Audition

Dancers must attend the age group and audition time according to their exact age on the actual day of auditions.

All dancers must be present for, and fully participate in, the appropriate scheduled audition. If, however, a dancer does not attend the appropriate audition, GCB will follow this protocol:

If the absence is due to illness, injury, or personal matter (considered on a case-by-case basis by the Artistic Director) of a known dancer (i.e. someone who has participated in GCB’s Nutcracker, or who is currently known by one of our choreographers) then the Artistic Director will make every effort to cast the dancer in an appropriate role(s), if available.

If a dancer is not known to GCB or any of its choreographers and is absent for any reason (including being unaware of the audition, illness, injury, or personal matter), then the Artistic Director will cast only lower or mid-level roles best suited for younger or less experienced dancers (i.e. Gingersnap, Little Mice, Angel, Soldier), if available. For casting in roles that require a higher skill level (i.e. pointe or solos), the dancer must be present for the audition (in order to be assessed by the Independent Adjudicator in the context of all dancers at the audition).

Auditions may only be viewed by the casting committee — Artistic Director, Assistant Artistic Director, choreographers for the season, independent adjudicator — plus a videographer (if needed). Staff and board members (many of whom are parents of dancers) do not view auditions.

Video auditions and make-up auditions (due to a dancer’s absence) are not permitted.

The minimum age to audition is (7) years old — on or before the MCPS kindergarten cut-off date for the current academic school year.

Our production is open to all members of the dance and performing arts community. Therefore, we welcome:

• Dancers from all local studios
• High school graduates
• College students
• Alumni dancers
• Community members

It is required that all dancers be enrolled (with any of the local dance studios) specifically in a ballet class — jazz, modern, tap, hip hop, hula, etc. are great, but will not count towards the ballet requirement. GCB will verify current enrollment as a requirement of participation in The Nutcracker. This requirement does not apply to Party Scene adult performers.

In order to make casting as fair as possible, GCB hires a neutral, unbiased dance professional who is not familiar with our dancers or affiliated with any local studio. This person’s job is to rank and recommend all soloists, including Clara, and determine which dancers should earn a spot in the Snow Corps. The adjudicator is not given any information about any of the dancers (i.e. name, age, studio affiliation) or their past history with GCB (i.e. prior roles, number of years in the production). Typically the adjudicator attends auditions for ages (13) and older.

For more information, click here.

If your dancer is anxious or simply wondering what to expect during auditions, it will be very similar to a ballet class. There will be a number of adults (including members of the casting committee and an independent adjudicator for the oldest groups) sitting at the front of the class watching, while an instructor teaches a skill-appropriate lesson. For identification purposes, each dancer will have an actual number pinned to the front of a leotard (or black/white dance shirt). Auditions are closed to parent viewing.

• Dress for a standard ballet class.
• No make-up required.
• Extra clothing (sweaters, skirts, leg warmers, etc.) should not be worn for auditions. Instructors may allow extra layers during rehearsal warm-up period.
• Solid color leotard — preference is black (do not wear a nude-colored leotard). Pink ballet tights that cover the entire foot. Pink ballet slippers. Bring pointe shoes (if applicable). Hair in neat ballet bun.
• Male dancers: Solid white or black dance shirt or t-shirt. Black tights. Black or white ballet slippers. Hair off face.
• Party Scene adults: Comfortable clothes for ballroom dancing; for women, close-fitting tops (with or without sleeves) and leggings are preferred in order to better see movements. Soft-sole jazz shoes or socks for men. Character shoes, soft-sole jazz shoes, or socks for ladies. No street shoes, please.

Important: No jewelry is allowed during auditions, rehearsals, or performances (including earrings, anklets, friendship bracelets, hair ties on wrists, watches, or necklaces). Please do not schedule any piercings immediately prior to performances or dye hair color between auditions and performances — dancers will need to have natural hair colors.

Thursday Final Dress Rehearsal – Dec 17 (7:00pm)
Friday School Show – Dec 18 (10:00am)
Friday Opening Night – Dec 18 (7:00pm)
Saturday Matinee – Dec 19 (1:00pm)
Saturday Evening – Dec 19 (7:00pm)
Sunday Matinee – Dec 20 (1:00pm)
Sunday Evening – Dec 20 (7:00pm)

*exact times subject to change

Every cast member* is required to pay a $300 non-refundable performance tuition fee which helps cover costs associated with choreography, rehearsals, costuming, and performing in the Montana Theatre.

Payment Due: The fee is not due until after casting is complete; it will be collected prior to the first rehearsal. You may pay by check or online in the GCB Store. The reason we do not collect any payment upfront is that while we hope to cast every dancer in the ballet, it is not a guarantee that every dancer who auditions will receive a part. Casting will depend on how many dancers audition in each age group and skill level — we have a limited number of costumes and roles.

