RESEARCH
Do your research on the school, the course, the styles offered, where do their graduates go on to? Look up the teachers online and find videos of their choreography on YouTube. Take classes with them if you can, do intensives, it gets your face seen and it shows commitment and a genuine interest in the school. Look at the values and ethos of the school, do they match your own?
KNOW YOUR GOALS
What do you want from your training? Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10years? How many hours a week do you want to train? Do you need time in your schedule to get a job or do other activities? Do you want a course that offers teaching/choreographic opportunities? How often do you want to perform? Just because a course is GREAT, doesn’t mean that it’s great for you!
BE PREPARED
Pack your dance bag the night before, double check it, then check it again! Have spares of everything, tights, leotard, shoes, be prepared for every eventuality. Have plenty of water and snacks to get you through the day, if you’re not well hydrated and well fueled you WILL NOT perform to your best!
CLOTHING & HAIR
Try to temper your desire to stand out and make a statement with practicality! Firstly, choose a leotard that you can move comfortably and energetically in without fear of falling out of it, and likewise a hairstyle that will remain secure no matter how many fouettés you do. Check if there are guidelines especially for ballet auditions, and if the requirement is black, then maybe wear a flower or clip in your hair just to stand out a little without going overboard. If there is no guidance then I would still go for something more subtle and understated, though some would say stand out all you can, but for me personally, get noticed for what you do and not for what you wear.
THE AUDITION
Arrive early so that you have time to warm up, you need to be ready to dance flat out from the off. And on that note, don’t wait until the combo to shine, as decisions may already have been made by then, you need to shine from the very first step.
Remember that everything you do even before you get into the room counts, so be polite to EVERYONE you meet, smile at your fellow dancers, watch them perform with appreciation even if in your head you are thinking through every step of the combo, don’t look “switched off”. Watch your body language; don’t fold your arms as it makes you looked closed and defensive, don’t lean on the barre or you look disinterested. The soft skills matter; kindness, manners, respect, focus.
Whilst you are there for a purpose, try to treat the audition as a masterclass where you are learning a new style, new choreography, new ways of approaching things, and also learning about yourself, what you do well and the areas in which you still need to work? It’s an information gathering exercise.
At the end say thank you and leave, don’t ask for feedback as the panel are extremely busy and focused on what they have just seen, and don’t want to be distracted. Your asking may actually irritate them and jeopardise a potential place.
THE INTERVIEW
If you don’t like talking, then PRACTICE in advance just as much as you practice the dancing. Make sure that you have done your research on the school and course (Point number 1!) so that you can talk about what particular aspects of the course appeal to you and why you have applied. Know what your goals are (Point number 2) both short term and longer term and be able to discuss them.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions, have some prepared beforehand, you are deciding whether the school and course are right for you just as much as they are deciding if you are right for them.
KNOW YOUR STRENGTHS
You need to know what you are bringing with you when you dance, what are you good at? Is it technique? Extensions? Turns? Jumps and leaps? Artistry? Musicality? You need to know so that you can show these off at every opportunity, play to them. Equally, ensure that your solo works to your strengths, don’t put pirouettes in second in if you’re not a turner, if flexibility isn’t your thing, don’t include lots of kicks, your solo is your moment to showcase who you are as a dancer, what makes you special, unique.
MINDSET
This can be the toughest part of all, but also the one most worth the work, as it will transform how you feel about yourself and your whole dance journey. If negativity and anxiety are something that you struggle with, then there are many tools to help, these are just a few to get you started.
First of all, that voice in your head telling you that you’ve blown the whole audition because you just got a step wrong, is lying to you! It’s how you recover; did you dance through the mistake with the most stunning sense of artistry and musicality imaginable? If so, the mistake will probably be forgiven, they’re not looking for perfection, just potential. If the voice in your head is too much of a nuisance, try asking yourself as often as you can, “What’s good in this moment?” I’m wearing my favourite leotard. I’ve made a new friend. I love the music we’re dancing to. It can help to shift your focus away from the negative.
