Summer Program Auditions
Each year, Cincinnati Ballet auditions talented young students from across the globe for admittance to our nationally acclaimed summer programs.
Audition Candidates
Admittance to Cincinnati Ballet’s intensive programs is by audition only. This season, students have several ways in which to audition: virtually, in person or by video.
Program Eligibility: Auditioning gives students the opportunity to be accepted into three programs: Cincinnati Ballet’s Summer Intensive, Cincinnati Ballet’s Collegiate Intensive (produced in partnership with the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music) and Cincinnati Ballet’s Youth Summer Intensive.
Age Eligibility: Summer Intensive candidates must be 12 years old by the program start date in order to audition. Collegiate Intensive candidates must be 18 years old by the program start date in order to audition. Youth Summer Intensive candidates age 12 and older will be considered through the channels below, while those under 12 have separate audition opportunities available on the Youth Summer Intensive webpage.
Professional Training Division Candidates: Dancers interested in Cincinnati Ballet’s Professional Training Division should audition through the channels below and plan to attend either the Summer or Collegiate Intensive. The majority of PTD candidates are initially identified through auditions and final selections are made through the course of intensives.
For additional details on Cincinnati Ballet’s summer programs, please visit:
Audition Information
This season, students have three options to audition for summer programs with Cincinnati Ballet.
The National Summer Intensive Audition Tour
The National Summer Intensive Audition Tour represents a collective of professional ballet schools from across the nation who have come together to make it both easy and safe for students to audition for 13 national summer intensive programs from a location convenient to them. Students interested in auditioning through the NSIA Tour should pre-register for their age group (age at the time of audition) via the register button below. Pre-registration closes at 11:59 PM (EST) the Thursday prior to the audition. Audition registration will not be available the day of the audition. Students auditioning in Cincinnati are expected to adhere to Cincinnati Ballet’s COVID-19 protocols which may be reviewed HERE.
CINCINNATI NSIA TOUR AUDITIONS
Sunday, January 24, 2021
Cincinnati Ballet Center
11:00 am – 12:30 pm Ages 11 – 14
3:00 – 4:30 pm Ages 15 – 16
7:00 – 8:30 pm Ages 17 and up
About the NSIA Tour
As we navigate the current national pandemic, professional ballet schools from across the nation have come together to create a unified collective. We understand the uncertainty of the coming audition season and summer intensive offerings, and we have created an audition opportunity that will keep our students and faculty safe, while providing national visibility. The professional school collective is offering in-person auditions at their facilities, and students who attend the National Summer Intensive Audition will be considered by all schools in the collective for acceptance to their summer intensives.
How it Works
Students choose a city from the audition schedule and register with the host school. The audition is in-person, and the remaining schools will observe the audition via Zoom. Students are required to follow the safety protocol of the school at which they audition. The auditions will be recorded so that the observing schools may review the auditions if needed. Students will have the opportunity to select which schools they would like to audition for; however, all schools in the collective may reach out to any students who audition. Students must pre-register and pay the registration fee directly to the host school in the city where they audition. The secondary registration form must be completed in order to be considered by observing schools.
Participating Schools
Students who audition through the National Summer Intensive Audition Tour are considered by the following schools for their summer intensives:
Atlanta Ballet (Atlanta, GA)
BalletMet (Columbus, OH)
Charlotte Ballet (Charlotte, NC)
Cincinnati Ballet (Cincinnati, OH)
Joffrey Ballet (Chicago, IL)
Kansas City Ballet (Kansas City, MO)
Louisville Ballet (Louisville, KY)
Milwaukee Ballet (Milwaukee, WI)
Oklahoma City Ballet (Oklahoma City, OK)
Pennsylvania Ballet (Philadelphia, PA)
Sacramento Ballet (Sacramento, CA)
Sarasota Ballet (Sarasota, FL)
Texas Ballet Theater (Dallas, TX & Fort Worth, TX)
Photo Requirements
Auditioning students should submit the following photos:
1) A headshot
2) A photo in first arabesque (on pointe for ladies)
Photos may be in color or black and white and may be any size. Photos should be taken indoors in a well-lit space. Ladies should be in a leotard and tights. Gentlemen should be in tight-fitting dance attire.
Photos should be uploaded through the secondary audition form students receive following registration with their host site. This secondary form is linked in the confirmation email for students registering to audition in Cincinnati.
Audition Fee
The NSIA audition fee is $80. Audition fees are nonrefundable in all circumstances.
Virtual Auditions
Virtual auditions are open to any eligible student and provide a convenient way to audition regardless of location. Students interested in auditioning virtually should pre-register for a date and time via the register button below. Pre-registration for all virtual auditions closes at 11:59 PM (EST) the Thursday prior to the audition. Virtual audition registration will not be available the day of the audition. Students may participate in virtual auditions from home, as we understand studio access may be limited.
Audition Dates
January 3, 2021
11:00 am – 1:00 pm Ages 11 – 15
2:00 – 4:00 pm Ages 16 and up
January 10, 2021
11:00 am – 1:00 pm Ages 11 – 15
2:00 – 4:00 pm Ages 16 and up
January 17, 2021
11:00 am – 1:00 pm Ages 11 – 15
2:00 – 4:00 pm Ages 16 and up
January 31, 2021
11:00 am – 1:00 pm Ages 11 – 15
2:00 – 4:00 pm Ages 16 and up
February 7, 2021
11:00 am – 1:00 pm Ages 11 – 15
2:00 – 4:00 pm Ages 16 and up
*Students must be 12 by program start date to audition but should chose their audition group based on the age they are at the time of the audition.
