Advanced ballet dancers will have a new place to perform and perfect their skills starting this summer.

The SantaMaria-based dance studio Everybody Can DANCE is forming a new ballet company, the Santa Maria Civic Ballet.

Students in the company will rehearse Tuesdays with teachers Jordi Ribera and Aubrey Walker, to prepare for their November performance of “The Nutcracker.”

Mondays and Wednesdays will be dedicated to technique classes with Diane Zink, artistic director and founder of Everybody Can DANCE. More rehearsals will be Thursdays and Fridays, depending on student roles and how close it is to performance.

The company will train dancers for careers in professional ballet companies, said Diane Zink, artistic director and founder of Everybody Can DANCE. The Santa Maria Civic Ballet “gives them the grounding to get the training and experience they need, so when they audition for a company, they can do it with confidence,” Zink said.

Dancers will audition for the Civic Ballet from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, at the Everybody Can DANCE Studio at 800 S. Broadway in Santa Maria, or by appointment. Roles for the company’s performance of “The Nutcracker” will be cast after the audition.

Classes for the Civic Ballet start Aug. 18. Potential participants can register at any time of the year, but it would be best to start classes on or before the audition date so they can prepare for the November performance of “The Nutcracker.”

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Required skills to participate in the company include strength and stamina en pointe (in “toe shoes,”) and knowledge of basic jumps and turns, Zink said.

The company will give the Central Coast a chance to perform entire ballets, not only selections, at a professional level, Zink said.

“We’re adding an extra layer of showmanship and panache because the quality of the dancers will be at such a high level,” she said.

Everybody Can DANCE will continue to offer classes for all ages, including jazz, modern and ballet; and the current Everybody Can DANCE ballet company will also continue exist for students ages 3 to adult.

FOR DANCERS:

For registration information, call 937-6753. Register in person at the studio immediately before company classes. Dancers can participate in the classes immediately after they register that day.

Classes begin Aug. 18 and take place at 6 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays 6 p.m. and at 5 p.m. on Wednesdays. Potential participants can also register at the audition at the studio.

Men who are accepted will be offered full scholarships, and others will be offered financial assistance based on need.