee per dancer
1 ballet only

6 to 9 years old (PDT Primary C & Level 1)

 $250.00
1 ballet only

9 to 13 years old (PDT Levels 2 & 3)

 $300.00
1 ballet only

13 and older (PDT Levels 4 and up)

 $350.00
Full season

6 to 9 years old (PDT Primary C & Level 1)

·    Full payment at time of audition

 $480.00
Full season

6 to 9 years old (PDT Levels 2 & 3)

·         Payment in 2 equal installments with balance paid on February 1, 2018

 $500.00
Full season

9 to 13 years old (PDT Levels 2 & 3)

·         Full payment at time of audition

 $570.00
Full season

9 to 13 years old (PDT Levels 2 & 3)

·    Payment in 2 equal installments with balance paid on February 1, 2018

 $600.00
Full season

13 and older (PDT Levels 4 and up)

·    Full payment at time of audition

 $650.00
Full season

13 and older (PDT Levels 4 and up)

·    Payment in 2 equal installments with balance paid on February 1, 2018

 $700.00
Auditioning as alternate

·         Int/Adv pointe dancers only

 $100.00

 

Dancer Registration Form

Please specify whether dancers are auditioning for both ballets or for either The Nutcracker or Carnival of the Animals/Graduation Ball only.