Please note all times listed are in Eastern Standard Time.
Photo Requirements
Auditioning students should submit the following photos:
1) A headshot
2) A photo in first arabesque (on pointe for ladies)
Photos may be in color or black and white and may be any size. Photos should be taken indoors in a well-lit space. Ladies should be in a leotard and tights. Gentlemen should be in tight-fitting dance attire.
Students will receive a link to upload their photos in their audition registration confirmation email.
Audition Fee
Virtual audition fees are $35. Audition fees are nonrefundable in all circumstances.
Video Auditions
Students who aren’t able to engage in a virtual or in-person audition are welcome to audition by pre-recorded video. Students auditioning by video should register via the link below. Video applications will not be reviewed until online registration is received. Video auditions are accepted on a rolling basis with a final deadline of March 1, 2021.
Digital media may be submitted to the Academy Administrative Office at cbacademy@cballet.org.
Video Requirements
Video auditions should be performed in leotard and tights for women and tight-fitting dancewear for men. Videos require no introduction or fancy editing, should be recorded after September 1, 2020, and should not exceed 15 minutes in length. They should be shot indoors with proper lighting.
Applicants should include the following elements:
• 3 – 5 minutes of barre work including pliés, battement tendu, fondu, frappés, adagio and grand battement (applicants may demonstrate one or both sides)
• 3 – 5 minutes of center work including adagio, pirouettes, petit allegro and grand allegro
• Female applicants may dance center work on pointe OR should include separately an échappé/passé combination and a turning combination danced in the center on pointe
Female applicants who have been recently advanced to pointe should only include an échappé/passé combination at the barre
• Male applicants should also include à la second turns and tours en l’air
Additional Notes/Requirements:
• Applicants auditioning for the Otto M. Budig Academy’s Professional Training Division should also include a classical and contemporary variation or rep selection
• Applicants who do not have access to studios for the purpose of filming should modify combinations to be safely executed at home and be cautious of proper flooring for allegro combinations
Need help with your audition video content?
Academy Director, Sarah Hairston, has created an easy-to-follow video audition class. Simply watch and learn the combinations in the video below. When you’re ready to film, hit play on the video and film yourself dancing along to it.
Summer Programs Video Audition Guide
Audition Fee
Video audition fees are $45. Audition fees are nonrefundable in all circumstances.
Audition Tour Frequently Asked Questions
Audition FAQs
What should I wear to audition?
Female students should wear a leotard, pink or skin-tone tights, and pink or skin-tone ballet slippers. Ladies should also have pointe shoes with them for the last 30 minutes of the audition. Cincinnati Ballet does not require students to wear a specific color leotard.
Male students should wear black tights, a white fitted t-shirt, black or white socks and black or white ballet shoes. Gray tights are also acceptable.
What should I expect during the virtual audition?
Each virtual audition will last two hours. The first 30 minutes will include check in, introductions and instructions. The audition class will last 90 minutes. Auditioning students must be available the full two hours. Students should be sure to have a private dancing space with clear lighting and a video setup that shows your full body while dancing.
The virtual audition is a ballet technique master class with a member of Cincinnati Ballet’s lead faculty or a member of the artistic staff. Students will go through barre and center combinations. Ladies will be asked to wear pointe shoes for the final portion of the audition. Men will have a few select combinations as well.
What should I expect during the in-person audition?
The audition is a ballet technique master class with a member of Cincinnati Ballet’s lead faculty or a member of the artistic staff. Students will go through barre, center and across-the-floor combinations. Ladies will be asked to wear pointe shoes for the final portion of the audition. Men will have a few select combinations as well.
In-person auditions will be subject to strict COVID-19 protocols which may be reviewed HERE. Adherence to these protocols is mandatory for participation. In the event of weather delays or cancellations, please check our audition webpage for updates. Pre-registered applicants will be notified via email.
When will I receive my audition results?
Audition results are sent via email within 5 to 7 business days of your audition. Should you require audition results sooner due to summer acceptance deadlines, please contact the Academy Administrative Office at 513-562-1111 or cbacademy@cballet.org.
If I’m accepted, when should I register?
Accepted students should register as soon as possible, as the number of accepted applicants surpasses the number of places in our programs. Acceptance does not guarantee your place, and registration is strictly on a first-come, first-served basis. Students receiving scholarship offers have a limited window in which to register before their scholarship offer is withdrawn.
Can Cincinnati Ballet faculty provide feedback from audition classes?
Unfortunately, due to the number of students who audition, Cincinnati Ballet is not able to provide specific training feedback from audition classes. We do, however, encourage students to continue in their training and audition again in future years. For many dancers, even a single year of focused training can significantly improve technique and opportunities for future acceptance.
Can I be considered for Cincinnati Ballet’s Professional Training Division during a summer program audition?
Yes. Students interested in joining Cincinnati Ballet’s Professional Training Division are strongly encouraged to audition for and attend the Summer or Collegiate Intensive. The 2020 PTD class includes 20 students, all of which were selected from the Summer and Collegiate Intensives. Students pursuing candidacy for the PTD program should communicate their interest by emailing the Academy Administrative Office at cbacademy@cballet.org in advance of their audition.
On occasion, select students may receive offers to join the PTD program directly from their summer program audition.
QUESTIONS?
For questions regarding Cincinnati Ballet’s summer program auditions, please contact us at 513.562.1111 or cbacademy@cballet.org.