Applicable to: All Preparatory, Young Dancer and Advanced Division Students

During Theater Week, there are no regular Academy classes as students focus on rehearsals. Attendance is mandatory for all rehearsals and performances during this week. Warm-up classes will occur throughout the week for students in YD3 and above. The Monday and Tuesday warm-up classes are recommended, but not required, with their times noted on the chart below with an asterisk. Warm-up classes on Wednesday – Saturday are built into the rehearsal schedule. Students in PD1 -3 and YD1-2 should warm-up on their own either prior to arrival or in their classroom or dressing room.

For all rehearsals and performances, students should be in the following attire (underneath their street clothes or warm-ups) prior to arrival at the theater:

• Monday – Wednesday, May 15 – 17: Academy uniform unless instructed otherwise by Academy faculty
• Thursday – Saturday, May 18 – 20:
  • Dancers who wear leotards to class should wear a nude or flesh-colored leotard* (this will be worn under their costumes for both rehearsal and performance so please make sure straps are easily concealed and the color is close to the student’s skin tone), pink or flesh-tone footed tights, pink or flesh-tone ballet slippers or pointe shoes if applicable
  • Dancers who wear dance shirts and leggings to class should wear a white fitted dance shirt (no logos, graphics or text), black leggings or tights, white socks, white ballet shoes.

*Students who don’t already own a nude or flesh-colored leotard may find one at their local dancewear retailer.

Hair and Makeup:

• Unless otherwise instructed, female dancers with hair longer than chin length should have their hair in a medium bun prior to arrival. Please no additional hair accessories other than what is provided by Wardrobe. Female dancers with short hair, male dancers and non-binary dancers should have their hair well groomed and secured away from their face. We recommend hairspray to keep hair out of their face through the rehearsal and performance.
• Stage make-up (powder, blush, mascara, lipstick) is optional for Preparatory Division students and encouraged for Young Dancer and Advanced Division students. Make-up should be applied prior to arrival at the theater. Our schedule doesn’t allow extra time for hair or make-up needs.

• All jewelry should be left at home. No jewelry is permitted on stage.

Masks:

• Masks are optional, but welcome, should students desire including during the performance. If worn, the most important thing is that it is solid-colored, fits well and can remain securely fastened over the nose and mouth while dancing.

During the Monday, May 15 and Tuesday, May 16 rehearsals at the Center for Dance, we are hosting all Preparatory, Young Dancer and Advanced Division students, so we thank you in advance for your patience during student drop off and pick up.

Please allow plenty of time to drive to SCPA’s Corbett Theater for Wednesday, May 17 and Thursday, May 18 rehearsals. The theater is about 10 minutes (without traffic) southwest of our Gilbert Ave location. Prompt arrival to your call times is incredibly important! Students who have not arrived by their call time for the performance may not be able to perform.

DROP-OFF/PICK-UP PROCEDURES AT THE CENTER FOR DANCE (Monday – Tuesday)

• Drop-off and pick-up at the Center for Dance will follow normal Academy protocols.
• Please note that large groups of students may be arriving and dismissing at the same time, so the driveway may be more heavily impacted than normal.

DROP-OFF PROCEDURES AT SCPA (Wednesday – Saturday)

• The Central Parkway curb in front of the main SCPA entrance will be designated as a quick drop-off zone and will not be available for parking.
• During Theater Week, all students should enter through the main SCPA entrance and sign in.
• Parents are welcome to drop their students off in the quick drop-off zone on Central Parkway, or if they prefer, park and escort their student to check in at the main SCPA entrance. Please note: Cars may not park on Central Parkway directly in front of the main SCPA entrance.
• An Academy staff member or volunteer will be outside the door to safely usher students inside.
• PLEASE NOTE: There are several public events happening near SCPA at Washington Park, Music Hall, Memorial Hall, and in OTR on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, so make sure to plan ahead when making arrangements for student drop-off/pick-up and parking.

PICK-UP PROCEDURES AT SCPA (Wednesday – Saturday)

• After the rehearsals on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, Preparatory and Young Dancer Division students should be picked up from their classrooms in the SCPA first floor hallway. One adult should enter SCPA through the main entrance and proceed down the classroom hallway to meet and sign-out their student.
• After the performances on Friday and Saturday evenings, Preparatory and Young Dancer Division students should be picked up from their classrooms in the SCPA first floor hallway. For those not attending the performance, please enter SCPA through the main entrance. One adult should proceed down the classroom hallway to meet and sign-out their student.
• Advanced Division students may sign themselves out. If a student in Advanced Division fails to sign out, their parents will receive a phone call to verify their safe departure.

