The members of The Ballet Alliance host an annual 4 day Festival where our dancers take master classes from renowned instructors, participate in dance-related seminars, perform for their peers, and forge new relationships. During the Festival, member dancers are seen by recruiters from world-class ballet schools, professional dance companies, and college & university dance programs. It is common for dancers to be awarded scholarships to summer intensives, early acceptance to higher education dance programs, and receive apprenticeships or professional contracts from Artistic Directors. Over $66,000 in scholarships were distributed at our 2019 Festival in Spokane, WA.
History
Heartland Youth Ballet, is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization committed to bringing the art of dance to the community. Heartland Youth Ballet (HYB) is a member of The Ballet Alliance, an association of pre-professional ballet companies.
Heartland Youth Ballet was founded in 1996 by founder & then Artistic Director, Robin Welch at the Rose Theater. In 2009 the pre-professional company left the the Rose Theater and continued their mission as Heartland Youth Ballet. Rachel Vickrey then joined Robin Welch as a Co-Artistic Director. The company is committed to providing cultural and educational enrichment to the Omaha community. The company provides an environment for aspiring young dancers to learn, practice and perform in a pre-professional atmosphere, in a variety of dance forms.
In 2010 HYB joined Regional Dance America, a distinguished organization that has promoted regional dance companies throughout the United States and Canada since 1988. In 2016 HYB was named an Honor Company, with MidStates RDA. Wanting to continue to give students more exciting and challenging opportunities, Rachel changed course & HYB joined The Ballet Alliance in 2021.
The members of The Ballet Alliance host an annual 4 day Festival where our dancers take master classes from renowned instructors, participate in dance-related seminars, perform for their peers, and forge new relationships. During the Festival, member dancers are seen by recruiters from world-class ballet schools, professional dance companies, and college & university dance programs. It is common for dancers to be awarded scholarships to summer intensives, early acceptance to higher education dance programs, and receive apprenticeships or professional contracts from Artistic Directors. Over $66,000 in scholarships were distributed at our 2019 Festival in Spokane, WA.
An Adjudication process precedes the Festival in early spring. Each season a professional in the field of ballet is selected to become an Adjudicator who then gives constructive insights for our member companies. The Adjudicator visits each company on its home turf to evaluate their training methods, choreography, and non-profit organization. The Adjudicator becomes the Artistic Director of the Festival, having chosen works for 4 evenings of performances, and continuing the evaluation process throughout the performances. This process helps to maintain the standards of The Ballet Alliance, which values education, thus securing the future of our dancers.
An Adjudication process precedes the Festival in early spring. Each season a professional in the field of ballet is selected to become an Adjudicator who then gives constructive insights for our member companies. The Adjudicator visits each company on its home turf to evaluate their training methods, choreography, and non-profit organization. The Adjudicator becomes the Artistic Director of the Festival, having chosen works for 4 evenings of performances, and continuing the evaluation process throughout the performances. This process helps to maintain the standards of The Ballet Alliance, which values education, thus securing the future of our dancers.
The members of The Ballet Alliance host an annual 4 day Festival where our dancers take master classes from renowned instructors, participate in dance-related seminars, perform for their peers, and forge new relationships. During the Festival, member dancers are seen by recruiters from world-class ballet schools, professional dance companies, and college & university dance programs. It is common for dancers to be awarded scholarships to summer intensives, early acceptance to higher education dance programs, and receive apprenticeships or professional contracts from Artistic Directors. Over $66,000 in scholarships were distributed at our 2019 Festival in Spokane, WA.
An Adjudication process precedes the Festival in early spring. Each season a professional in the field of ballet is selected to become an Adjudicator who then gives constructive insights for our member companies. The Adjudicator visits each company on its home turf to evaluate their training methods, choreography, and non-profit organization. The Adjudicator becomes the Artistic Director of the Festival, having chosen works for 4 evenings of performances, and continuing the evaluation process throughout the performances. This process helps to maintain the standards of The Ballet Alliance, which values education, thus securing the future of our dancers.