Late Fee: If payment is not received by October 1, a late fee of $50 will apply.

(*In lieu of the required performance tuition fee, all adult performers are kindly asked to make a financial donation that is personally meaningful. Invited performers and paid professionals are exempt.)

GCB organizes optional fundraising programs to help interested families and dancers offset the performance tuition fee cost. There are two programs offered:

Option 1)  Working with local businesses, GCB buys wholesale or discounted products (i.e. coffee) that families resell at retail prices (or slightly higher). The profit from sales offsets part (or all) of your performance tuition fee. Some of our more enthusiastic families volunteer to sell items and donate all proceeds back to GCB — amazing! Note: GCB does not advise unaccompanied dancers selling door-to-door.

Instructions (pending)
Order Form
Total Sales Form

Option 2)  If you secure one (1) brand new donor at the $500 level (or higher), 50% of your fee will be reimbursed. If you secure two (2) brand new donors, each at the $500 level (or higher), 100% of your fee will be reimbursed.

Alert: Please do not solicit any potential donor before checking first with GCB. We want to make sure the person or business you have in mind is not a current donor, or a donor on our “do not contact” list. See Donate for more information and materials.

The Artistic Director will make casting decisions based on what is appropriate for each dancer and what is best for the production as a whole — GCB will not cast dancers around their other activities and commitments. See Casting page for more information.

Rehearsals begin the weekend after Labor Day and are held at Ballet Arts Academy (unless otherwise noted). Depending on the role(s), dancers rehearse Friday evenings, Saturdays, and/or Sundays (September through December — including UM Homecoming weekend, MEA/MDAA weekend, and on Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend).

Alert: Each year, we develop a general rehearsal template that may be helpful for auditioning and planning purposes. Families and dancers may use this template to decide whether or not to audition and/or accept the role(s) in which they have been cast. To repeat: GCB will make casting decisions based on what is appropriate for each dancer — GCB will not cast dancers around their other activities and commitments.

Please know that every effort is made to keep rehearsal times consistent during the season, but for many reasons, this is not always possible. Within the general time frame set aside for each variation, exact times and specific dancers called to rehearse may vary week to week. See Schedule for more details.

We appreciate all dancers arriving (5) minutes early to remove shoes, clothes, and be prepared to dance on time.

A production of this kind requires excellent attendance from every cast member. Please give careful consideration before auditioning and committing your family to the entire Nutcracker season.

School Absence Request Form
Dancers (or parents) may find this GCB form useful: School Absence Request

General
All known and planned absences should be communicated at least one full week in advance to the Artistic Director and Executive Director. If plane tickets have been purchased or you have a future event already on your calendar (i.e. vacation, wedding), please tell us now.

• Attendance will be taken at every rehearsal.
• Do not come if testing positive for a contagious virus (i.e. COVID, norovirus, flu, RSV) or experiencing fever or vomiting.
• Please mask if you have a common cold or lingering symptoms from recent illness.
• A rehearsal may be cancelled if we have multiple known absences in advance.

Late / Tardy
Three late arrivals (5 minutes or more) will count as (1) absence. If you arrive late, it is your responsibility to be sure you are marked “late” instead of “absent” in the attendance binder.

UM Homecoming Parade (October 3, 2026)
Rehearsals are typically held on UM Homecoming weekend — if you are in the parade and miss a scheduled rehearsal, it will count as an absence.

MEA / MDAA (October 15-18, 2026)
Rehearsals are typically held on this long MCPS weekend, which often is the same weekend as the MDAA dance workshop — if you miss a scheduled rehearsal, it will count as an absence.

Thanksgiving (November 26, 2026)
No rehearsals will be held Friday or Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, but rehearsals are typically held on Sunday — if you miss a scheduled rehearsal, it will count as an absence.

• While not considered mandatory, these Sunday rehearsals are especially critical when the following week is the start of Tech Week.

Mandatory Rehearsals (December 4-6, 2026)
All rehearsals after Thanksgiving weekend are mandatory for the entire cast. If you are a dancer with an assigned understudy and you miss a mandatory rehearsal, see Part C below.

Theater Tech Week (December 12-17, 2026)
All rehearsals and dress rehearsals during Tech Week are non-negotiable — all cast members are needed. If you have unavoidable conflicts during Tech Week, please do not audition. If you miss a rehearsal during Tech Week, see Part D below.

• The final run through of Act One and Act Two (held at Ballet Arts Academy on Saturday, December 12) is considered part of Tech Week and required for all.
• It is your responsibility to identify and clear all personal, work, and school-related conflicts ideally before auditions (but no later than your first rehearsal). School teachers (especially in the performing arts, i.e. band/orchestra/choir/drama) will appreciate your prompt communication at the beginning of the semester to resolve any conflicts during Tech Week. Alternative assignments are typically provided by teachers.

