On Saturday, May 18, students must arrive IN COSTUME at the theater by their designated drop-off time and be ready for rehearsal. That means their hair and any optional light makeup they may desire to wear should be done in advance. Every class rehearses once on the stage before the show, and this is their only opportunity to do so. A timely arrival is crucial! Students who are not at their rehearsal will not be able to perform in the show.

DROP-OFF PROCEDURES AT SCPA

• Parents should park and escort their student to the main SCPA entrance to check in. Please note: Cars may not park on Central Parkway directly in front of the main SCPA entrance.
• PLEASE REVIEW THE ARRIVAL SCHEDULE BELOW FOR SPECIFIC DROP-OFF TIMES FOR EACH CLASS (listed in the far right column of the table). STUDENTS SHOULD ARRIVE IN COSTUME AND READY FOR THE STAGE.

PICK-UP PROCEDURES AT SCPA

• After the performance, one parent/guardian should proceed down the classroom hallway to meet and sign out their student. A digital voucher will be emailed a few days prior to the performance to help us quickly guide you to your student’s classroom. It may be displayed on your phone or printed in color. These vouchers must be presented at the end of the performances in order to pick up your student.

Please Note:

• With three performances back-to-back on Saturday, the schedule is very tight. Please do not arrive at SCPA earlier than your scheduled time, as we may still be wrapping up the previous performance.
• Parents are NOT permitted backstage for any reason unless they are on the official Parent Volunteer list. Only students, staff, and volunteers will be allowed backstage.
• Students may not be picked up during the show. Parents must wait until the end of the show to pick up their students. Thank you in advance for your cooperation!

10:00 AM PERFORMANCE

1:00 PM PERFORMANCE

4:00 PM PERFORMANCE

As staff will be in the theater quite a bit over the course of the week and especially on performance days, our ability to answer incoming calls to our Administrative Office will be extremely limited. To report an absence or a late arrival to a rehearsal or performance, or for any other urgent communication related to Spring Production, please use our Absence Notification Line (513.562.1111 Option 1) to leave a message for our team.

What to wear:

• Costumes: Students must arrive at the theater already dressed in their costume.
  • Under their costume, dancers should wear:
    • Female dancers should wear clean, pink or flesh-tone footed tights (these should go over their feet) that are free of runs, snags or holes and clean, pink or flesh-tone ballet slippers. Underwear (if needed) should not be visible.
    • Male dancers should wear black tights or leggings, clean, white socks (should cover the ankle) and white ballet shoes.
• Cover ups: Students who desire to wear something over their costume to keep warm should wear a jacket or sweater that zips up rather than items that are pulled overhead.
• Hair: Female students with hair longer than chin length should arrive with their hair in a medium bun. Some costumes come with a coordinating hair accessory. Please secure the coordinating hair accessory prior to arrival and instructors will assist in adjusting hair accessories as needed to match. Please no additional hair accessories (i.e. scrunchies, ribbons, etc.). Female students with short hair and male students should have their hair well groomed and away from their face. We recommend hairspray to keep hair out of their face through the rehearsal and performance.
• Make up: Stage make-up (blush, brown eye shadow and lip gloss) is acceptable but optional. Make-up should be applied prior to arrival at the theater. Make-up is not allowed backstage in order to keep costumes and dancers clean.
• Jewelry: All jewelry should be left at home. No jewelry is permitted on stage.

Please discuss the expectations below with your student prior to their arrival at the theater:

• All students must remain in their designated studio/classroom. Parent Volunteers are assigned to each studio/classroom.
• Eating in costume should be minimal and students are encouraged to have a cover-up over their costume when eating. It’s really important we keep costumes in clean, quality condition for the performance.
• Absolutely no running or yelling in the theater or backstage area at any time.

What to bring:
☐ An extra pair of footed tights
☐ Ballet shoes
☐ Cover-up: a zippered sweater or jacket for over their costume (if desired)
☐ A blanket, towel or yoga mat to sit on
☐ A small “clean” snack. Clean snack examples: pretzels, animal crackers, veggie sticks, crackers, string cheese. PLEASE: No nuts or anything that could discolor hands.
☐ Water in a closed container (please label your student’s water bottle). PLEASE: No liquids other than water.
☐ Books or a quiet game/activity are permitted as there will be some breaks

What to leave at home:
☒ Messy or sticky food
☒ Beverages other than water
☒ Noisy games, video games, electronic devices, cameras, tablets, laptops
☒ Make-up
☒ Jewelry and valuables

Please make sure all your student’s belongings are clearly labeled. The Academy is not responsible for lost or stolen items.

