We’re thrilled to see our Academy community continue to grow here in the new year. Now that registration has closed for the 2021-2022 Academy year and all programs are underway, we want to send a special welcome to our newest dancers and families! Academy newsletters will be delivered to your inbox at the beginning of each month, and they’re a great way to stay up to speed on programs, happenings, and opportunities here at Cincinnati Ballet. Read on!

Summer & Collegiate Intensives
June 20 - July 29, 2022

Summer provides an incredible opportunity to train more intensely with our resident faculty while broadening your horizons with exposure to this year's renowned guest artists including:
Paul Boos
Daniel Durrett (an Academy graduate!)
Kathryn Morgan
Sarah Wroth
We hope you'll consider joining us this summer!

Acceptance letters with instructions on how to register were sent to eligible Otto M. Budig Academy students in late January. We tend to fill quickly, so if Cincinnati Ballet is your program of choice, we encourage you to register soon!

Youth Summer Intensive
Summer is a great opportunity for young dancers to enhance their technique and explore new styles, repertoire, and workshops in a fun and nurturing environment. Summer 2022 program dates will be announced later this month, and letters to eligible students with division placement and registration details will follow, so keep an eye on your inbox!

Kids Dance Camp
Save the date! Summer 2022 camps will be held the weeks of June 6-10, June 13-17, and August 1-5, 2022. This beloved summer program for dancers ages 4-8 offers week-long camps that explore dance, music and art through age-appropriate ballet classes, crafts, and other activities led by professional faculty. Priority registration for Academy families will open this month, and we hope you'll join the fun!

Cincinnati Ballet has big news! On January 18, Cincinnati Ballet announced the appointment of Jodie Gates as the next Artistic Director of Cincinnati Ballet. Ms. Gates will continue the Company’s trailblazing history of female leadership in the art form. She is a former principal ballet dancer with the Joffrey Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Frankfurt Ballet, and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Ms. Gates comes to Cincinnati from Los Angeles, where she is most recently the Founding Director of the University of Southern California’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance and Artistic Director and Founder of the Laguna Dance Festival in Laguna Beach, California. Ms. Gates is also an accomplished choreographer, as well as an artistic collaborator with choreographer William Forsythe, staging ballets internationally for Forsythe Productions. 

In addition to her illustrious career as a dancer and choreographer, she has an extensive background in dance education, and the Otto M. Budig Academy team is eager to work in partnership with her as she begins her new role in August. We invite our Academy community to learn more about our new Artistic Director by visiting the links below!

Photography: Hiromi Platt

Cincinnati Ballet's Adult Dance + Fitness Division is thrilled to announce the launch of a new suite of Barre Fitness classes! For the past several months, our team has had the pleasure of working with fitness entrepreneur Michelle Ziegler, and we're excited to bring a new barre fitness experience to Cincinnati Ballet.

Barre Fitness Class Schedule
Monday 9:00-9:50 AM with Michelle Ziegler
Monday 12:00-12:50 PM with Michelle Zieger
Tuesday 6:30-7:20 AM with Dana Ackley
Tuesday 6:30-7:20 PM with Liz Liauba
Thursday 12:00-12:50 PM with Allie Sollisch
Friday 12:00-12:50 PM with Maggie Silverstein
Saturday 9:00-9:50 AM with Maggie, Michelle or Dana (rotating)

All classes take place at Cincinnati Ballet's new Margaret and Michael Valentine Center for Dance. Advance registration is encouraged but not required. Use the link below to sign up, and we'll make sure to have your spot at the barre. We look forward to seeing you!

At Cincinnati Ballet, we believe performance is an essential component of exceptional dance training, and our annual year-end Spring Production is a collective opportunity to celebrate many of our young Academy dancers. Details regarding this year’s production will be coming your way soon, but in the meantime, our faculty is eager to begin working on choreography and in-class rehearsals this month.

Families of dancers in Creative Dance and Pre Ballet classes as well as dancers in our Preparatory, Young Dancer, Advanced and Professional Training Divisions - make sure your calendars are marked for our anticipated performance weekend, May 27-28.

With this season’s addition of the Community Division comes a new opportunity for students to perform and showcase their talent and artistry. The Community Division Showcase will feature pieces from a wide variety of dance styles including ballet, musical theater, jazz, contemporary, and street dance. It will also feature our CB Moves students and the choreographic voices of students in our Young Dancer and Advanced Division Choreography classes. The first round of performance details were sent to eligible students on Friday, January 28 with more information to come in the weeks ahead.

Progressing to pointe work is one of the most exciting goals for an aspiring dancer. We invite you to join us on Thursday, February 10, for an information session via Zoom as Academy staff and our partners at Mercy Health Orthopaedic and Sports Rehabilitation discuss the important components of evaluation for pointe readiness, pointe shoe 101 and more!

This session will be of particular interest to our Preparatory Division 2 and 3 families, but anyone interested in learning more is welcome to attend!

Pointe Readiness Information Session
Thursday, February 10, 2022
6:30 - 7:30 PM

Information Session Link
Meeting ID: 818 9995 7764
Passcode: 092590

February 10: Pointe Readiness Information Session

February 17 - 27: Cinderella at Music Hall

February 28 - March 6: Professional Training Division Break

March 1: Tuition Payment Due (4 & 8 installment and CB Moves Plans)

Have a ball and fall in love with Cinderella, February 17-27 at Music Hall! The plucky heroine’s good deeds awaken a magical transformation thanks to a little help from her Fairy Godmother. Laugh out loud with the riotous Stepsisters and marvel as an ordinary pumpkin becomes a spectacular carriage. Elegant and with a twist of humor, Victoria Morgan’s choreography is paired delightfully with the charming music of Sergei Prokofiev, breathing new life into the classic fairy tale.

Cinderella reminds us all that dreams can really come true. Get your tickets before the clock strikes midnight or you just might turn into a pumpkin!

OTTO M. BUDIG ACADEMY  |  1801 Gilbert Avenue | cbacademy@cballet.org |  513.562.1111