Join us for our 29th Annual Production of
Tchaikovsky's
The NUTCRACKER
November 30 &
December 1, 7 & 8
Tickets on sale now!
We are excited to continue our 2019-2020 dance year here at Benicia Ballet Theatre. Preparations are already under way for this year’s Nutcracker, the weekends of Nov. 30 – Dec. 1 and Dec. 7 and 8 at Solano Community College in Fairfield. We hope you’ll consider becoming a member of Benicia Ballet Theatre. It is your support that makes this all possible. What is the difference between BBT and BAPA you might ask. BAPA is an LLC corporation with a board of directors. Margaret Kenrick and the Farmer-Kenrick families are the owners, and Margaret is the Managing Director. BAPA offers courses in ballet, tap, jazz, acro, folklorico, RAD, contemporary, and hip hop. BBT is a non -profit organization, run by a board of directors, that puts on two performances each year – Nutcracker and a Spring show. We also offer a two-week summer workshop with a community performance through a grant from the City of Benicia, along with a one-week pre-professional summer intensive. BBT has an elementary school outreach program and offers scholarships to dancers in need. BBT’s mission is to offer non-discriminatory performance opportunities to dancers in the local community, to provide charitable and educational programs with no political affiliation, and to provide local, affordable, quality performances for the community to enjoy.
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Membership is $25 and allows you to vote on the Board of Directors and attend the monthly board meetings and support the work that we do. There are different levels of sponsorship outlined in the membership/sponsorship form, and both your membership and sponsorship donations are tax-deductible. BBT is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
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Thank you for your continued support of Benicia Ballet Theatre, and looking forward to another great year together!
Important Dates for Dancers
Nutcracker Dress Rehearsal 11/30
Nutcracker Performances 11/30, 12/1
12/7, 12/8
Auditions for Coppelia 1/18
Coppelia Dress Rehearsal 4/23
Spring Performance of Coppelia 4/25
Production Fees
Production fees help to cover the cost of rehearsal hours, costumes, orchestra, theater rental, studio rental, and all of the other expenses necessary to put on a production. For both family and company contracts, there is a $20 audition fee that is applied to your production fees (NOT in addition to).
FEES:
Pre-Ballet $65
Primary A/B & Ballet 1-3 $100
Ballet 4 & Up (Non-Company) $150
Costume Rental for all levels $20
Half is due by September 15th, and the remaining half is due by October 15th.
FEES:
Company Contract Fees are $300 for the entire year. This covers Nutcracker and the Spring performance and may be paid in installments of $100 due September 15th, November 15th, and January 15th.
Join the Yahoo Group!
The rehearsal schedule and cast list will be emailed to the Yahoo group along with other important information about volunteering, ticket sales, the dress rehearsal, and performances.
To sign up email and an invitation will be sent to you
Company Contract vs Family Contract
If your dancer is age 10 or above, you have the option of signing a family or company contract:
A family contract covers one show – either Nutcracker or the Spring performance. Your dancer and your family are committing to just that show and are paying the production fees for just that show.
A company contract is for the entire year – covering both Nutcracker and the Spring show. Your dancer and your family are committing to both productions.
In order to present two productions a year, we need to know that the older dancers will be available to perform in both productions. Theater deposits are often paid an entire year in advance, and plans begin many months in advance, so in order for BBT to make financial commitments for a Spring show, we first need our company dancers to commit to a Spring show.
This year our Spring show will take place on Saturday, April 25th at Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre, and we will be presenting Coppelia.
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If you know for sure that your dancer will commit to both productions, company contracts cost $40 less than 2 Family Contracts: If your dancer is in level 5 or above and signs a family contract, you will pay $150 in production fees and $20 in costume rental fees for each performance. For both performances, this is $340. Company dancers pay $300 for the year. However, if you are unsure if your dancer can participate in the Spring show, then you need to sign a family contract.
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Both contracts require volunteer hours from the family.
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There is more flexibility in volunteer hours with a company contract. Company families have to volunteer a total of 10 credits for the year. This can be done like the family contract, 6 at Nutcracker and 4 at the Spring show, or it can be spread out over other BBT events, like the Spring gala, or other tasks that are needed throughout the year not related to a performance.
With a family contract, 6 credits are required for Nutcracker. Even if a family completes more than 6 credits, they don’t count towards the Spring production, like they would with a company contract. A company family could potentially complete all 10 credits during Nutcracker.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who do I contact to sign up for performances?
It’s best to attend the audition to sign up for a performance. But if that’s not possible or if the audition has already passed, contact Jeanette at and let her know that your dancer would like to participate and complete the online registration.
My dancer is nervous about auditioning. What should he/she expect at the audition?
Everyone can participate in the performance regardless of experience. Dancers in pre-ballet and primary A/B do not need to attend the audition. Just let Jeanette know they want to participate at and complete the online registration. Auditions for dancers in levels 1-4 are about giving students the experience of an audition in a comfortable setting to help build their confidence. The format is similar to a class, with work at the barre and combinations at center as a group. There will be a handful of faculty watching them. There are no solo auditions. Dancers may be asked to state their name, what grade they are in, or how long they’ve been dancing. We hope they will become more and more confident with each audition, so by the time they are in levels 5 and above, they will feel comfortable auditioning for solo roles and auditioning for summer intensives at other programs with dancers and faculty they don’t know. At the Clara, Prince, Mouse King audition, they will learn a dance as a group and audition in groups of two or three. Dancers in levels 5 and above will audition for specific solo roles. They will learn the dance as a group and audition in groups of two or three. They will be given a chance to perform the same dance a second time if they feel like they didn’t do well the first time. Every year, dancers can audition for ballerina doll, tarantella doll, sugar plum fairy, and partnering. Auditions for the other dances (Arabian princess, Russian, Spanish, Chinese, etc.) are dependent on the faculty and choreography available the day of the audition, so it’s not always known in advance, and that is why the roles available for audition vary year to year.
When will the cast list and rehearsal schedule be available?
Casting is a very complex process, and it takes time. We know your dancers are anxious for their roles, and we try to get them out as soon as possible. Typically, the cast list is released one to two weeks after the audition. It will be available by the parent meeting on Saturday, September 7th. If you haven’t signed up for the Yahoo group, please do so, as the rehearsal schedule and cast list will be emailed to the group.
When will rehearsals take place?
In general, rehearsals begin mid-September and take place on Saturday afternoons. Roles and casts will be announced, and a rehearsal schedule will follow soon after. Your dancer’s rehearsal times will be dependent on their roles. Company dancers will have Friday evening rehearsals. There may be some other week night rehearsals, but typically this is only for company dancers and solo roles. Company dancers usually begin rehearsing a couple weeks before the younger dancers. We try to schedule the rehearsals for younger dancers earlier in the afternoon and assign the later time slots that go into the evening to the older dancer roles.
