Redding City Ballet Company

RCB Junior Company

Junior Company members are usually ages 11-14 and are dancers who have been on pointe for less than a year. They are typically dancers who are working and training toward Trainee Company membership.
RCB Company members are some of the best dancers in our community, and they benefit greatly from the mutual support and love they receive from their fellow Company members and from the attention of RCB’s talented and compassionate artistic staff. Junior Company members get a “foot in the door” and can build relationships with our staff and dancers as they develop their skills in community with dancers who are as committed as they are. Company members have the exclusive right to wear Redding City Ballet Company gear with the designation of “Company”. In the event of financial need for dance training and/or production participation, Company members may apply to the RCB Company scholarship fund for financial assistance.
Invitations to join the Junior Company are extended after our fall auditions in August or September of each year. Additional invitations may also be extended after spring auditions in January. Upon accepting the invitation to join, you are expected to:
- participate in the RCB production in that semester (Nutcracker for the fall and the Spring performance for the spring). Company members who are unable to participate in an RCB production after joining are considered “inactive” Company members during that semester and do not have access to the free Company class during that semester. Company members may return to active status by auditioning and participating in a future RCB production.
- pay the Company fees (see below for a breakdown).
- train in ballet by taking additional classes with RCB or another studio.
The yearly fee for Junior Company members is a total of $440, which is billed in two payments of $220, due in September and January, so that individuals who can only commit to one RCB production in a particular season can still be a member of the Company. RCB is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, and dancers are encouraged to find community sponsors to help cover their membership fees. We are happy to list these sponsorships in our program!
The $240 semesterly fee includes the show audition fee, a show recording, a show t-shirt, show production fees, Choreography fees. If you have multiple members of the same family in a show, the recording fee is only charged once. If you prefer a hoodie over a t-shirt, you can opt to purchase one for an additional fee.

RCB Trainee Company

Trainee Company members are usually ages 14-17 and are dancers who have been on pointe for at least a year. They are typically dancers who are working and training toward Company membership.
RCB Company members are some of the best dancers in our community, and they benefit greatly from the mutual support and love they receive from their fellow Company members and from the attention of RCB’s talented and compassionate artistic staff. Company fees give members access to a weekly Company class for the purpose of training together as a Company under the direction of RCB’s Ballet Mistress. If attended regularly, this class is valued at a total of up to $300 per semester but is provided as part of your Company fees. Company members have the exclusive right to wear Redding City Ballet Company gear with the designation of “Company”. In the event of financial need for dance training and/or production participation, Company members may apply to the RCB Company scholarship fund for financial assistance.
Invitations to join the Trainee Company are extended after our fall auditions in August or September of each year. Additional invitations may also be extended after spring auditions in January. Upon accepting the invitation to join, you are expected to:
- participate in the RCB production in that semester (Nutcracker for the fall and the Spring Performance for the spring). Company members who are unable to participate in an RCB production after joining are considered “inactive” Company members during that semester and do not have access to the free Company class during that semester. Company members may return to active status by auditioning and participating in a future RCB production.
- attend your assigned Company class as often as possible. Company class is a space for Company members to work together and build trust, cohesion, and consistency outside of regular show rehearsals. RCB’s Artistic Team can get to know you better as a dancer and help make your show choreography the best it can be when you attend Company class every week.
- pay the Company fees (see below for a breakdown).
- train in ballet by taking additional classes with RCB or another studio.
The yearly fee for Trainee Company members is a total of $540-$600, which is billed in two payments of either $270 or $300, depending on casting, so that individuals who can only commit to one RCB production in a particular season can still be a member of the Company. RCB is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, and dancers are encouraged to find community sponsors to help cover their membership fees. We are happy to list these sponsorships in our program!
The $270-$300 semesterly fee provides the show audition fee, a show recording, a show t-shirt, show production fees, Choreography fees and Company class. If you have multiple members of the same family in a show, the recording fee is only charged once. If you prefer a hoodie over a t-shirt, you can purchase one for an additional fee.