Please Note:

• 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!
• To avoid congestion and confusion, please send only one adult per student to the classroom hallway at the end of the performance. We appreciate your patience as we work to safely dismiss students.

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.

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

• All students must remain in their designated studio/classroom. Parent Volunteers are assigned to each studio/classroom.
• Students may not eat in and around costumes. Costumes are the property of Cincinnati Ballet and are often used by the Company. It’s really important we keep them in quality condition.
• Absolutely no running or yelling in the theater or backstage area at any time.
• Due to union policies, ONLY Wardrobe personnel are able to dress your student in costume.

What to bring for the Dress Rehearsal and Performances:
☐ An extra pair of tights
☐ Ballet shoes including pointe shoes if dancing on pointe
☐ Extra bobby pins, elastics, hairnets and hairspray
☐ 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.
☐ Water in a closed container (please label your student’s water bottle)
☐ Books or a quiet game/activity are permitted as there will be some breaks
☐ Masks (if desired)

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 dancers 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 22, 2023

Spring Production tickets went on sale Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Tickets may be purchased online (click below), in person at the Cincinnati Ballet Welcome Center, or by phone. All students will perform in both productions, and casting is the same for both evenings. 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

Rehearsals for Spring Production pieces are now being held during regular class time during designated performance classes. All other classes will remain focused on technique to ensure students remain safe and physically equipped to meet the challenges of Spring Production while continuing their development.

Regular attendance is important! For all performers, because Spring Production choreography is being taught during class time, class attendance is critical to their success. Any student who has more than two absences from performance classes (other than illness) may not be able to perform in Spring Production. If additional absences occur beyond this, it will be at the discretion of the Academy Director whether students are eligible to perform in Spring Production. 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!

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).

Students in Preparatory, Young Dancer, and Advanced Divisions wear costumes selected from the Cincinnati Ballet Wardrobe Department’s costume inventory and will need to be fitted prior to the performance. The members of our wardrobe department are amazing professionals who take care not only of our students but our company dancers as well. They are here to make sure our students look great on stage, but the demands on their time are huge. Please help them, your teachers and your fellow dancers by arriving 10 minutes prior to your fitting appointment noted below. Students should come to their fitting dressed in uniform as they would for their dance class.

Fittings are required, and there is only one time slot for each class, so it’s super important all students attend. Should there be an issue with your dancer making their costume fitting time, please contact us at cbacademy@cballet.org or 513.562.1111.

FITTING SCHEDULE

All costumes are the property of Cincinnati Ballet’s Wardrobe Department. This means many other dancers including our company members may need to use them, so it’s really important they stay in great condition. Any student found altering, damaging or acting inappropriately in a costume will be removed from the performance. This includes eating and drinking anything other than water in costume.

For dress rehearsal and all performances:

• Students who wear a leotard to class will need to wear a flesh-tone leotard underneath their costume. If you don’t already own one, they can be purchased through most local and online dancewear retailers. They come in a variety of shades and should match the student’s skin tone.
• Students who wear a dance shirt and leggings to class will wear those underneath their costume.

Makeup costume fittings for Spring Production are scheduled for Tuesday, April 18 through Thursday, April 20. Those students required to be in attendance will be emailed directly. This is our last opportunity to fit students for their Spring Production costumes, so please be present and on time.

Applicable to: All Preparatory, Young Dancer and Advanced Division Students

Additional rehearsals will be scheduled during the weekends leading up to Spring Production. Please mark your calendars for the following dates:

All rehearsals are important to attend with those in May being exceptionally significant. Please mark your calendars! Students may miss no more than one of the May weekend rehearsals. Students may or may not be called to the full duration of the rehearsal window noted above. Details to follow.

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.

Professional photos of students will be taken from the audience during dress rehearsal and the Friday performance. Approximately 6 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.

Spring Production t-shirt pre-orders closed on April 20. A limited quantity of shirts will be made available for purchase during Spring Production weekend.