Company — Midland Festival Ballet

Company Auditions

10:00am-12:00pm

Saturday, April 26

Requirements:

  • be at least 11 years of age.

  • have at least 2 years of ballet training.

  • have at least 1 year of pointe training.

  • enrolled in at least 2 weeks of Summer Intensive or Pre-Season Classes. (Does not have to be MFB.)

  • enroll in Fall 2025-Spring 2026 dance classes. (Does not have to be MFB.)

Attire:

  • Girls - Black Leotard and pink tights with hair pulled neatly into a ballet bun. Please bring ballet flat and pointe shoes to the audition.

  • Boys - White T-shirt and black tights with hair secured away from face. Please bring black ballet shoes to the audition.

*Audition attendees are not automatically accepted into the Company. If accepted, they will have the option to join the Company. If rejected, they will have the option to join our Junior Company

What is The Company?

Midland Festival Ballet is a non-profit, pre-professional ballet company whose members are all Permian Basin student dancers ages 11+! They enjoy exciting opportunities, such as master classes from guest teachers, workshops with guest choreographers, and extra performance opportunities, both local and abroad.

With the extra performance opportunities comes extra time and effort. In addition to their weekly leveled classes, the Company has their own ballet class on Saturdays immediately followed by hours of rehearsal. They also come together to rehearse during the week after their classes on Tuesdays and Fridays.

It’s a commitment, but it’s an experience they never forget.

Important Dates

July 27- July 30: Choreography workshop with Lee Wei Chao (Company Only)

August 1-5: Choreography workshop with Jill Bahr

December 20 & 21: The Nutcracker performances

March 28 & 29: Aladdin and the Magic Carpet performances

April 8-12: Regional Dance America/Southwest Festival 2026 in Albuquerque, NM

Meet the Artistic Director

Susan Clark

Ms. Clark joined Milwaukee Ballet as a principal dancer in 1990. The dual roles of Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella in Cinderella are among her most notable roles she has performed in her career. Upon retiring from performances in 1996, Ms. Clark became Ballet Mistress with Milwaukee Ballet. 

Prior to 1990, she was a principal dancer with Atlanta Ballet, danced with the Ballet Repertory Company in New York City, danced with Twyla Tharp in the film version of Hair, and was a prizewinner in the 1987 International Dance Competition in Osaka, Japan. 

Clark received her formal training with William-Martin Viscount in Fort Worth and the National Academy of Dance in Champaign, Illinois. 

Ms. Clark co-directed Ballet Midland with Anthony Ferro and continues to be a sought after guest ballet instructor for Milwaukee Ballet and other companies throughout the country. Clark has cultivated many relationships in the dance world and continues to mentor young dancers.