Saturday, September 6, 2014: Auditions for Nutcracker and The Philadelphia Youth Ballet at our Old City location at 219 Cuthbert Street, 3rd Floor
10:00 am – 11:00 am: ages 5 – 7
11:30 am – 12:30 pm: ages 8 – 11
1:00 pm – 2:15 pm: ages 12 and up
Be a part of our 5th annual production! Rehearsals begin the following Saturday on September 13, and the performances are December 12 & 13. Definite show times will be announced as soon as possible. Only two absences are allowed. Ballet students who take class at our Rittenhouse or Wynnewood locations are still eligible. All rehearsals take place at our main Old City location. Read more about what is required to be a part of Nutcracker.
Please print and complete your audition forms in advance. Bring them with you on September 6. Auditions for the Boys Scholarship and Pre-Professional Programs also happen on this day.
PDF – Nutcracker Audition Form (use this form for Pre-Pro auditions)
PDF – PYB Audition Form
PDF – Boys Program Audition Form
Interested in Philadelphia Youth Ballet (PYB)? Read some FAQs:
How old do you have to be to join the company?
Philadelphia Dance Academy ballet students age 8 and older enrolled in at least two ballet technique classes per week are welcome to audition for the company. There is a Junior Ensemble and a Senior Ensemble.
Can you audition for Nutcracker if you are not a member of the company?
YES. All Philadelphia Dance Academy ballet students age 5 and up have the opportunity to audition just for the Nutcracker.
How do you become a member?
At the Nutcracker auditions on September 6, indicate on the application that you would like to be considered for PYB membership.
Who should audition for the company?
Students who love to perform and are willing to commit to the PYB Saturday rehearsal schedule in addition to taking a minimum of two technique classes per week for Junior Ensemble and a minimum of four technique classes per week for Senior Ensemble.
IMPORTANT: Membership in PYB is a year-long commitment. Students may not miss more than two Nutcracker rehearsals or two rehearsals in the spring (after Winter Break, PYB returns to Saturday afternoon rehearsals to prepare for their Spring Concert).
What are the benefits of joining the company?
Company members learn a varied repertoire of classical ballet, contemporary, and other styles, which allow them to develop the versatility that is required for a career in the performing arts. They have regular performance opportunities in a wide variety of venues, from small informal festivals to large professional theaters. The diversity of these experiences fosters confidence and improves performance skills. As company members, students learn the intrinsic reward of working together towards a common goal and seeing the results of their hard work and discipline in each successful performance.
Is there a performance or membership fee?
Nutcracker performance fees is $175 (includes Nutcracker tee shirt).
PYB annual membership fee is $300 (includes Nutcracker fee).
The performance/membership fee covers: the cost of costumes, backdrop and prop rentals and purchases, theater rental, theater technical staff, professional guest artists from Pennsylvania Ballet or other companies, program printing, and faculty for weekly rehearsals.
Interested in the Boys Scholarship or Pre-Professional Ballet Programs only?
You can audition for either program on this day without committing to the Nutcracker. Your participation in the audition will allow our faculty to evaluate you and appropriately place you in a class level for the school year. However, you might have so much fun in the audition that you want to join our Nutcracker cast! If that’s the case, just let us know before you leave!
See you on audition day!
Auditions for Nutcracker and Philadelphia Youth Ballet are at our Old City location at 219 Cuthbert Street, 3rd Floor on Saturday, September 7, 2013.
10:00 am – 11:00 am: ages 5 – 7
11:00 am – 12:00 pm: ages 8 – 11
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm: ages 12 and up
Be a part of our 4th annual production! Rehearsals begin the following Saturday on September 14, and the performances are in early December. Definite dates will be announced shortly. Only two absences are allowed. Read more about what is required to be a part of Nutcracker.
Interested in Philadelphia Youth Ballet (PYB)? Read some FAQs:
How old do you have to be to join the company?
Philadelphia Dance Academy ballet students age 8 and older enrolled in at least two ballet technique classes per week are welcome to audition for the company. There is a Junior Ensemble and a Senior Ensemble.
Can you audition for Nutcracker if you are not a member of the company?
YES. All Philadelphia Dance Academy ballet students age 5 and up have the opportunity to audition. They may choose to audition for Nutcracker and not for Philadelphia Youth Ballet.
How do you become a member?
At the Nutcracker auditions on September 7, indicate on the application that you would like to be considered for PYB membership.
Who should audition for the company?
Students who love to perform and are willing to commit to the PYB Saturday rehearsal schedule in addition to taking a minimum of two technique classes per week for Junior Ensemble and a minimum of four technique classes per week for Senior Ensemble.
