
- Scholarship Program Overview
- Time Commitment
- Life Skills
- Performance Opportunities
- Audition Tips
- Community Service Component
- Fees
Ballet On Wheels Dance School offers dedicated dancers, ages 12 & up, tuition-free, intensive dance training for one year. Dancers will study ballet, modern, pointe, contemporary, jazz, and African dance styles.
Successful applicants will have ample opportunities to perform. The goal is for scholarship students to move immediately in to one of three performance companies with Ballet On Wheels: the Demi Company, Pre-Performance Ensemble, or the Senior Dance Company, so they can enjoy the full experience of dance.
Classes typically take place Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and usually start at 6:00 p.m. This generally allows enough time for schoolwork and even some limited extracurricular activities before coming to dance class. However, to avoid scheduling conflicts, program participants are not allowed to be a part of majorette, cheerleading, or dance teams, or other groups with heavy rehearsal and/or competition schedules while under scholarship.
Students will learn more than just how to do a plié or take a leap. The scholarship program teaches practical skills like planning, time management, teaching, organization, coordination, teamwork, and presentation skills. They will also learn self-confidence, perseverance, responsibility, motivation, discipline, and how to achieve a successful school/dance life balance. More importantly, students will learn the magic that comes from hard work, dedication, and persistence towards goals and dreams.
Participating in the Ballet On Wheels Dance School scholarship program will also give your child the rare opportunity of performing up to 15 times a year as a member of one of our three youth performance companies. In due time, they’ll experience first hand the exhilaration of being on stage, wearing beautiful costumes, and using dance movement to connect with their audiences.
Auditions can be scary, but this one most definitely isn’t: a shortened ballet class plus your child’s own dance creativity are all that are needed for a complete audition. You and your child will also find out the final result that day. If your child is accepted, we’ll go over the paperwork with you in our meeting, and your child will start the program that following week – no need to wait! All scholarship students will need to re-audition each year and there is no limit to the number of times a student can re-audition. If their heart and soul are truly in dance, then we will welcome them to our dance audition year after year. For audition tips, follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram!
Community service is a required component of the scholarship program. Throughout the year, students will participate in our signature annual dance projects, assist teachers on Saturday mornings with our younger classes, and help with other tasks at the school itself. Ballet On Wheels also volunteers for community booths and local expos, and program participants join us here, too. We teach our students practical skills like project and event coordination, customer service and leadership. In addition, because Ballet On Wheels is a non-profit organization, the time students spend volunteering at the school can be used on college applications, as need be.
The scholarship covers all dance tuition for the school year. It does not cover registration fees, summer intensive programs, master classes, or any regional dance conferences. On average, parents pay out of pocket approximately $150 – $200 during the year to cover registration fees, dancewear, costumes, company fees and dance shoes. These minimal costs are spread out over the dance year and therefore need not be paid all upfront when your child begins.
There is no cost for the audition.
Want to Audition?
When:
Saturday, November 9, 2019 – 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Where:
1015 S. Cooper St. – 2nd Floor, Memphis, TN 38104
Who:
Male & female dancers ages 12+
Why:
Full & partial scholarships to study dance at Ballet On Wheels Dance School.
What to wear:
Dance clothes/clothes suitable for dance movement. Ballet shoes strongly preferred.
Contact:
901.870.4348 or scholarships@balletonwheels.org