Please understand, participants in the Nutcracker are NOT attending a dance class but a rehearsal or practice where the cast will learn steps, formations, and staging in order to perform their roles they were casted into. Participants who are not enrolled in an RMSA ballet class cannot be guaranteed a dance role or even a role with students of their same age as choreography for certain roles require different levels of ballet technique. If you are interested in enrolling into any of our summer dance classes click here.

 

RMDT NUTCRACKER POLICIES

Fees: Nutcracker is based on a participation fee and the number of roles a student is given. The fee is $45 to participate in one role, and $25.00 for each additional role. This onetime flat fee, will be charged to all accounts before the first practice/rehearsal. Students cannot rehearse/practice until the fee is paid in full. Participation fees are non-refundable once charged to accounts.  

Roles: auditionees are cast/assigned roles based on several different criteria. Please understand, if an auditionee is NOT currently enrolled in ballet classes at RMSA, they may not get a role with those their age/grade.  In the same matter, auditonees who previously took dance classes at RMSA and choose NOT to take ballet classes in the fall, may be needed to be recast into different roles as continued fall class work and training is needed for specific roles & choreography. 

Costumes: are loaned to each dancer for their roles. Costumes must be returned, with accessories on the scheduled costume return day. Any costumes not returned during the costume return day will result in a $75 per costume fine. If a costume is not returned at all, a charge equivalent to the purchase of a new costume will be applied. Costumes range from $70-$500 each.

Items Needed: All participants in the Nutcracker are required to purchase the correct items (shoes, tights, leotards, body liners) needed for each role they are cast. These items can be purchased at our RMSA Dance Store located in our studio.

Mandatory Rehearsal/Practice Attire and Hair: 

Females Hair must be in a secure bun (no bangs) for ALL rehearsals/practices. 

The following attire is the ONLY attire allowed for rehearsals: 

• Females:
  • BLACK Leotard
  • Pink Tights
  • Pink Ballet Shoes
  • Booties: ALL pointe dancers must have (no one else is required to have)
    Optional: BLACK ballet skirt, BLACK garbage bag shorts, BLACK dance sweater (regular sweaters and sweatshirts will not be allowed)
• Males:
  • Plain white t-shirt
  • Solid Black sweatpants or male tights
  • Solid Black socks
  • Black ballet shoes

Rehearsals: Rehearsals for everyone except some pointe dancers begin in September.  (If you don’t know if your child is an older participant, they are not; follow the "younger participants" calendar). Rehearsal's are Monday's and are 15 to 30 minutes per role (length varies depending on the role). Around the middle of November, rehearsals change as we begin to add each role into their scenes/place in the ballet. This requires a longer rehearsal time, between 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the role, and additional Friday rehearsals may be added. Nutcracker participants can expect a total of 3-4 Friday rehearsals. The week of Nutcracker, rehearsals can be every day, Mon-Thur., and can last 2-4 hours, with dinner breaks included, depending on the role and need for rehearsal.

Performances: Tentatively Dec 12, 13, 14; 2025 Nutcracker participants can expect the following:

• Friday, the week of Nutcracker: 1-2 abreviated school performances held between 9:00 am-12:30 pm. Participants will be required to miss school, which is usually not an issue, as the Friday performance(s) are for Elementary schools in the Cody and surrounding area.
• Saturday: although there is usually only one performance at 7:00, an additional matinee at 2:00 may be added if necessary.
• Sunday: one performance at 2:00

Attendance Policy: The success of the Nutcracker is dependent on each person knowing their roles and their interaction with the other dancers in their roles/scenes. Rehearsal attendance needs to be top priority. Dancers are allowed to miss a maximum of 3 rehearsals total for the season due to family emergencies and illnesses that may come up, BUT a dancer is not allowed to miss 3 rehearsals in a row. Attendance is taken at each rehearsal and the following policy will be enforced:

A. Dancers who miss more than 3 rehearsals will be removed from their role(s).

B. Dancers who miss 2 rehearsals in a row will be removed from their role(s).

C. Dancers who miss rehearsals at the auditorium, without prior approval from Elizabeth, will be removed from their role(s).

