Thank you!

What a great first semester of dance! We are so proud of our students’ progress and learning since September. Thank you for sharing them with us, supporting us, and being a part of our family. This has been a rollercoaster year, but we can’t begin to say how thankful we are to you for holding on and supporting the arts through this ride.

Coming up…

• Winter Break is extended this year: December 13 — January 18. December and January tuition is 50%.
• Balances for students with extra costumes for the spring performance (more than one class/week) are December 15. This is not an automatic transaction and will require you to log into your account to submit payment.

Spring Performance

We can’t wait to announce our spring performance in January! In May 2020 ,The Children’s Ballet will cast and stage a performance of an original story ballet written and choreographed especially for this season’s dancers.

Please Note: The performance includes parts written and choreographed for your dancer. Class and rehearsal attendance are very important as learning a dance is a team effort; please notify emily@thechildrensballet.com if your student must miss classes after February 1. Students must attend all required rehearsals the week before the performance to perform.

Payment for costumes for the spring performance were part of your registration fee in September. Dancers wearing more than one costume in the performance may pay the remainder of their costume fees ($60/costume) throughout the fall semester and are due by Christmas break.

Nutcracker News

Tickets for The Children’s Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker are on sale now and going fast!

Even with safety measures in place, we recognize that many of our patrons may be uncomfortable or unable to attend a live performance this year. Join us from the comfort of your own home on opening night, Friday, December 18 at 7:00 pm. Purchase a virtual ticket for $10. Each “ticket” will allow a single IP address (household network) access to view the performance. If you are watching in multiple locations, you will need to purchase additional tickets.Nutcracker Holiday Tea :: Join us for high tea before each show at Court House Grounds in Danville. You’ll enjoy delicious food and featured teas from Our SpecialTEA. Kids can make a craft to take home, and get pictures with Nutcracker characters. Tickets are $25 each (sold separately from shows) and seats are limited!

Haley Altman-Cipot, Dew Drop Fairy
Haley began her dance training with ballet, tap, and jazz classes at the age of five. She continued studying at various dance schools throughout Connecticut, narrowing her focus to classical ballet. In 2009, Haley joined the New England Ballet School’s student company to perform roles including Snow Queen, Dew Drop and Polish Mazurka Soloist. She has attended summer ballet intensives with the Bolshoi Ballet, The Rock School, and American Ballet Theater in New York. Haley placed in the top 12 for her classical variation in the 2012 Connecticut Classic Ballet Scholarship Competition, and was awarded a full scholarship to the Burklyn Ballet Theater summer intensive. In May 2016, Haley graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts with a BFA in ballet, where she trained under Susan Jaffe, Laura Martin, and Jennet Zerbe with the American Ballet Theater National Training Curriculum. Haley danced with Ballet Theater of Indiana for four seasons and  taught at The Children’s Ballet for two seasons. We are excited to have you back, Haley!

Megan Noonan, Snow Queen
Megan Noonan, a native of Carmel, Indiana, trained with Suzann Delay at Central Indiana Academy of Dance and was a member of Central Indiana Dance Ensemble for five years. Megan began her dancing at Performer’s Edge, performing in student roles with Gregory Hancock Dance Theater and Central Indiana Dance Ensemble. She is a recent graduate of Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music where she studied ballet under the direction of Michael Vernon and the late Violette Verdy.
There she earned her Bachelor of Science in Ballet with an Outside Field in Kinesiology. At IU she performed in works such as Balanchine’s Raymonda Variations, Rubies, and Emeralds and Paul Taylor’s Musical Offering. Megan has attended summer programs at Ballet Austin, Alonzo King Lines Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Cincinnati Ballet, Regional Dance America’s National Choreographic Intensive, and Nashville Ballet. She danced three seasons with Ballet Theatre of Indiana and is a regular performer with Crossroads Dance Indy, Ballet INitiative, and Yuletide.

Rachel Walker, Sugar Plum Fairy
Rachel Walker, born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, began her training with the Grand Rapids Ballet at the age of five. She studied there for 13 years under the direction of Patricia Barker and had the opportunity to perform company and student roles in many ballets including Balanchine’s Serenade and Who Cares. In the summers, Rachel trained with Carolina Ballet, Nashville Ballet, Ruth Page Center for Dance, The Jillana School, and the Grand Rapids Ballet. Rachel joined Central Illinois Ballet as a company member in 2018 and is currently in her third season.