In light of some upcoming auditions in my community, I thought this post seemed appropriate.
I had the opportunity to be a head choreographer for a show once, and part of my responsibilities included running the dance auditions. This was a fun and educational experience. From that experience, I learned some things that will be of use to those taking part in an audition…
Your attitude in a 10-20 minute dance call says a lot about you.
First impressions are incredibly important in auditions. More likely than not, you only have this one chance for a director or choreographer to decide whether or not they want to spend the next 30-90 days (or more!) working closely with you. This means if you show up with a bad attitude, you’re likely going to get written off, whether or not you’re a superstar. This means you need to be mindful of the people auditioning with you, be respectful towards whoever is running choreography with you, and work hard for the duration of the audition.
Asking a question lets the production team know that you want to grow.
If you ask me a question during an audition, that tells me that you’re the type of person who sees details, is capable of taking corrections and directions, and wants to get better. These are all excellent traits to have as a cast member.
My eye is drawn to the person who is giving 100% – physically and emotionally.
There were people in my auditions who I thought were not quite as strong as others, yet I wanted them on my dance team because they showed me personality and energy. Their strong performance outweighed their dance ability, which earned them a spot in the cast over better dancers.
You have absolutely no idea what the production team is thinking.
You don’t know if what I’m writing is a good thing, a critique, or my lunch order. You don’t know if I’m making you stand in the second row because I’ve written you off, or because I just need to a chance to see different dancers. You can’t read minds, you don’t know what’s happening behind the scenes, don’t waste your time stressing over it. You just do you.
Do not EVER give up.
If you decide for yourself that you don’t stand a chance mid-way through the audition and stop trying, you might as well just get out of there and hope you never see me again in your life, because I will remember you as a quitter, not just for this show but for every show in the future. Giving up tells me that you can’t handle a challenge and that you aren’t willing to work hard. Trying your best even if you’re struggling, tells me that you want to be able to walk out of there having done your best, which is something you should be proud of – and then when I see you at a different audition, I remember you as that hard worker, which could work in your favour.
Do you have any other audition tips?
Thanks for reading!
Heather
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