Oklahoma – Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School (PBT School) invites ballet students ages 12-23 from the Oklahoma City area to audition on Saturday, Jan. 7 for their 2023 Intensive Summer Program.

(https://www.pbt.org/pbts/)

Dancers can audition for the following:

* The immersive five-week Intensive Summer Program, which takes place June 26-July 29, 2023

(https://www.pbt.org/pbts/isp2023/)

* A year-round Pre-professional Program at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School;

(https://www.pbt.org/pbts/school-year-programs/pre-professional-division-2/)

* Or: the two-week Company Experience workshop, taking place June 11-24, 2023

(https://www.pbt.org/pbts/ce2023/).

PBT School offers an extensive experience for serious ballet students who are looking to improve their technique, expand their artistry and performance skills and learn from expert instructors in the ballet field.

It is important for ballet dancers to take intensive summer ballet programs to grow as dancers, and it is crucial for them to do so if they want a career as a professional dancer, according to the press release.

PBT School provides an emphasis on developing the technique and artistry of each dancer, as well as structures programming and resources to support the health of the whole dancer. The priority at the school is to ensure that each dancer entering the studios not only trains, but thrives.

Registration is open now until Friday, January 6 at 10 a.m. CST for the Oklahoma City audition. All dancers must pre-register in order to attend an audition.

Check-in begins at 6 p.m. CST on January 7 and the audition starts promptly at 6:30 p.m. The audition fee is $35.

The audition lasts approximately two hours and will be held at the Oklahoma City Ballet office, 6800 N Classen Boulevard, in Oklahoma City.

PBT School will be hosting one virtual audition on Friday, January 13, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. More information about all of the PBT School auditions can be found here.

The Intensive Summer Program (ISP) takes place from June 27 – July 29 at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. It features resident instructors and guest artists who have been dancers with American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, among others.

Classes offered in this wide-ranging curriculum of ballet technique include pas de deux, repertoire, jazz and modern.

Under the direction of PBT School Director Marjorie Grundvig, ISP students attend more than 180 of classes in their five weeks, as well as take workshops on nutrition, choreography, injury prevention and the psychology of dance. PBT School offers housing at nearby Chatham University in Pittsburgh.

(https://www.pbt.org/faculty/grundvig/)

The Company Experience program, from June 11-24, offers a select group of pre-professional dancers ages 16 and up the chance to preview the daily life of a professional company. Students will train six days a week learning classical, new and contemporary works choreographed by Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre dancers and artistic staff.

PBT School’s Pre-professional program, which runs from September through May, is recognized as one of the nation’s finest for students pursuing careers in dance.

Admission is by audition only, and the curriculum includes 25 – 30 hours of ballet training per week. Students come from around the country and internationally to attend the program each year, and more than 70 percent of PBT’s professional company dancers are alumni.

Led by Ms. Grundbig, PBT School provides a diverse dance curriculum to more than 1,500 students annually across its Children’s, Student, Pre-Professional and Community divisions.

Ranging from pre-ballet to pre-professional, PBT School fosters the expression, discipline and joy of ballet at every level and cultivates the next generation of professional dancers.

As an integral part of their training experience, students experience daily exposure to the professional company and a range of performance opportunities in student and company productions in downtown Pittsburgh.

PBT School’s state-of-the-art facility is located in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. For class schedules and package pricing, visit pbt.org.

(https://www.pbt.org/pbts/join-our-school/)

Note: Darla Shelden is senior reporter for Community News. Pat McGuigan, publisher of CapitolBeatOK.com, adapted this news story for posting here.