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We sit down with Ayisha McMillan Cravotta and Alicia Delgadillo of Charlotte Ballet to talk about what the road from trainee to professional looks like there. Alicia recently became associate director of CB2, the second company.
The pre-professional trainee program is small, capped at 30 dancers, and starts at age 15, though the group skews older. Charlotte Ballet doesn’t provide housing, which Ayisha says helps shape who enrolls.
Once dancers move up to CB2, the focus shifts to preparing them for the job itself. Alicia explains how she mentors this small group of dancers, and why half of this year’s new hires come from college programs. Both guests talk plainly about the job market and how they help dancers plan for it.
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Music from #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/ian-aisling/new-future License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI