Benicia Ballet Theatre FAQ's

Benicia Ballet, Inc is a corporation. Teresa Taylor is the owner, and the Managing Director. Benicia Ballet, Inc. offers classes in ballet, tap, jazz, folklorico, contemporary, and hip hop. BBT, on the other hand, is a non -profit organization, run by a board of directors, that puts on two performances each year – In the winter we traditionally present The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky. We then present a Spring show, traditionally a story ballet. We also offer a one-week pre-professional summer intensive, and a two-week summer workshop ending with a community performance, through a grant from the City of Benicia. Our mission at BBT is to offer non-discriminatory performance opportunities to dancers, to provide charitable and educational programs with no political affiliation, and to provide local, affordable, quality performances for the community to enjoy. Membership is $25 and allows you to vote on the Board of Directors, attend the monthly board meetings and support the work that we do. There are also 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. ​ Thank you for your continued support of Benicia Ballet Theatre, and looking forward to another great year together!

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 the Winter 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 Winter and 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. Both contracts require volunteer hours from the family. ​ There is more flexibility in volunteer hours with a company contract. Company families have to volunteer a total of 6 credits for the year. This can be done like the family contract, 3 at the Winter show and 3 at the Spring show, or it can be spread out over other BBT events, like the Spring gala, Outreach, or other tasks that are needed throughout the year not related to a performance.

This year we will be sending out a Sign Up Genius form for audition times to sign up for the winter performance. If it’s not possible for your dancer to attend, or if the audition has already passed, contact Jacquelyn Zilka at bbt.jmz@gmail.com or info@beniciaballet.com and let her know that your dancer would like to participate and complete the online registration. Pre-Ballet and Primary A/B dancers are not required to 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. Notify Teresa Taylor or Jacquelyn Zilka that your dancer wants to participate and complete the online registration. Auditions for dancers are about giving students the experience of an audition in a comfortable setting to help build their confidence. Dancers may want 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. 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.

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 in September.

In general, rehearsals take place on Saturday afternoons, and this year, any additional rehearsing will take place at home. 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 may have Friday evening rehearsals. There may be some other week night rehearsals, but typically this is only for company dancers and solo roles. 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.