Tori Pontious, 17, of Fayette County, has been selected to become a member of BalletMet’s Trainee Program for the 2018-19 season.
The nationally-recognized program offers talented, advanced students a transitional experience that bridges the gap between the academic ballet setting and the world of professional dance. The selection process was through a nationwide audition tour.
BalletMet trainees are required to take a 40-hour a week, full course of dance study, which includes ballet, pointe, jazz, modern, character dance, pas de deux, repertory, and variations. BalletMet trainees also participate in lectures about nutrition, anatomy, marketing, and other aspects of ballet company administration.
In addition, trainees have the opportunity to be observed for selection by BalletMet Artistic Staff to perform in company roles with BalletMet’s professional company.
Pontious joined the BalletMet Dance Academy when she was 12-years-old. When she was 13, she was awarded BalletMet’s Dare to Be Moved Dance scholarship and has continued to train as a dance scholarship student for the past five years. For the last three years, she served as a BalletMet Dance Academy teacher assistant. She is also a member of the BalletMet Chapter of the National Honor Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA). She has performed in junior and senior performance ensembles as well as BalletMet’s The Nutcracker.
Pontious is a senior at Miami Trace High School and participates in the College Credit Plus (CCP) program at Southern State Community College.
