Students will take ballet lessons, attend dance performances, discuss ballet topics, and write about their experiences. For 13 years, The Washington Ballet has given special morning performances of The Nutcracker for area public school children and their teachers, senior citizens, and the handicapped who might not otherwise have a chance to experience the excitement of a live theater performance. Morning performances of Hansel and Gretel , A Midsummer Night's Dream , and this Season's Where the Wild Things Are are also offered to special audiences at the same deep discounts. To prepare teachers bringing their students to the special Nutcracker performances, The Washington Ballet conducts workshops, during which teachers watch a studio rehearsal and receive a Nutcracker study guide with information, exercises, creative ideas, and a variety of tools to help make The Nutcracke r a richer experience for their students. These talented, pre-professional students from the Washington School of Ballet take ballet to audiences who may not be able to attend the Company's theater productions.
Visitors are also able to ask questions and tour the facility.
Each Season, The Washington Ballet donates thousands of dollars in theater tickets to organizations that use them for fundraising, and to members of special groups, such as Boys and Girls Clubs, House of Ruth, and Victims of Handgun Violence, who would not otherwise be able to attend the performances. Some of the ballets created through the program have made their way to the Kennedy Center stage. New this Season, these post-performance discussions with Artistic Director Septime Webre and others will give audience members a chance to learn more about the program they have seen and ask questions. The Washington Ballet adds color and interest to its building with artworks that visitors, staff, and students all enjoy. Special among the exhibits have been two juried, annual Interpretation of Dance in the Visual Arts shows of artwork from around the country and the first Nutcracker Art Show , featuring selected drawing collages, paintings, and sketches by students who attended The Washington Ballet's special performances of The Nutcracker.