Christmas may not be the first thing on your mind right now, but one northern Illinois dance company is gearing up for its annual holiday ballet story by offering workshops to those who may want to leap on stage.
The School of Rockford Dance Company invites children, teens and adults to try out for this year’s Nutcracker.
Maria Castello is the school director. She said the company wants to include as many community members as they can.
“You don't need to only do ballet to be part of the Nutcracker,” Castello explained. “And we also have parts for adults too. So, the company has been doing a great job trying to involve everybody that audition.”
She said the three-week session will help dancers of all skill levels.
“The idea is to get students to have a chance to not come cold from summer,” she said, “you know, into dancing or putting [on] their pointe shoes, but also for those that never danced before to start a little bit of training.”
The Rockford Symphony Orchestra and the Coronado Performance Arts Center is partnering with the company to help this story come alive.
This will be the last Nutcracker that Steven Larsen, Rockford Symphony Orchestra director, conducts for the company because he is retiring at the end of the year.
“So, it is one of his goodbye concerts,” Castello mentioned. “So, it's also going to have that wonderful meaning to have a chance -- because last year we couldn't -- so to have a chance to do it with him too.”
Those interested in being a part of the Nutcracker are encouraged to join the three-week session that starts Aug. 9 but if they can’t, Castello said they are still welcome to audition Sept. 11. Those who attend the workshops will also need to audition. The performance takes place at 3 p.m. on Dec. 4.
- Yvonne Boose is a current corps member for Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project. It's a national service program that places talented journalists in local newsrooms like WNIJ. You can learn more about Report for America at wnij.org.
