The dance competition will be held Friday, April 13, 2018 at the Rosa Auditorium at SkyView High School (8990 York St, Thornton, CO 80229).
This competition features young male and female dancers trained in classical ballet. To match the expansion and growth of the dance world, the Young Artists Festival is now including a contemporary variation as part of the dance competition. After participating in a mandatory ballet class onstage in front of judges, dancers will have the choice of performing either a ballet variation from the classical repertoire or an original contemporary variation.
Divisions
- Junior Division
- Ages 11-12
- Intermediate Division
- Ages 13-14
- Dancers may compete on flat or en pointe
- Senior Division
- Ages 15 – High School Seniors
- Dancers required to perform en pointe
*Divisions are determined by the student’s age as of March 16, 2018
*Festival administrators may combine or add divisions as they deem appropriate
Auditions
All new dancers are required to attend a mandatory audition. Previous festival competitors are invited to participate in the audition process but are not required to attend. Auditions will be held at Kim Robards Dance, 9990 E. Colfax Avenue in Aurora (date TBD). All dancers must report at 2:45 pm for general instructions and warm-up. Junior Division students will audition first, Intermediate Division students second, and Senior Division students will be last. Each dancer may present only one variation, either ballet or contemporary.
Dancers must bring two CDs with music for their variation (recorded alone on the CD and cued to the beginning of the piece).
Students who are not prepared or do not comply with the criteria will be disqualified. Participation in the competition will be limited and will depend on performance quality and adherence to the requirements.
Ballet Requirements
Dancers must participate in a one-hour ballet master class and perform a classical ballet variation from the below list.
Dancers who competed in previous years must perform a different choreographic variation to participate in the 2018 festival.
Female Dancers
All female dancers must wear a black leotard, pink tights, shoes, and hair in a bun. No costumes are permitted (including head pieces, tutus, decorated leotards). When performing their variation, dancers may choose to wear black tights and/or a ballet skirt. Female dancers will choose and perform one of the variations from the appropriate category in the table below.
| Division | Variation Choices |
|---|---|
| Junior+ (ages 11-12) |
Giselle: Peasant Pas Female Variation Female Variation from Grand Pas Classique Don Quixote: Cupid Variation |
| Intermediate flat+ (ages 13-14) |
Swan Lake: Black Swan Variation Harlequinade: Female Variation Paquita: Jumping Girl Variation Pas de Quatre: Cerrito Variation La Sylphide: 2nd VariationDiana and Acteon: Diana’s Variation Nutcracker: Ballerina Doll Variation Le Corsaire: Odalisque Variation |
| Intermediate Division en pointe* (ages 13-14) |
Talisman: Talisman female Variation
Coppelia Act 1 Variation Don Quixote: Kitri Variation Act 1
|
| Senior Division* (ages 15-high school senior) |
La Esmerelda: La Esmerelda female Variation Swan Lake: Act I, Pas de Trois, 2nd Variation Don Quixote, Kitri Variation Act III Raymonda: Raymonda Variation Act IIPaquita female principle Variation Sleeping Beauty: Aurora Act III VariationLe Corsaire: Gulnare Variation |
*these divisions will perform their variation en pointe
Male Dancers
All male dancers must wear a white T-shirt with sleeves, black tights, and black ballet slippers.
| Division | Variation Choices |
|---|---|
| Junior (ages 11-12) |
Napoli: Act III, 1st Male Variation Sleeping Beauty: Prince Variation Coppelia: Franz’s VariationSwan Lake: Act III, Siegfried’s Variation |
| Intermediate and Senior Division (ages 13-high school senior) |
Swan Lake: Act III, Siegfried’s Variation Grand Pas Classique: Male Variation Paquita: Male VariationNutcracker: Cavalier variation Le Corsaire: Male VariationSleeping Beauty: Act III, Blue Bird VariationFlames of Paris: Male Variation |
Dancers must bring two CDs with music for their variation (recorded alone on the CD and cued to the beginning of the piece).
IMPORTANT – Only classical choreography from Bolshoi, Kirov, Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre or San Francisco Ballet CDs will be accepted. Original or interpretive choreography will be automatically disqualified.
