Happy New Year! We hope you had a restful break and return to classes rejuvenated and ready for all the exciting things to come in 2022. Read on!

It’s not too late for new students to join the Academy this year, but close of enrollment is right around the corner! Registration for the current Academy year closes on January 15, 2022. Do you know someone looking to begin ballet classes or expand their training? If so, please invite them to visit our website for registration information or contact the Academy staff with questions.

Schedule Changes: January 15 is the final day for currently enrolled students to submit schedule change requests. We know a new year can bring new family commitments or a change in school schedules. If you need to adjust your class schedule, please fill out a Schedule Change Request Form by clicking HERE.

As we turn the calendar from 2021 to 2022, it’s time to look forward to summer training!

Summer & Collegiate Intensives
Auditions begin this week for Cincinnati Ballet’s 2022 Summer and Collegiate Intensives. As noted in last month’s newsletter, Otto M. Budig Academy students interested in attending do not need to audition. Accepted students will receive notification of their placement and instructions on how to register in their inboxes this January.

Youth Summer Intensive
Otto M. Budig Academy students interested in continuing their training in Youth Summer Intensive 2022 also do not need to audition. Many more details will be coming your way in the coming weeks, including program dates, placement notification, and an opportunity to register.

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. Registration will open in February.

At Cincinnati Ballet, we're all about starting the new year with an extra dose of joy and creative inspiration, so we're kicking things off with a week of free adult classes.

From January 3 - 9, all Adult Dance + Fitness classes are free! Whether you're reigniting a passion or indulging in something new, we hope to share the studio with you this January as we dance our way into 2022. All experience levels are welcome so jump in and explore the joy of movement at Cincinnati Ballet.

Congratulations to all the Academy students and Professional Training Division dancers who performed in Cincinnati Ballet’s The Nutcracker over the break! The Nutcracker just isn’t the same without young performers, and it was a joy for your Academy team and audiences alike to see you back on stage at Music Hall this holiday season.

Young Performers Auditions for Cinderella and Family Series: Snow White will be held on Friday, January 21, 2022. Interested families should note that dancers must be at least 8 years old and fully vaccinated by the day of the audition to be eligible. We look forward to seeing some of our younger dancers onstage with Cincinnati Ballet's Company dancers again in the second half of the season! Visit the link below for more information about times and eligibility and to register online.

Questions? Please contact Wynn White at wwhite@cballet.org.

With the recent spike in COVID cases, we need your continued support to help keep our Academy community safe. Please review the guidelines below so we can protect your family and our student body.

Symptom & Exposure Monitoring
All students and families should assess for any symptoms of a contagious illness or exposure to COVID-19 prior to entering the Center for Dance. Any student exhibiting contagious symptoms or who has potentially been exposed to COVID-19 should remain at home. In such event, please notify the Academy and refrain from entering the Center for Dance until an Academy representative can assist you with an appropriate return date. For absence reporting, please connect with the Academy Administrative Office through one of the following channels:

Absence Notification Online Form
By phone: 513.562.1111 (Option 1)

Masks
Please remember anyone (aged 2 or older) entering the Center for Dance is required to wear a face covering, including students and parent/guardians. Face coverings should fit snugly and securely around the face and should fully cover both the nose and mouth. Face coverings should be worn at all times in the lobbies, Parent Lounge, and Academy Commons and should only be removed temporarily to take a bite or drink.

Winter Weather
We encourage you to check our website and your Remind notifications frequently throughout the day should severe weather occur or be imminent, as class status may change pending information from our trusted sources. If the Academy ever remains open during winter weather and you feel it is unsafe to send your student, please contact us through the usual attendance reporting channels, and your student's absence will be excused.

As we return to classes in 2022, the Academy's focus shifts towards our annual Spring Production. Performance is an integral part of our students' dance education, and we look forward to sharing much more detail in the weeks ahead about plans for this year’s culminating performances.

Children's Division Costume Measurements: Families with dancers in Creative Dance 1, 2, and 3, CD Boys, and Pre Ballet classes were sent an email last week with details about submitting costume measurements for their student. Measurements must be submitted via this form by January 10. Please note that costumes are ordered from a different company than Academy uniforms and should run true to size in line with the measurement ranges detailed on the size chart you'll reference when suggesting a size for your student.

Ballet Foundations
Congratulations to the 35+ students selected to participate in this year’s Ballet Foundations course. These promising young dancers were selected at auditions in December and will take part in a 15-week class as part of Cincinnati Ballet's CincyDance! program. We’re excited to welcome these new families to the Center for Dance this month!

CB Moves
When CB Moves classes resume this semester, we’re thrilled to introduce a new class to our schedule for dancers who will make use of our state-of-the-art lift system in the Otto M. Budig Community Studio. This class will allow students to lift out of their mobility devices as well as to dance utilizing their devices. We are the only professional ballet company to have this type of system, and we can’t wait to see it in action with some of our talented CB Moves dancers each and every week!

Mid-year evaluations for Preparatory, Young Dancer, and Advanced Division students were emailed last week. Please be sure to check your inbox, and reach out if you haven’t received yours or if you have questions.

January 3: Classes resume for Children's, Preparatory, Young Dancer, Community, and Advanced Divisions

January 3: Tuition Payment Due (4 & 8 installment plans)

January 15: Close of Enrollment & Final Day for Schedule Changes

January 17: No Classes - Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
(Adult Dance + Fitness classes will continue)

January 21: Young Performers Auditions for Cinderella & Snow White

January 22: National Summer Intensive Audition Tour Cincinnati Audition

February 1: Tuition Payment Due (8 installment plans)

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