D. Dancers who miss DRESS rehearsal will NOT be allowed to perform. This is non-negotiable.

Additional expectations:

1. Disruptive or bad behavior will not be tolerated.

2. Participants must be able to listen and learn choreography.

Behavior: Bad or disruptive behavior during practices/rehearsals or backstage can result in dismissal from Nutcracker rehearsals and performances. Intentional malicious behavior to props, costumes, backdrops, or RMDT property which ends in damage will result in replacement costs by participant’s parents/guardians.

Tickets: Seating for all Nutcracker performances is reserved and anyone wanting to watch the Nutcracker Ballet must purchase tickets. Tickets will go on sale to the parents/guardians two (2) weeks prior to the public, giving parents/guardians first choice for seats. Parents/guardians may purchase as many tickets as they wish, but please understand, tickets are non-refundable.

Volunteers: Volunteers are crucial to the success of our performance week and are greatly appreciated. We have over 70 volunteer opportunties that need to be filled from front of house, back stage, to striking after the final performance. Volunteer sign ups will be online and a link will be shared once tickets go on sale to families, please consider signing up for at least one time slot/position as many hands make for light work. :) 

Communication/Information: All needed Nutcracker information is in our free studio app under "Rocky Mountain Dance Theatre" > "RMDT Nutcracker" or online at:  https://rockymountaindancetheatre.org/nutcracker-parent-information/. ALL participants/families need to download and utalize our FREE studio APP. By opting into our "Nutcracker Participants" app push notification "GROUP" you'll receive reminders, updates, & alerts. This is the best way to stay informed and up to date. Remember RMDT Nutcracker is completely different/separate from RMSA Dance Classes. 

Schedule Changes: Due to many moving parts in this type of production and unforeseen circumstances, rehearsals/schedules can change. Families need to check calendars regularly, especially once November begins. You will be notified via app push notifications of any major changes. 

ENROLLING: after submitting this audition form, everyone must enroll/register online (or via our app) into our 2025 Nutcracker program in our admin jackrabbit site. Link will be on submission page after you submit this form. This way all your information is automatically submitted into our portal/accounts system and you will easily receive emails, have access to payments, and other important information. If your child will no longer be able to participate, you need to let us know ASAP. Once participation fees are charged to accounts, fees are non-refundable; see below for payment schedule. 

PAYMENT SCHEDULE: 2025 Nutcracker fees will be POSTED into accounts sometime this summer after casting is listed so families have the option to pay manually during the summer. You will NOT be CHARGED any participation fees until right before the first day of Nutcracker rehearsals in the fall. As Nutcracker is program of affiliated nonprofit RMDT: any Nutcracker fees remaining on accounts at this time will be automatically charged regardless of epayment schedules or membership types. After participation fees are charged to accounts, these participation fees are non-refundable. 

I have read and understand and agree to the policies for participating in RMDT's Nutcracker Ballet.

 

All parents & participants need to understand: RMDT's Nutcracker is and isn’t a separate program from RMSA dance. The Nutcracker is a ballet and therefore, ballet foundations for most of the roles are imperative and those who audition are cast into roles based on this. There is a transition from when dancers are younger, and one of the reasons we encourage and explain the importance of regular ballet class.

As dancers progress, so does their foundation. ei: A dancer who is in RMSA Acacademy 3 does not have the same foundation as a dancer in RMSA Academy 5, therefore, there is a continued building of this foundation in a dance class. If someone isn’t taking ballet classes, they are not continuing to build their foundation. The foundations must be there to perform. 

RMDT Nutcracker Rehearsals and RMSA ballet classes are two different things, and for most roles one can’t rehearse without the foundations of ballet class. RMDT Nutcracker cannot be a replacement for RMSA dance classes. Participation in RMDT's Nutcracker is the reward for taking class. 

Yes, I understand that for most roles, especially as my child gets older, participation in RMDT's Nutcracker is dependant on attending regular ballet classes at RMSA.