Audition and Level Placement
Auditions will take place in August at OBT’s Portland. Please see our audition page for more details.
All prospective students are strongly encouraged to attend the Annual Session audition. If you are unable to attend the scheduled audition date please contact the school registrar at: schoolofobt@obt.org.
- Pre-Ballet: Students must be 3 years in age by October 1st.
- Primary Ballet: Students must be 7 years in age by October 1st.
- Levels 1 through 6: Prospective students, ages 8 and older, attend an audition or take a placement class to determine level placement.
- OBT2: Those interested in being considered for OBT2 must attend the Summer Intensive for a minimum of four weeks.
Students progress in their training at their own individual pace by developing work ethic, discipline, strength, and technique.
Each ballet school has its own process and level system for evaluating students. Therefore, students are placed in a level at OBT based on the quality of their audition. Placement by age is only considered for Pre-Ballet and Primary Ballet students. Placement and progression to the next level is by the recommendation of OBT School’s faculty.
Students in levels 1–5 will receive a yearly report detailing their progress throughout the Annual Session. Students in Levels 6 and OBT2 will meet annually with their teachers to discuss their progress. Students in Primary ballet and below may seek advice from their teacher by appointment only. Appointments can only be set by email at schoolofobt@obt.org.
Schedules – Forms – Accounts
To access your MINDBODY account click here. To access copies of your forms, log in to your account, click on the “Documents” tab, and browse to the appropriate form.
Updated schedules can be found on the school blog here.
A general calendar is posted on the school blog here at the beginning of the Annual Session. This calendar is subject to change.
After your enrollment has been processed, you may view the classes you have registered for by logging into your MINDBODY account here and navigating to the “My Schedule” link.
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School Uniform
Follow this link to our school uniform page, and see the school’s Family Handbook for specific details. General details are below.
School Uniform – Females
- Female students are required to adhere to the school’s uniform, with the leotard corresponding to the level they are placed in, pink tights, and pink ballet flats.
- A bun is required for all ballet classes. Bangs must be off the face. For those students with very short hair, a soft, fabric headband, matched to hair color, is permissible to hold hair off the face.
- Students are required to have street clothes, top and bottom, over their leotard when entering and exiting the building. Please dress appropriate to the weather and temperature. Ballet shoes may not be worn outside.
School Uniform – Males
- Male students are required to adhere to the school’s uniform, with the leotard or t-shirt, tights, socks and shoes corresponding to the level they are placed in.
- For male students with long hair, it should be appropriately styled so it is out of the face and will not be a distraction during class. For hair that is long enough it is recommended it be braided in a simple, single braid. Bangs must always be off the face.
- Students are required to have street clothes, top and bottom, over their leotard when entering and exiting the building. Please dress appropriate to the weather and temperature. Ballet shoes may not be worn outside.
OBT school uniform may be purchased online or at several retailers in the Portland area. Dance Togs, The Leotard, and Portland Dancewear all carry OBT School dress code.
Campus Etiquette
Drop off only at our Portland location. The parking lot is reserved for OBT and OBT School employees and short term transactions at our front desk.
Students in Pre-Ballet 3/4 and Pre-Ballet 5/6 are allowed to remain in the building during classes. All others are to drop off their child at the front door and pick up outside front door.
Locker rooms are provided for students in Level 3 and higher for changing and securing of belongings only. Students in Primary Ballet and Level 1 through Level 2 are to come to class in school uniform with street clothes over the top. They may use the cubbies located across from our bathrooms to store their belongings. Pre-Ballet students should come to OBT in uniform with street clothes over the top and leave their belongings in the lobby with an adult.
OBT School maintains a No Observation policy. This is to provide a secure environment for the student’s and instructor’s full concentration, and ensures that students gain the most from their classes, without distraction.
Class Policies
Absence notification must be phoned or e-mailed to OBT School. For Portland students, please call (503) 227-6890 or e-mail schoolofobt@obt.org. The student’s name and the word “absence” must be included in the subject line of the email.
OBT School offers a variety of elective classes to expand a student’s repertory. Currently we offer contemporary and jazz classes for various levels. These classes are to be taken in addition to regular ballet classes.
Students should arrive at least 15 minutes before class. Students will be required to observe/take notes if they are more than 5 minutes late.
Students are to be picked up no later than 15 minutes after class ends. After 30 minutes a $25.00 late fee will be assessed for each 30 minute increment. If you experience a problem and are unable to pick up your student, please call the school at (503) 227-6890.
OBT School does not provide make up classes, though students enrolled in Level 1B and above may take extra classes at the same or lower level as long as they do not conflict with their regular weekly classes.
OBT School Benefits and Opportunities
Some local school districts and schools may allow high school students to receive credit for PE, art, or an elective by attending classes at OBT School. Please contact the academic school for information.
Stage experience aids students in developing the confidence and presence necessary to perform for an audience. The following performance opportunities are available exclusively to OBT School students in Level 1 and above: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®, the Annual School Performance, the Student Performance Series, and other OBT Company Productions. Audition may be required.
Please contact OBT’s Box Office directly at (503) 222-5538.
Miscellaneous
Scholarship information for the Annual Session is released at the time registration information is released, typically this takes place in July or August. Scholarship decisions are made and funds are distributed during the first weeks of class.
Students in Primary ballet and higher are eligible for scholarship. At this time we do not offer scholarship to students in Pre-Ballet.
TADS scholarship applications are sent out with registration letters at the beginning of each annual session. Fill out the form within the registration letter and submit it to OBT school for review.
OBT recognizes the value of providing additional learning opportunities to students. Therefore we offer workshops throughout the year for students of all levels. Please see our website for workshop details.
OBT School grants tuition refunds only in the event of prolonged illness or injury which prevents the student from fully participating in classes. No tuition refunds will be issued due to early withdrawal. The official date used to determine the refund amount is the onset of illness or injury and will be calculated based on the number of weeks the student cannot participate. All tuition refunds require proper medical documentation, which is to be submitted to the School Administrator in writing from a certified medical doctor within 30 days of the injury or onset of the prolonged illness. OBT shall consider all refund requests in accordance with this policy, though approval of a refund shall be at the discretion of Oregon Ballet Theatre. All refunds are issued by check within 30 days less a $45 administrative fee and processing fees incurred if the tuition payment was made by credit card. Registration fees and tuition deposits are non-refundable.
Refunds for Courses Canceled by OBT School
OBT School refunds 100 percent of tuition fees for classes, workshops, masterclasses, and other fee-based instruction, canceled due to low enrollment. OBT School does not refund tuition due to circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including acts of God, earthquakes, fires, floods, inclement weather, civil disturbances, epidemics, and riots. Should OBT School cancel classes due to any of the reasons listed here it will do its best, if possible, to offer make up class options. Make up class schedules are at the sole discretion of OBT School and may not accommodate each student’s specific scheduling requirements.
Can’t find the answer to your question here? Contact us at schoolofobt@obt.org