RCB Company

RCB Company members are advanced dancers ages 18+.
RCB Company members are some of the best dancers in our community, and they benefit greatly from the mutual support and love they receive from their fellow Company members and from the attention of RCB’s talented and compassionate artistic staff. Company take weekly Company class for the purpose of training together as a Company under the direction of RCB’s Ballet Mistress. Company members have the exclusive right to wear Redding City Ballet Company gear with the designation of “Company”.
Invitations to join the RCB Company are extended after our fall auditions in August or September of each year. Additional invitations may also be extended after spring auditions in January. Upon accepting the invitation to join, you are expected to:
- participate in the RCB production in that semester (Nutcracker for the fall and the Spring Performance for the spring). Company members who are unable to participate in an RCB production after joining are considered “inactive” Company members during that semester and do not have access to the free Company class during that semester. Company members may return to active status by auditioning and participating in a future RCB production.
- attend your assigned Company class as often as possible. Company class is a space for Company members to work together and build trust, cohesion, and consistency outside of regular show rehearsals. RCB’s Artistic Team can get to know you better as a dancer and help make your show choreography the best it can be when you attend Company class every week.
- train in ballet by taking additional classes with RCB or another studio.
Total fees, including audition fees and company jacket, is $95 for the first year and $50 for each subsequent year. Fees include a show recording and a show t-shirt. Company member stipends, if offered, are negotiated by contract.

Ashley Ramsour
Artistic Director

Artistic Staff

Ashley began her dance training at the age of 6. She studied ballet, contemporary, Irish, jazz, and tap throughout her training. Quickly, it became apparent that ballet was her passion. Her training started in Escondido, CA, but she soon after began training in Valley Center and San Marcos as well. In 2002, Ashley started teaching and discovered her love for teaching the arts.
After moving to Northern CA in 2004, she continued her training with Redding Ballet Academy and soon after was invited to join the Redding City Ballet company. Ashley then became part of the Artistic team at RCB in 2008 as a choreographer and Outreach Instructor. In 2016, she took on the role of Ballet Mistress. Last year, she also took on the role as interim Artistic Director for Nutcracker 2022. She now holds the Position of Artistic Director for RCB.
Ashley has taken many master classes with accomplished dancers and companies including San Diego Ballet, Maria Skoruk of the Moscow ballet, and open classes in Australia. She also continues to further herself as a qualified and knowledgeable instructor through the attendance of PNB’s teacher training conference this past spring and continued study of the arts. In addition to her role of Artistic Director for RCB, Ashley is a proud wife and mother to 4 beautiful children who all share her love of dance.
We are so proud to have Ashley as a part of our Artistic Team!

Julie Smyrnos
Assistant Artistic Director

Julie Smyrnos began dancing at the age of four after being inspired by a performance of The Nutcracker in Grass Valley, California. She went on to perform many roles in that ballet over the next eleven years. In her teens she attended the Sierra Dance Institute studying with Myrna Galle-Van Buren, a former dancer of the famed Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. She was also a member of Nevada Union’s Advanced Dance program directed by Yelena Holt.
Julie went on to attend Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo, majoring in Aerospace Engineering with a minor in Dance. She was a founding member of the swing dance troupe, Anything Goes. Anything Goes performed in San Luis Obispo as well as throughout California, including Santa Cruz’s First Night celebration and as guest artists with Cal Poly’s dance company, Orchesis.
In 2003, Julie relocated to Redding and continued to train and perform in local productions. In 2012, she began choreographing for Redding City Ballet’s The Nutcracker and progressed to serving as the Assistant Artistic Director. Julie continues to further her ballet teacher training with Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Teaching Seminars, as well as attending open classes while travelling to Ballet West, PNB and Paris, France.
Julie recognized the need for professional ballet costuming and in 2018 began attending webinars with the late costume designer Travis Halsey as well as in-person training to develop the skills necessary to create beautiful, quality wardrobes for RCB productions. Her skills progressed from simple romantic tutus to elaborate pancake tutus and men’s costuming. In 2021, she was a featured fashion designer for the Redding Fashion Alliance’s annual fashion show, creating three looks to be included in a professionally produced runway show. She has shown tutus in the 2023 Go Red for Women show as well at the Shasta County Arts Council’s juried “Costumes, Wigs and Hats”.