The Northwest Florida Ballet (NFB) Académie is now taking audition appointment reservations for the 2025-2026 academic year. All auditions will take place at the NFB Studios, the Sybil Lebherz Center for Dance Education, located at 310 Perry Avenue SE in Fort Walton Beach. Incoming third-grade students will audition on April 26 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and April 27 from 2:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Incoming fourth-grade students will audition on April 26 from 2:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
Appointment reservations are required in advance and must be made online at www.NFBallet.org/Auditions by 2 p.m. on April 24 using the appropriate grade level form. Upon registering, incoming third-grade applicants will be assigned a 20-minute time slot, and incoming fourth-grade applicants will be assigned a 30-minute time slot. Parents will be allowed to wait in the lobby, where representatives of the NFB will be available to discuss this unique program. Results and orientation details will be mailed after the completion of all auditions.
Prospective Académie students and their parents are encouraged to attend a tour event at the NFB studios on April 22 or 24 from 10:15-11:15 a.m. to observe a typical school day. An evening Q&A session is also available with NFB Artistic Director/CEO Todd Eric Allen on April 23 at 6 p.m. to learn more about this nationally recognized program. To RSVP for one of the informational tours, please email jelpedes@nfballet.org with the preferred date. For all requirements, the audition reservation form and additional details, please visit www.NFBallet.org/Auditions or call Joy Elpedes at (850) 664-7787. Spanish translations of all related materials are also available online.
Celebrating 24 years of excellence, the NFB Académie is a free, integrated arts and academic program for third through eighth-grade boys and girls who demonstrate the potential to excel in dance. Certified Okaloosa County school teachers ensure that educational training is rigorous. In addition to their regular academic classes, students selected for the program will have concentrated daily instruction in ballet and weekly instruction in art, music and French. The NFB Académie is a nationally acclaimed program recognized as an A+ school since its inception.