IMPORTANT: Membership in PYB is a year-long commitment. Students may not miss more than two Nutcracker rehearsals or two rehearsals in the spring (after Winter Break, PYB returns to Saturday afternoon rehearsals to prepare for their Spring Concert).
What are the benefits of joining the company?
Company members learn a varied repertoire of classical ballet, contemporary, and other styles, which allow them to develop the versatility that is required for a career in the performing arts. They have regular performance opportunities in a wide variety of venues, from small informal festivals to large professional theaters. The diversity of these experiences fosters confidence and improves performance skills. As company members, students learn the intrinsic reward of working together towards a common goal and seeing the results of their hard work and discipline in each successful performance.
Is there a performance or membership fee?
Nutcracker performance fees is $175 (includes Nutcracker tee shirt).
PYB annual membership fee is $300 (includes Nutcracker fee).
The performance/membership fee covers: the cost of costumes, backdrop and prop rentals and purchases, theater rental, theater technical staff, professional guest artists from Pennsylvania Ballet or other companies, program and ticket printing, and faculty for weekly rehearsals.
See you on audition day!
The Philadelphia Dance Academy and The Philadelphia Youth Ballet present their 2nd Annual Spring Concert, in collaboration with the Drexel University Dance Department and Spoke the Hub‘s Young Artists program, a pre-professional training program for 8-16 year olds based in Brooklyn.
Featuring choreography by Drexel University students, Philadelphia Dance Academy faculty, and Youth Ballet members.
We are excited to welcome Spoke the Hub’s Young Artists (STHYA) dancers to perform in this year’s concert. Students in the Young Artists program study modern dance, ballet, and improvisation, and create and perform their own original choreography throughout the year. They also have the opportunity to work with professional guest artists, and are often invited to participate in Spoke the Hub’s adult professional productions and other community events. Most recently, four STH young artists joined the adult company on tour and performed their own choreography for Marta Becket at the Amargosa Opera House in Death Valley, CA.
Philadelphia Youth Ballet members will perform with STHYA once more on visiting Brooklyn in April, an exciting second step in our new relationship.
Christ Church Neighborhood House
20 North American Street, Philadelphia
1:30pm & 3:30pm (approx. one hour each)
Tickets are $15. Call or email for ticket information, or purchase with cash or check at the front desk.
Whew! We have been busy. Members of The Philadelphia Youth Ballet have now completed five community events – performing Nutcracker excerpts at Barnes & Noble, Headhouse Square’s Winter Wonderland this past Sunday, and at local schools throughout the area.
These events serve many purposes. Not only do PYB dancers get the opportunity to connect with their communities, but they get the benefit of additional performance practice – always a welcome thing. Practicing performance presence is one of the wonderful things about PYB. Dancers have the opportunity to hone skills like maintaining a professional demeanor despite the challenges that sometimes come with live performance. A perfect example of this very thing happened at Winter Wonderland. A dancer lost her skirt halfway through Marzipan! Did she stop? Did she get upset? Certainly not. She kicked it to the side and kept on dancing, smiling even more. We were very proud of the way she dealt with this obstacle.
Don’t miss PYB members perform in The Nutcracker, at Prince Music Theater December 14-16. Tickets here.
Philadelphia Youth Ballet members, along with their cast mates, are busy preparing for our 3rd annual Nutcracker, playing at the Prince Music Theater December 14-16. One of our goals is always to search for additional performance opportunities for our PYB dancers. This fall, we have been invited to perform Nutcracker excerpts at several community events throughout the city. Here’s our current schedule. Please join us at our public events. We love to see PDA families in the audience.
Fri 11/16 HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy
Sun 11/18 Barnes & Noble at Rittenhouse Square – 3:30pm PUBLIC PERFORMANCE
Sun 12/2 Winter Wonderland at Headhouse Square – 6:00pm PUBLIC PERFORMANCE
Tues 12/4 Assemblies at Meredith and St. Peter’s Schools
Wed 12/19 Christmas Village at LOVE Park – 6:00pm PUBLIC PERFORMANCE
On Saturday, September 22 at our main location at 219 Cuthbert Street, 3rd Floor, The Philadelphia Dance Academy will hold auditions for our 3rd Annual Nutcracker. All students age 5 and up and currently enrolled in ballet are eligible.
At the audition, all students age 8 and up will be able to indicate on the application if he or she would like to be considered for membership in The Philadelphia Youth Ballet, our youth performance company.
We hope to see you there!
Saturday, September 22
1:30 pm – 2:15 pm: 5 – 7 years old
2:30 pm – 3:15 pm: 8 – 11 years old
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm: 12 years old and older
