2024 Student Registration
for “The San Jose Nutcracker”
Enrolled Student Participation Requirements
Students must be currently enrolled in the Sr. Pre-Professional Division of New Ballet School, Level 4A-6 or as a Studio Company Apprentice.
Students ideally will have 100% availability for all Theatre Rehearsals and Performances. Please note, that if you cannot commit to being available for all Theatre Rehearsals and Performances, or if you would like a less intense rehearsal and performance schedule, you can opt for Minimal Casting. Minimal Casting for students in Levels 4A and 4B will mean being cast only as a Toy Soldier, and not as a Flower or Flower Understudy. Minimal Casting for Levels 5A and up will mean a student will be cast only as a Flower, Snow Understudy or Snowflake, and will not be eligible for any roles in the Party Scene, and other roles in the second act, or any other soloist or principal roles or understudies.
There is a possibility that students who do not opt for Minimal Casting may be cast in all performances, or they may be cast in fewer performances, depending on how many students register and depending on other factors. If your student is selected to participate and they miss rehearsal, casting may be changed, even if that absence is excused or unavoidable. Please see specific rehearsal and performance schedules before committing to participate. Performance conflicts and Theatre Rehearsal conflicts will not be permitted unless you opt for Minimal Casting. If a student ends up not performing because of any type of conflict or absence, the participation fee will not be refunded.
Minimal Casting: In-Theatre and Performance Casting Conflicts. Students who opt for minimal casting may be granted a maximum of one Theatre Rehearsal conflict and a maximum of two Performance conflicts. If you would like to request Theatre Rehearsal or Performance Conflicts, please email school@newballet.com immediately to see if these requests can be accommodated and we will let you know before you register and pay the registration fee if your conflict(s) will prevent you from participating in “The San Jose Nutcracker.” Please ask even if you have more conflicts, but know that we will need to draw a line depending on your students level and casting, even with a Minimal Casting commitment. Any Theater Rehearsal or Performance conflicts that are brought to our attention AFTER the registration fee has been paid may result a student not being cast to perform, and at that point we will not be able to refund your participation fee. It is possible that students who list conflicts for Theater Rehearsals and Performances will not be eligible to participate, so please email school@newballet.com immediately to see if we can accommodate your conflicts. Be sure to look at your schedule for choir performances, school activities etc., as if we learn of these conflicts later we may need to remove your student from casting. If we know about these conflicts now we can let you know if we can work around them or not.
Please indicate any conflicts with In-Studio Rehearsals (rehearsals in our studios that take place between October and December 8) in your student’s registration form. Up to three In-Studio rehearsals conflicts may be accommodated with approval. More than three rehearsal conflicts, even if noted on your form, may prevent you from being cast. If you have any questions about conflicts, please email school@newballet.com immediately and we will let you know if they can be accommodated. If you are not cast in Preliminary Casting due to excessive noted conflicts, your Performance Fee will be refunded. Conflicts brought to our attention after Preliminary Casting has been posted may result in a student not being able to participate, and in that case we cannot refund the participation fee. Please check with us immediately about any known rehearsal conflicts and we will let you know what might be possible. Performance conflicts are not permitted.
Absences, even if noted on the conflict form, may affect casting. Absences, even due to illness, injury, or unforeseen circumstances may also affect casting, i.e. students who miss rehearsals whether or not these absences are their fault and whether or not those absences have been listed on their conflict form may be ultimately unable to perform if they have trouble learning or performing the choreography.
The number of shows in which a student ends up performing is based on a number of complicated logistics, costumes available, choreography, and the number of students who participate. Please be prepared for your student to perform in either all shows or in a smaller number of shows. Students who do not opt for Minimal Casting and who are cast to perform as Snow and Flowers are expected to attend all Theatre Rehearsals and Performances to cover in case of an emergency and to be aware of any choreography or spacing changes. We consider these students to be Advanced and deeply appreciate the level of commitment to the production shown by these students and their families.
Preliminary Casting (which role(s) a student is learning) will be emailed to families by September 23. Please note that we may modify Preliminary Casting after the first or second rehearsal.
Performance Casting will be announced by November 1. Please do not purchase tickets to watch your student until Performance Casting is released to ensure you purchase for the correct show(s). Performance Casting CANNOT BE CHANGED by request once announced. We cannot alter casting for other extracurricular activities, family events, performance preferences, etc. Please review schedules carefully before completing the Nutcracker Student Registration Form. “The San Jose Nutcracker” is a large time commitment and we understand that not all families can accommodate this kind of schedule.
Performance Casting may be changed after posting by our staff due to illness, injury or other unforeseen circumstances. In that event the box office will do their best to work with families regarding any purchased tickets. Please continue to keep your schedule clear and your student available for all performance dates, even after Performance Casting is posted.
Students may be called last minute to come to the theatre to perform in the case that another student performing the same role is suddenly not available. Please be fully ready and prepared for this.
Students may need to purchase additional shoes, tights, and/or leotards if they are cast, depending on the role.
Roles in “The San Jose Nutcracker”
Students in the following levels will be generally considered for the roles listed on the links below under “Schedules by Class Level.” Students Levels 4A and up may be cast in multiple roles if they do not opt for Minimal Casting. Casting will be based on a multitude of factors, including but not limited to ability, maturity, and appropriateness for the role. Casting is at the sole discretion of the Artistic Staff, and requests to reconsider casting will not be considered.
Some students may additionally be cast to understudy roles along with learning roles they will be cast to perform. Understudies are very important, and understudies should attend all rehearsals for the role they are understudying even if they are not scheduled to perform. For Snow, Flowers, Principal and Soloist roles, and any other role with understudies, who is understudying and who is performing may not be determined until final performance casting is posted on November 1st. We count on families to help students understand the value of the understudy experience, and to help them understand how understudying is a valuable experience for every dancer.
Please remember that all roles danced will contribute to the performance. We encourage families to help students frame casting announcements positively and to help students understand the contributions of each and every role to the production as a whole. If you feel that your child or that you yourself will not be able to negotiate the casting process in a positive way, please consider whether or not to participate in “The San Jose Nutcracker.”
Rehearsals will be scheduled to take place on the days and at the times listed on the webpages linked below. Times and days may change as rehearsals progress. Students should be available for all times listed for roles for which they may be considered in order to commit to participate in “The San Jose Nutcracker.” They should be able to shift rehearsal times on Saturdays and Sundays, October through December by up to a few hours in case of changes, although these changes are not anticipated.
Rehearsals for Snowflakes and Flowers will take place during class time on Tuesdays during class time as well as on Saturdays
