PDT Spring Show
The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
Fancy Nancy Mermaid Ballet
Spring Dances
April 6th, *1:00pm & 4:00pm
*Sensory Friendly Performance.
April was 7th, 2:00pm
Montco Cultural Center
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The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, with music by Benjamin Britten and Choreography by Joy Delaney-Capponi. This 17 minute ballet will showcase the entire PDT company as parts of the orchestra with a conductor who leads them through the themes and variations.
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Fancy Nancy Mermaid Ballet
Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet; a one-act ballet based on the beloved children’s book by Jane O'Conner with choreography by Mary LaGere. Join us as we bring literature to life with Nancy and Bree and their experiences with Deep Sea Dances.
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Spring Dances
To finish out the program, Spring Dances will highlight new choreography for the specific talents of the Philadelphia Dance Theatre dancers.
Sensory Friendly Performance
The Saturday, April 6th performance at 1:00 p.m. will be a Sensory Friendly Performance. This abbreviated performance will provide a relaxed, shush-free, and shame-free environment for audience members of all ages and abilities to experience this magical holiday tradition in a safe and comfortable atmosphere.
Sensory Friendly Performances are designed to create a welcoming performing arts experience for people with autism, sensory input disorders, sensory sensitivities, or other physical, cognitive, or developmental disabilities, and their families, friends, and caretakers. This presentation is hosted in collaboration with Montgomery County Community College Disability Services Department and presented by Lively Arts.
Philadelphia Dance Theatre and Lively Arts have made special accommodations to the performance and theater-going experience to make neurodiverse audiences feel welcome to enjoy the performance in a lighthearted, accepting environment.
WHAT MAKES THIS PERFORMANCE SENSORY FRIENDLY?
Audience members are invited to come to the performance and be themselves! Expectations for audience etiquette at this performance will be relaxed; talking or vocalizing is welcome, and patrons can move freely in their seats and the aisles during the performance, within appropriate safety parameters.
House lights will remain on at a low level throughout the entirety of the performance.
Some loud sounds and startling moments are modified for this performance.
Fidget objects, and other sensory tools or devices are allowed inside the theater during the performance. Audience members can also feel free to bring their own comfort items with them into the theater.
Entering and exiting the theater is allowed throughout the performance. Designated quiet spaces will be available for audience members who may need to take a break from the performance.
Wheelchair-accessible seating options
Information for dancers + families
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All dancers levels 2x, 3/3x, 4/4x, 5/5x, 6 are able to audition for for Fancy Nancy Mermaid Ballet.
Visiting choreographer, Mary LaGere will come to PDT 1/23-1/28 to audition the dancers and set the choreography. All casting decisions are hers to make and will be respected.
IMPORTANT: This ballet only has 28 roles, so all dancers who audition are not guaranteed a role in Fancy Nancy.
Please take this into consideration before signing up your dancers for Fancy Nancy. If you think the potential of not being cast would be too hard for your dancer to handle, then we do not recommend that they audition. They can instead opt only to participate in A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra.
There will be auditions on 1/23 and 1/24 for Fancy Nancy. Families must complete their Dancer Agreement for Fancy Nancy by January 23, 2024.
Class Requirements
In order to be eligible for the Spring Show, dancers must be attending the minimum number of hours of ballet class appropriate to their level per week. If you are not currently meeting these hours, you must add additional class(es) to your schedule.
Required hours of ballet class per week:
Pre Ballet 3 - .75 Hours of class per week
Ballet 1 - 1.0 hour of class per week
Ballet 1x/2 - 2.0 hours of class per week
Ballet 2x -3.0 hours of class per week
Ballet 3: 4.5 hrs. per week
Ballet 3x: 5.0 hrs. per week
Ballet 4: 6.0 hrs. per week
Ballet 4x: 7.5 hrs. per week
Ballet 5: 9.0 hrs. per weekBallet 5x - 10 hrs. per week
Ballet 6 - 12 hrs. per week
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All dancers levels Pre Ballet 3*, 1/1x, 2/2x, 3/3x, 4/4x, 5/5x, 6 are able to Participate in A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra.
*Pre Ballet 3 dancers must be 6 years old to participate.
There will not be an audition for Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra. Families must complete their Dancer Agreement by February 3rd, 2024 to be cast.
Class Requirements
In order to be eligible for the Spring Show, dancers must be attending the minimum number of hours of ballet class appropriate to their level per week. If you are not currently meeting these hours, you must add additional class(es) to your schedule.
Required hours of ballet class per week:
Pre Ballet 3 - .75 Hours of class per week
Ballet 1 - 1.0 hour of class per week
Ballet 1x/2 - 2.0 hours of class per week
Ballet 2x -3.0 hours of class per week
Ballet 3: 4.5 hrs. per week
Ballet 3x: 5.0 hrs. per week
Ballet 4: 6.0 hrs. per week
Ballet 4x: 7.5 hrs. per week
Ballet 5: 9.0 hrs. per week
Ballet 5x - 10 hrs. per week
Ballet 6 - 12 hrs. per week
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Please review the following key dates and ensure you do not have any conflicts before committing to participating in the Spring Show.
Families should be prepared to have rehearsal every Saturday, beginning 1/27 and additional weeknight rehearsals. All rehearsals will be posted to the Rehearsal Calendar on the PDT website and on the PDT Mobile App. Families are responsible for checking the rehearsal calendar frequently.
Important Dates:
1/23-1/28
Mary LaGere will be in residency at to set Fancy Nancy.
All Fancy Nancy rehearsals for this week are mandatory.
All scheduling is subject to change as Mary works with the dancers.
Tuesday, 1/23
Levels 4/4x, 5/5x, 6: Fancy Nancy Audition + Registration Deadline
Wednesday, 1/24
Levels 3/3x Fancy Nancy Audition + Registration Deadline
Saturday, 2/3
Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Registration Deadline
Saturday, 2/10
Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra rehearsals begin
Saturday, March 16th
In-Studio Dress Rehearsal at PDT
April 2nd-5th
Tech Rehearsals at MCCC
PERFORMANCES:
April 6th, 1:00 pm & 4:00pm
April 7th, 2:00pm
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Participating in a PDT production requires a great deal of time and commitment from both the dancer and family. This is why we ask all families to read through the Company Handbook and their Dancer Agreement together. Dancers and families are asked to commit only to what they can truly manage.
Dancers wishing to participate in the Spring Show, are required to complete the following steps by the time of their audition/registration deadline.
All families are required to review the PDT Company Handbook with their dancer, and consider the commitment they are undertaking by participating in this production.
PLEASE NOTE THE NEW ABSENCE POLICY IN THE HANDBOOK
2. Sign Dancer/Family Agreement
All dancers are required to review and sign their agreement with a parent/guardian.
Agreements must be submitted by the following deadlines:
Fancy Nancy level 4/5/6 deadline: 1/23/24
Fancy Nancy Level 3/3x deadline: 1/24/24
Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra deadline: 2/3/24
You do NOT need to register through Studio Director
Once your Dancer Agreement has been received, PDT will add your Spring Show fee to your account.
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Pre Ballet 3 - $200
Levels: 1-2x - $250
Levels: 3-6 - $300
Students are required to provide their own personal supplies, including shoes, tights, and undergarments for their costumes. A list of all required costume elements will be sent out ASAP.
Includes:
All rehearsal time
Custom fitted costumes
Performance t-shirt
Access to professional photographs of performance
Professional Recording of Performance