This is the second year Memorial Auditorium has participated in the International Ballet Stars We Dance Program. Last year, 39 area dancers from five studios joined the company during their performance of “The Nutcracker.” Memorial Auditorium General Manager Darcie Shultz hopes to have more who participate in “Swan Lake.”
“We tried to even reach out to a studio in Miami and Carl Junction and just really open it up, so it's this kind of true melting pot of dancers,” she said.
Shultz called the performance and backstage interactions last year “a wonderful experience on both sides.”
“Even when (the professional dancers) had their own things to focus and concentrate on, they still took the time with the younger dancers,” she said.
According to a press release from the City of Pittsburg, the We Dance Program was founded in 2019 by the company’s producers, Artem and Ekaterina Yachmennikova. Through it, participants “work with professional artists, develop their performance skills and experience the rehearsal process that goes into bringing a full-length ballet to the stage.”
Scarlett McCullough, who dances locally with Pittsburg Ballet, participated in last year’s performance of “The Nutcracker.” She said the program is also a way to experience more of the ballet world.
“The program allows us dancers to perform dances that we may not do ever again,” she said.
The auditions will start at 1 p.m. on Nov. 8 and be split into three sections for different age groups. Artem Yachmennikova, who is in charge of casting, will join virtually. Shultz said there is a chance for dancers to be cast in multiple roles.
Once the dancers have been cast, Shultz will be in charge of rehearsals leading up to the performance in March. As a former dancer and dance teacher, she believes it benefits dancers to experience someone else’s teaching style.
According to Shultz, the experience on the day of the performance also might be different from what dancers are used to. It’s fast-paced, with costume fittings and a rehearsal on stage with the company, and they might also learn additional staging for the dances.
“Most of the time they're working on their recital pieces or their competition pieces for longer periods of time, and they're performing them at multiple stages and then they're going to compete,” Shultz said. “And so this, being a part of a professional tour, you're learning the dances in a short amount of time and then the day of the show it's go time.”
The cost for dancers to audition is $25 if paid in advance and $35 if paid on the day of.
Copyright 2026 KRPS. To see more, visit Four States Public Radio.
