Hello BBT families
Please check the schedule posted at the studio, at beniciaballet.com on the Nutcracker 2023 Family Resources page, attached to this email and for those on GroupMe the schedule is posted there weekly. We have added a few more fittings to the schedule for this Saturday October 21. Anyone who has missed their fitting, for whatever reason, is invited to be fit from 4-6pm on Saturday 10/21. Please be patient with us as we will have a lot of people attempting to finalize their costumes at this time. Our show preparation is well on the way, please share any known conflicts. We cannot accommodate any more schedule conflicts, but if you know your dancer will need to be absent please notify us so that we can plan our rehearsals accordingly. We still have a lot of volunteer slots open on Signup Genius. Including the volunteer spots for the photo shoot and assisting at the studio during some Saturday rehearsals. Each family is to complete 5 credits. Be sure to sign up before your preferred job is taken. We can not have performances of this caliber without an army of volunteers and truly appreciate your support! Be advised that there will be no class or rehearsal Saturday Nov 25. Happy Thanksgiving!
Peter Lichty, our long time performance photographer, will be taking photographs on Sunday November 5! Don't delay, sign up today to get your time slot! Reserve your time slot here. Pre-select your costume when you sign up for your time slot prior to the photo shoot. Costumes will be pulled ahead of November 5 and be ready for your dancer upon your arrival at the studio. NO COSTUMES WILL BE PULLED FROM STORAGE. The company photo will be taken at 3pm. Company members should arrive no later than 2:45pm. There is a 30 minute window of time to complete the company photo in order to resume the regular photo shoot time slots.
We are proud to announce the Benicia Ballet T-shirt fundraiser featuring our brand new T-shirt design! Pre-Order your shirts $20/each here!
Speaking of fundraisers, all families participating in the Nutcracker are required to sell $120.00 of See's Candies. These gift boxes make a wonderful holiday gift! If you prefer not to sell and want to buy out your fundraising participation the cost is $80.00 You can pay for your buy out here. If you haven't received your selling information please email info@beniciaballet.com and let us know.
As we are near the end of our rehearsal period, this is the time to start collecting the necessities for the performance.
Attire
Everyone should have a fresh pair of tights (maybe two) with no holes, runs or stains. Please be sure to check that your ballet shoes are clean, do not have holes, are fastened securely with matching elastics and thread color. Pointe shoes need to have ribbons and elastic, and should be prepared to each dancer's specifications. This is a good time to check your flesh toned, spaghetti strap/camisole leotard and undergarments, if you do not have any or if you’ve grown out of your previous one, now is the time to buy them. Every dancer who wishes to have undergarments under their costume is to match their attire to their skin tone. No black bike shorts, non-skin toned bras or underwear. You can purchase - Contra Costa Dancewear or online Discount Dance . Mice and Gingerbread Cookies do not need a nude leotard, their class leotard (WITHOUT ATTACHED SKIRTS) is good. Older dancers should have a small sewing kit to attend to their shoe needs, as well as a bottle of clear nail polish for the occasional run in your tights.
Hair
Every dancer should have their own supply of hair color coordinated bobby pins, hairpins and hair nets to secure their hair and headpieces. You will need to bring extra strength hair spray, hair color matching hair ties, hair pins and hair nets. Wear your hair in a bun NO CENTER PARTS. You should practice wearing your hair in class and rehearsal as you will for the show, so that you are comfortable with it and to be sure that you can secure your hair correctly. If you have any questions about your hair we would be happy to help you.
Make up
Your make up requirements will vary by age, and skin tone. Dancers 13 and older are required to wear fake eyelashes. More details about age and role based requirements coming soon. There is NO JEWELRY, TATTOOS, COLORED NAIL POLISH on stage. Keep an eye on your emails for the hair and make up tutorials you can watch at home, if you prefer, we will have an in studio tutorial with Ms Frances on December 2nd. Don't worry, we will make a fun event of it.
Check list
A checklist will soon be made available on the website, as well as the tutorials for how to do your hair and make up.
Finally, ticket sales for Benicia Ballet Theatre Annual Members will be available for pre-sale on November 1. If you aren’t already, become an annual member before the end of October and you can purchase your favorite seats for this year's production ahead of the crowd! Mark your calendar, general ticket sales will start November 10.
For your convenience, I am attaching the finalized cast list, current rehearsal and costume fitting schedule to this post and to the Family Resources Page.
We are nearly through October, get ready, our show weekend will be here before we know it!
Sincerely,
Frances Lai Baca
Benicia Ballet Theatre Associate Artistic Director