If anxiety is a real issue, remember that it is common to feel nervous, to have butterflies in your tummy, so try not to feel anxious about your anxiety. Then focus on your breathing, there are various techniques, but two of my favourites are the 4, 7, 8, in for 4, hold for 7, out for 8, and box breathing, in for 4, hold for 4, out for 4, hold for 4. You can do these any time, anywhere, and whilst they won’t rid you of your anxiety, they can bring it down to a manageable level. If you stretch your arms up in the air as you breathe, you lower both your blood pressure and your heart rate which will in turn help to reduce feelings of anxiety.
PICKING UP CHOREOGRAPHY
This is something that to a degree just comes with practice, the more classes you do where you learn new choreography each week the better you will become at it, but there are also some tools that can help.
Try to discover what sort of learner you are? Do you learn best from watching someone demonstrate? Seeing how they move, find a line, make a shape? Do you learn best from listening to instructions? To the steps and counts being spoken? Or do you learn best from moving and dancing the choreography as it is shown? There is no right or wrong way, but it is helpful to discover YOUR way.
If you learn best from watching, then make sure that you position yourself where you can see the demonstrator, or at least another dancer who is really nailing it. Then when you have the choreography keep visualising it in your head with all the details that you want to add.
If you learn best from listening, then give every step or move a name or sound that works for you, it can be utter nonsense, no-one needs to know. Listen to how the choreography fits with the music and let the music help to cue you.
If you learn best from moving, then dance it full out from the start to get it into your body, and feel how it connects with music, then mark quietly at the side whilst others are dancing.
In general, the first time that something is demonstrated, look at what is done, what step where and when, the second time look at how it is done; with plie, with rise, with speed/suspension, what qualities are there? Pay attention to the weight shifts as these can be the trickiest part of the choreography, is it two feet or one? Does the weight shift before, during or after the movement. Which part of the body initiates the shift? Mark the combo through solely paying attention to the weight shifts and making sure that you understand them all.
If the choreographer gives specific details on style or a particular count, make sure that you give it to them, this shows that you listen and pay attention to the details. Also listen to any notes that you are given and make changes as quickly as possible, this shows that you can take onboard feedback, are capable of growth and are TRAINABLE!!
Try to lift your eyes up from watching the demonstrator and force yourself to know what you are doing rather than constantly following and copying.
Choreography is often taught in chunks and the transitions between the two tend to be the areas of weakness, so practice the transitions, the last 8 counts of section A into the first 8 counts of section B and so on.
IMPROVISATION
This is often the topic which strikes the most fear into dancers as it feels the one thing for which you cannot prepare, you have no idea what music or framework you will be given, but this is still just a skill like any other which means you can practise!
Get used to moving to lots of different styles of music, different tempos, and time signatures, can you align your breath with the music, then find that inner pulse which is driven by it, how does it make you want to move? Try not to think of every step you’ve ever learnt and fit them all in, some will not be appropriate, begin with movement and allow the steps to follow. Remember that just walking can be highly effective, stillness is powerful, you don’t have to fill every second with dancing.
Improvisation is also your opportunity to show anything that hasn’t been included in the rest of the audition, if you feel you have skills that the panel hasn’t yet seen, now is the moment to bring them. It’s your chance to share what matters to you as a dancer, what do you value? Is it tricks, turns, power, flow, softness? This is where you are free to have a voice and express yourself with honesty and authenticity.
COPING WITH REJECTION
Sadly, this is an inevitable part of any life, but particularly a dancers. It stings, it hurts, it knocks our confidence, but we have to be able to bounce back. So, what do you do if you don’t get into your dream school? Or worse still, any school?
This comes back to information gathering. You need to figure out WHY? Do you need to work on your strength? Technique? Flexibility? Artistry? Did your nerves get the better of you and you weren’t able to show yourself off to your full potential? Do you need to work on your approach and attitude? Are you weak in one particular genre? These are all things that can be worked on and improved. Just because it didn’t happen for you this time, doesn’t mean it will never happen!
So be sad for a short time then get back into class and do what you love best!!
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