Ballet Competition
Dancers will perform their variations for a panel of judges on Friday April 13 at Rosa Auditorium at Skyview High School (8990 York St, Thornton, CO 80229). Dancers will be judged based on master class participation (50%) and the performance of the variation (50%). Both the master class and the variation will be judged using the following criteria:
- correct use of articulation and turnout
- control and strength in movements
- correct position and alignment
- correct use of extension
- port de bras with head movement
- quality of jumps
- overall appearance
- accuracy in starting and ending positions
- expression and confidence
- musicality
Parents are welcome to attend the variation portion of the competition. Directions and exact times will be provided after registration.
Judges will select award winners to perform at the Final Concert and Awards Ceremony on April 14 at 6:30 pm in the Rosa Auditorium at Skyview High School.
Contemporary Requirements
Contemporary dancers who have not previously competed in TASHCO must attend a mandatory audition at Kim Robards Dance, 9990 E Colfax Avenue in Aurora (date TBD). Returning dancers are welcome to attend for critique from Catherine Board.
Dancers will participate in a one-hour ballet master class and perform a contemporary variation of their choosing. Variations should be under 2.5 minutes and demonstrate the participant’s strength as a contemporary performer. Dancers are encouraged to feature any dance element they value as a performer. Selected music must contain appropriate lyrics.
Black leotards and pink tights must be worn for the ballet class. Contemporary dancers have the option of wearing black tights for their variation. Dancers may wear a ballet skirt when performing their variation in the competition and in the final concert. Contemporary or ballet dance shoes will be accepted. Jazz shoes or sneakers are not allowed.
Dancers must bring two CD’s with music for their variation (recorded alone on the CD and cued to the beginning of the piece).
Contemporary Competition
Dancers will perform their contemporary variations for a panel of judges on Friday April 13 at Rosa Auditorium at Skyview High School (8990 York St, Thornton, CO 80229). Dancers will be judged on their master class participation (50%) and their contemporary variation (50%). Judging will include these categories:
- quality of contemporary choreography
- correct position and alignment
- correct use of extension
- arm control with head and body movement
- quality of jumps
- overall appearance
- accuracy in starting and ending positions
- versatility, expression and confidence
- musicality
Parents are welcome to attend the variation portion of the competition. Directions and exact times will be provided after registration.
Judges will select award winners to perform at the Final Concert and Awards Ceremony on April 14 at 6:30 pm in the Rosa Auditorium at Skyview High School.
Awards
| Senior | Intermediate | Junior | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Place | $400 | $200 | $100 |
| 2nd Place | $200 | $100 | $75 |
| 3rd Place | $100 | $75 | $50 |
*Scholarships will be considered for both dance forms.
Dance Schedule
| Date | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|
| March 4 | Entry Deadline | 12 midnight |
| March 11 | Auditions – All Students – Kim Robards Dance *All new dancers are required to audition |
3:00-5:00 pm |
| April 8 | Competition Rosa Auditorium (8990 York Street, Thornton) | 9:30 am |
| April 8 | Warm-up & Rehearsal – Rosa Auditorium | 5:30 pm |
| April 8 | Final Concert and Awards Ceremony – Rosa Auditorium | 6:30 pm |
For all events, students should arrive 15 minutes prior to the scheduled time.
Questions should be directed to Rosalie Keith at youngartistsalliance@comcast.net or Catherine Board, Ballet Coordinator at CatherineBoard421@gmail.com.
Register
The registration deadline is March 3, 2018 ($30). Late registration will be available through March 7th ($40). Please take time to go through the following checklist to make sure that you have all the information you need prior to registering.
| Verify your competition(s) performance selections. Do they meet the criteria? Check the title and choreographer for spelling accuracy. | ||
| Draft your program bio before you register. You are asked to write a few sentences about your background. Tell about other performing arts areas of study, other interests and hobbies. What are your long-term goals as they relate to the arts? | ||
| Verify your teacher’s approval for participation. Know his/her phone number and e-mail for verification purposes. | ||
| Decide on your payment method. Have your credit card ready or mail your check to the following address: Young Artists Alliance, P.O. Box 807, Eastlake, CO 80614 |
IMPORTANT: As you register the first name should be the credit card holder. The second name should be the student.
If you can complete the checklist above you are ready to register:
Register Now!