Kaity Gardiner will have to be on her toes this summer.
The 14-year-old Traverse City resident is among 100 young dancers to participate in the BalletMet Dance Academy Summer Intensive Program in Columbus, Ohio this month. The program provides weeks of rigorous training for dance students with professional aspirations at the academy noted as one of the top 15 professional dance companies in the country.
"We look for placement, techniques, flexibility and agility in jumps as well as a love or passion for dance," said Academy managing director, Chris Rogers who held auditions in 16 cities throughout the country.
Gardiner was among those chosen from a field of 342 to work with faculty that includes BalletMet Company members, BalletMet Dance Academy faculty and adjunct instructors from other Columbus organizations as well as BalletMet artistic director, Gerard Charles.
"Kaity showed in her audition tape that she was well placed and seemed to be at an appropriate level. She showed talent and promise," said Rogers, noting that Gardiner earned a program scholarship based on her audition.
Gardiner and her fellow dancers, ages 12-19, will take daily classes focusing on ballet technique, pointe and repertoire as well as modern jazz and character. They will also study dance history, nutrition, music, yoga and acting. Learning choreography, rehearsing with the Company and performances complete the comprehensive program.
"I'm looking forward to working with different teachers, learning different styles and types of dance. Every teacher is different and brings something different," said Gardiner, who has been dancing for 10 years, is a member of the Northwest Michigan Ballet Theatre and studies at Ballet Etc Dance Institute in Traverse City.
Gardiner's years of study and her aspiration to pursue a career in dance, led her to the program that is designed to help dancers achieve long-term goals.
"The Intensives let serious students nurture and develop their skills and experience the life of a professional dancer," Rogers said.
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