| A history of performing ensembles at RCD
In 1978, RCD founder Patricia Schuster formed the non-profit Ridgefield Civic Ballet as a way to expand her vision to give young dancers the opportunity to perform on the larger public stage alongside professionals, an experience she believed would inspire them to a higher appreciation for the full world of dance. Some of her students from the early days went on to become professionals themselves, most notably New York City Ballet Principal Dancer James Fayette. Nutcracker was the first main performance that Ridgefield Civic Ballet engaged in.
Former RCD Director James Robey went on to establish other performing ensembles including Contemporary Dance Ensemble, Rhythm Tap Ensemble, and Junior Dance Ensemble, affording the groups similar performing opportunities. Later came expansions including senior and junior contemporary ensembles, ballet ensembles, and jazz ensembles. Following the pandemic last year, we pared down the format to offer a limited number of very serious, committed dancers a position in our Ridgefield Civic Ballet.
Below are the qualifications for Ridgefield Civic Ballet company members:
· Must have a passion to perform, in both ballet and contemporary works · Must commit to the company for the entire year (both Fall and Spring seasons) · Must take a bare minimum of 2 ballet and 1 pointe class per week plus a minimum of 2 other classes, with one being contemporary or modern. *Must also take Saturday Conditioning class. · Must represent RCD in a professional manner as a positive role model for younger dancers · Must commit to weekly contemporary Friday rehearsal in Fall and Spring and one weekly ballet rehearsal in Spring, with no more than 2 absences per semester · Must audition for and participate in Nutcracker in Fall semester.
The company is an extension of additional performing opportunities above and beyond what we offer our student body. The performance ensemble should not be treated as one of the dancer’s classes, but rather as an elite selective opportunity to explore a commitment to pre-professional dance, with the added element of the weekly company training class exclusively for the most serious and dedicated dancers of RCD. In other words, company dancers should already be taking advantage of RCD’s many classes and performance opportunities including Nutcracker and Spring Concert, and be seeking out further dance performance opportunities beyond that of our core curriculum. The expectation of, and the experience provided by, performance ensembles are higher than in previous years under this new model established last season. |