Nutcracker Performances (December 18-20, 2026)
All performances (including the Friday 10:00am School Show matinee) are non-negotiable — all cast members are needed. If you have unavoidable conflicts with a performance, please do not audition.

GCB Attendance Policies 

Part A – General (applies to all cast members):
At the discretion of the Artistic Director, any cast member may be replaced for missing more than (2) rehearsals for any reason (including illness or emergency) during the production season.

Part B – Understudy (applies only to dancers with assigned understudies):
If the primary dancer misses more than (2) scheduled rehearsals (per role) for any reason (including illness or emergency) during the production season, the understudy will be given (1) performance opportunity chosen by the Artistic Director.

Part C – Mandatory Rehearsal (applies only to dancers with assigned understudies):
If the primary dancer misses a mandatory rehearsal for any reason except sudden illness or major emergency, the understudy will be given (1) performance opportunity chosen by the Artistic Director. It will be at the discretion of the Artistic Director to decide what constitutes a major emergency (i.e. death in the family).

Part D – Theater Tech Week (applies to all cast members):
At the discretion of the Artistic Director, any cast member — especially dancers with an understudy — will be dismissed from the production for missing a Tech Week rehearsal or dress rehearsal, unless the absence is for one of the following reasons:

• positive test for a contagious virus
• fever or vomiting
• death in the family

Generally speaking, we have very few issues with conduct. If, however, an attitude or behavior does not meet GCB’s expectations, this protocol will be followed:
1st instance – The adult immediately involved will speak directly to the dancer and the Artistic Director will be notified.
2nd instance – The Artistic Director will speak to the dancer and a parent will be notified.
3rd instance – If the dancer is not dismissed (from all remaining rehearsals and performances), a parent will be required to chaperone and supervise the dancer for the remainder of the season.

GCB has zero tolerance for bullying. Please let us know if you see, or your dancer experiences, any bullying behavior. We appreciate when dancers act professionally and behave respectfully during rehearsals, onstage and backstage, and in dressing rooms. Please maintain a positive attitude throughout Nutcracker season.

GCB has a zero tolerance policy for illegal use or possession of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and vaping products. The consequence of breaking this policy may include up to a one-year suspension from Garden City Ballet.

Our desire is for everyone to have a positive Nutcracker experience and each of us plays a vital role towards this goal. Please follow our Code of Conduct.

We joke around that parents are forced to volunteer — but, it’s true! Volunteering is required of every family because otherwise GCB could not afford to produce The Nutcracker.

At a minimum, each family is asked to sign up for (3) volunteer shifts.

There are many flexible volunteer opportunities throughout the season if finding a shift during performance weekend itself is challenging. See Parent Sign Up for details and let us know if you need to make any special arrangements or have extenuating circumstances which make this requirement difficult.

To get a sense of Tech Week, please review the example schedule provided. Tech Week is a crucial part of your commitment and we need all families to be prepared for this exciting and demanding stretch of final rehearsals. After digesting this information, please consider whether the Nutcracker season feels manageable.
2025 Tech Week and Performances

There is no question this article contains helpful advice — and, we encourage parents and dancers to review it every year — Audition Basics and Pointers for Keeping a Positive Perspective by Nichelle Suzanne (Founder/Editor at Dance Advantage)

Hot tip!
GCB offers Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced ballet workshops in August (Summer Boot Camp) to help dancers prepare for auditions — these classes are especially helpful for those who have not danced consistently over the summer.

Please bring a photo to your audition.* It may be in color or b/w, and should be approximately 3×5 in size (any size is fine, except we don’t need an 8×10). Ladies should style hair in a neat ballet bun. Gentlemen should have hair out of eyes and off of face. There is no need to hire a professional photographer, though of course you are welcome to do so! Dancers who take part in Summer Boot Camp receive a complimentary digital headshot — you will be responsible, however, for bringing your own printed photo to auditions. Make-up is not required for the photo or auditions. Your photo will be submitted to the casting committee and will not be returned.

*Adults auditioning for Party Scene are not required to bring a photo.

Option One – Print Forms
Please print, sign, and bring paper forms to audition:
Liability and Performance Waivers
Communicable Diseases Waiver
Consent for OTC Medication – for dancers under age of 18

Option Two – Electronic Signature
If you prefer to sign online — with no need to bring paper copies to audition — please use these links:
Liability and Performance Waivers
Communicable Diseases Waiver
Consent for OTC Medication – for dancers under age of 18 

GCB has an audition requirement for all returning Nutcracker dancers — if this is your first audition, this requirement does not apply. (Party adults: please feel free to write a letter of gratitude but it is not required.) Let us know if you have any questions!
Instructions (please follow)
Examples (for inspiration)