TICKETS

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REHEARSALS

Weekly Nutcracker rehearsals will depend on the role a student is cast in; however, we’ve done our best to outline targeted rehearsal timeframes below so you can ensure that rehearsals will fit into your schedule prior to auditioning.

• Level 1-5 Students (all program tracks) - Saturdays between 10:00am-Noon

• Level 6+ Students (Open/Entourage) - Could vary, likely Saturdays between 10:00am-Noon but could also be Tuesdays or Wednesdays between 6:30-9:00pm

• Company 6/7 & ProCo Junior Students - Tuesdays during Ballet portion of block

• Company 8/Adv & ProCo Teen/Senior Students - Wednesdays during Ballet portion of block

Some upper-level roles may also rehearse on Sundays for either the duration of the rehearsal season (worked around Company schedule) or for just the first few Sundays before all Guest Pieces are set

Please keep in mind these are targeted rehearsal timeframes for the major group roles in the show. If your student is cast in a lead role, solo or pas de deux part, or part involving Pointe (only eligible for Pointe 2+ students), you may be scheduled to rehearse at a different day/time. We will work with those students to coordinate a rehearsal timeframe that works for them. If you have questions regarding your student(s) potential weekly rehearsal time, please email info@dancersedgeonline.com, and we will do our best to assist in advance of auditions. However, there are some limitations to how specific we can be with rehearsal timeframes until casting has been completed.

Saturday Nutcracker Rehearsals will begin on Saturday, September 9th, and run until the show weekend.

Tuesday and Wednesday rehearsal start dates, as well as lead roles, will be coordinated and emailed to students cast in those directly once casting is completed.

All Nutcracker Participants will be allowed 2 excused absences from their Nutcracker rehearsal time. Going over 2 absences without advance approval will result in the student losing their role in the show.

IMPORTANT DATES

• Saturday, November 11th - Mandatory in-studio all show rehearsal

  • This is the first time the entire cast rehearses the show altogether. Act 1 will rehearse in the AM and Act 2 will rehearse in the afternoon. Until students know their casting, they need to block out 9:00am-4:00pm that day.

  • Last time, there was a high school dance team competition that conflicted with this mandatory rehearsal. If this applies to your student and they want to participate, please send an email to info@dancersedgeonline.com to help us assess if we can work around their dance team conflict.

• Friday, November 17th - Mandatory Dress Rehearsal at Prairie High School

  • Dress Rehearsal may begin as early as 4:00pm this day, so students need to block out from 4:00-9:30pm. As it gets closer, we will announce exact arrival/departure times depending on the student’s role.

• Saturday, November 18th - Nutcracker Performance Day!

  • We will have two shows - one in the afternoon and one in the evening. Participating students are required to perform at both shows.

COST

The cost to participate is $169 per student + tax. This charge will be added to all participant’s Dancer’s EDGE accounts on October 1st. This includes instructional time for 11 weeks and Nutcracker costume rental. There will also be an admission charge for patrons to watch the performances, though dancers will not need a ticket. More information on show times, ticket ordering, and more will be released as it gets closer to the show weekend.

VIDEO

Professional Videographers will be on-hand to record our magical performance. Click the button below to order a Digital Download.

FAQ’s

• Will all students who audition get a role? No, due to the nature of the challenging choreography in the Nutcracker and a limited number of roles/costumes available, not all students who audition will receive a role. We understand that is disappointing, but we encourage students to take the opportunity to continue working harder in their Ballet classes and audition again in the future!

• Who is this opportunity targeted to? All students currently enrolled in Ballet 1 or higher at The Dancer's EDGE are eligible to audition. That being said, older student roles are generally geared towards dancers that show a strong proficiency in Ballet technique (i.e. a teenage student with limited or spotty Ballet experience is likely not ready for a Nutcracker role). There are younger student roles available all the way down to Level 1 students, and in that case, we are looking for young students who demonstrate a strong interest in Ballet, an ability to listen to instructions, an ability to focus and be part of a team, and a baseline level of technical ability.

• Will students be eligible for multiple roles? Typically no. In order to provide opportunities for as many students as possible, the vast majority of students cast in the show will only be assigned one role. Exceptions to this may be male dancers needed in multiple roles and/or female dancers who have a small solo part (i.e. Mechanical doll) but are also in a group section (i.e. Snow).

• I see my student’s level would rehearse on Saturdays sometime between 10:00am-Noon, how do I know how long to expect? This varies by role and specific details will be available when the casting decision email goes out, but generally most Level 1 and 2 dancers will rehearse for around 30min each Saturday, whereas most Level 3+ dancers may rehearse for 60min each Saturday (all sometime within that 10:00am-Noon timeframe). Also, sometimes certain roles will start with less rehearsal time, and then as it gets closer to the show weekend, their rehearsal time may be lengthened or adjusted so that they can practice with other groups in their same scene. For example, if a student is cast as a mouse, they may rehearse for 30min for the first month of rehearsal, and then their rehearsal time may get extended to 60min once the Mice are incorporated into the full Battle scene.

• Will you be offering the Nutcracker annually? No, our Nutcracker Production is a bi-annual production, occurring in the fall for years ending in odd numbers (2023, 2025, etc).

• Does my student get to keep their Nutcracker costume? No, Nutcracker costumes are owned by the studio, so students simply rent them but will not take it home to keep. The cost of costume rental goes toward dry cleaning all costumes, alterations, and replacing costumes as they become worn out.

• Can a Tiny Dancer participate? No, Nutcracker auditions are open only to students who have reached a minimum of Ballet Level 1 and above and are also currently enrolled in a Ballet class at the Dancer’s EDGE.

• What should my dancer expect at auditions? After a warm-up (make sure you arrive early!), dancers will learn snippets from some of the roles that are common for their level range. After learning these short sections of choreography, they will be asked to perform them in small groups (generally 5-8 dancers). The audition will be videotaped so that our staff can review footage altogether when making casting decisions. 

• How can my dancer prepare for auditions? The best preparation for Nutcracker auditions is consistent Summer and School Year enrollment and attendance in a Ballet class, including a great work ethic and focus demonstrated consistently by the student in those weekly classes. From a ballet technique perspective, there is not much a student can do to prepare their technique for auditions, as technical development takes many months and years. However, students can prepare for auditions from a performance perspective by understanding that it is important to perform while dancing (generally smiling, though certain roles do require more acting ability). We understand this can be difficult for students to showcase in an audition when they just learned the choreography, especially if they are newer to the audition process. This audition experience is so valuable in-and-of-itself, so sometimes students need to audition a couple times before they get the hang of it. We encourage students to understand that mistakes are 100% normal in an audition, but a lack of performance is often more detrimental to a student’s placement, so we want to see them show us they can perform!

• Will Nutcracker Cast T-shirts be available for purchase? Yes! Look for an order form available on our website when casting decisions come out.

• When will we know more information about the show weekend? We will release a Nutcracker Info Packet (similar to our Recital Info Packet) by mid-October with all of the details, schedules, and other information you’ll need for the remainder of the Nutcracker rehearsals through the show weekend.