The Ballet Theatre of Dover
Since The Dance Conservatory opened its doors in 1985, students have always performed repertory pieces during the school’s Workshop Performances. By the 1990s, the repertory pieces had so increased that it became necessary to schedule separate performances. Thus was born the Ballet Theatre of Dover. Officially organized in 1995 as an entity separate from Dance Conservatory, BTD often features graduates of the school in performance with current students and guest artists. Students of The Dance Conservatory are encouraged to attend Ballet Theatre of Dover performances to develop an awareness of and appreciation for the different styles of dance.
The company’s annual performance of The Nutcracker (December) features students of Dance Conservatory from Intermediate Level through Pre-Professional Program. Seasonal performances in May and August have included classical ballet and contemporary productions such as Sleeping Beauty, Speedway (based on NASCAR racing), Swing Suite, Tommy (a rock-ballet), Carmen (a full-length ballet based on the Bizet opera), and Beatles Suite. Dancers for these productions are selected from the school.
Guest artists have included Petter Jacobsson of London’s Royal Ballet, Pavel Kambalov of The Russian Ballet Theatre of Delaware, Charles Askegard of the New York City Ballet, and Gennadi Savaliev of American Ballet Theatre.