Female students with hair longer than chin length should arrive at the theater with their hair in a medium bun unless otherwise instructed. For guidance in making the perfect bun, below are a few helpful tips.

1. Start by making a good ponytail: When pulling hair into a ponytail, it is helpful for hair to be slightly damp or sprayed gently with hairspray. A good ponytail is slicked tight to the head without wispies (those little stray hairs hanging down). You can usually get rid of stray hairs by using a bristle brush to smooth them back once you have made your ponytail. The height of your ponytail should be in line with the type of bun you want. Unless otherwise instructed by your teacher, all students should have a medium bun.
2. Pull the ponytail straight out and twist it into a tight rope. Then coil the hair around the ponytail holder. It should look similar to a cinnamon roll! You may need to secure it with bobby pins as you go around if the ponytail is very long. Once the whole rope is coiled, tuck the tail under the edge of the coil and secure all the edges with bobby pins.
3. Use a hairnet that matches the color of your hair and loop it over the bun. Pull the net tight across the bun and twist the net. Keep looping it over the bun and twisting it until all the net is used. Tuck any extra under the edge of the bun. Secure with a few extra bobby pins.
4. Finish everything by spraying hair with a strong-hold hairspray. If you have very curly or wavy hair, you may need to use hair gel or “hair glue.”

All bun supplies may be purchased at your local drugstore in the hair styling section.

Our colleagues at Houston Ballet Academy have also created this video with examples of various hair textures:

Ticket On Sale Date: Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Spring Production tickets are now on sale! Tickets may be purchased online (click below), in person at the Cincinnati Ballet Welcome Center, or by phone. Please keep in mind the specific performance time your student is performing in when purchasing tickets. Please note tickets are first-come, first-serve.

The easiest way to purchase your Spring Production tickets is online via the link above. If you need to contact Cincinnati Ballet’s Box Office, please use the contact information below.

Phone: 513-621-5282
Email: welcome@cballet.org

Cincinnati Ballet’s Box Office is located at:
The Margaret and Michael Valentine Center for Dance
1801 Gilbert Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

Box Office Hours
Monday through Friday, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Because of the number of young dancers in Spring Production, we divide our Children’s Division classes between three performances, at 10:00 AM, 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM. The chart below designates which classes are performing during each performance time. A mandatory rehearsal precedes each performance, so your student has opportunity to be comfortable on stage prior to the performance. Families should anticipate students needing to be at the theater up to 2 hours prior to their performance time. (The below does not represent the order in which classes will appear during each performance.)

10:00 AM PERFORMANCE

1:00 PM PERFORMANCE

4:00 PM PERFORMANCE

Regular attendance is important! Children’s Division instructors are using a portion of regular class time to work on Spring Production choreography. As we get closer to our production date, consistent attendance is important in helping students prepare well for their performance. However, we kindly ask you continue to observe all health and safety protocols and keep your student at home if they are sick. Their health and safety come ahead of rehearsal!

A note on makeup classes: In the event a student misses their regular class, they are still welcome to schedule a makeup but be aware they won’t have opportunity to rehearse their specific performance piece in the makeup class. Each Children’s Division class works on a different performance piece choreographed by their instructor.

Communication is key! Please let us know if your student will have to miss a class by using our online Academy Absence Reporting Form or contacting the Academy at 513.562.1111 (select Option 1).

Costume Distribution Week: April 22 – 27, 2024

Costumes will be distributed before or after your student’s class the week of April 22 – 27. During that week, we encourage a parent or guardian be present to pick up your student and sign for their costume. It’s important each student’s costume makes it into the right hands. All students are required to have their costume in order to participate in Spring Production, and should costumes not make it home, there’s not sufficient time to order another.

A Note on Sizing: Once these costumes are received, they are yours to keep. We do our best to ensure we order the proper size for your student based on the measurements provided. Because the costumes come in standard sizes and because students grow quickly, some costumes may need to be altered slightly to ensure proper fit. Families should feel free to make minor alterations to strap length and other areas to ensure proper fit as long as the look of the costume is not altered.

Professional photos of students will be taken from the audience during the performance. Approximately 8 weeks following the performance, families will be provided with a link to an online gallery so they may purchase prints directly from the photographer if desired. The performance will also be professionally filmed, and a complimentary copy will be sent to each participant approximately 8 weeks following the production. Please remember all other photography and video recording is prohibited during the Spring Production performance.

It takes a great team of parent/guardian volunteers to support our students behind the scenes at rehearsals and performances. All volunteers get one free ticket to the Spring Production performance of their choice! Visit the link below to learn more and sign up.

Spring Production t-shirt pre-orders closed on Tuesday, April 23. A limited quantity may be available for purchase at the theater prior to the performances.