Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet is coming to Chattanooga at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Auditorium. Auditions for local children to participate in the performance will be held in partnership with Ballet Esprit, on Oct. 22. Company soloist, Maria, will conduct the audition and direct the first rehearsals. Young dancers ages 6 to 17 are invited to audition through Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet’s unique “Dance with Us” program.
Over its 31-year history of touring North America, close to 100,000 children have performed with the international casts of Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet. The 2024 production stars principal dancers from the great opera houses of Ukraine and features 40 world-class artists from Japan, Italy, Turkey, and more providing young dancers with an exceptional opportunity for artistic growth and cross-cultural enrichment.
The audition is open to all area dance students. Children will be cast as Party Children, Mice, Little Snowflakes, Star Sprites, Star Maidens, and junior corps de ballet for the Act II Spanish, Chinese, French, Arabian, and Slavic variations. All costumes are provided by the company.
Following the initial rehearsal period with Maria, the children’s cast will rehearse prior to the show for 6-8 weeks at Ballet Esprit, in advance of the performance(s) at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Auditorium. On the performance day, the children’s cast will be fitted for hand-sewn costumes designed by the highly acclaimed Arthur Oliver, followed by a dress rehearsal and the performance. There is no instruction fee charged, but Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet requires a minimum $50 participation fee from all youth dancers who are cast in the performance to help cover costume maintenance and other related administrative costs. Dancers can sign up to audition today at www.nutcracker.com/dance.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.nutcracker.com. Special pricing is available for groups. Call 800-320-1733 or email groups@nutcracker.com.