Auditions are an integral part of our dance industry and essentially one of the only ways to get work. It allows for companies and individuals to assess your talents and to gauge whether you'd be the right fit for the work they may have to offer. Most full time schools and even dance studios will begin to prepare dancers with the 'audition etiquette' needed to succeed. And I'm here to tell you one thing: what you've probably heard is bogus.
Growing up, I was blessed with the opportunities that my dance school had to offer, and being a part of the elite team, mock auditions were a consistent part of my training. We learned what goes on in an audition and what you need to do in order to get noticed.
However, during these auditions, I was taught things like (and this list isn't exhaustive):
- Don't be loud;
- Don't sit down;
- Don't look at, or try to engage with, the panel or other dancers; and
- Do your research so you can adapt who you are to meet their requirements.
And therefore, not only was I naturally stressed from the nature of auditions, but I felt more stressed because I was trying to subdue my sense of self in order to fit the needs of those assessing me.
My attitude on auditions has changed immensely from my experiences in the industry. I was taught to audition for everything and adapt who I was and how I danced to meet the panel's requirements. But when I did this, I wasn't myself, and if they hired me, they wouldn't be getting me. They'd be getting a version of me that I may not particularly know, or like.
When auditioning now, I ensure that I don't change myself in order to meet the needs of others, but I find auditions that showcase who I am as a dancer. Like any job interview, we take on the roles we think we will excel in, or at the very least will push us in the direction we want to go. There are jobs in the world that are there to make money, and there are jobs that we are passionate about that reward us both in satisfaction and finance. Dancing jobs should ALWAYS be directed by passion, not by money.
In doing this, we become more selective, and you may fear that in an industry where work is scarce, it's not a great idea to pick and choose your passions. But in being selective, you reestablish your worth and become more heightened in your talents and what you have to offer. You also ensure that your mental health is in tact; the rate of which dancers lose their passion in this industry and go forth to seek other job opportunities is astounding, and I have a sneaking suspicion it's partly because dancers are involved in work that doesn't align with who they are and what they want to offer.
I know that as a personality, I am loud, comical and energetic, and I use these skills to uplift the people I naturally gravitate towards. As a dancer, I'm very much the same: I'm not a sexy dancer, and if you put me in lingerie, I will jiggle a lot more than people may want. What I am, and what I always has been, is an entertainer: I give face, I give energy, I make people laugh or cry, because I naturally embody emotion.
As a performer, I now seek opportunities that allow me to showcase this, and what I've found is that in being myself, I have become more successful in auditions. This is because I allow the panel to see my personality: I cheer on dancers; I make dancers who are waiting on the side laugh or feel comfortable, even grateful to be a part of this opportunity; I approach the panel and thank them for allowing me the opportunity to perform for them (especially when they make me feel comfortable in being myself); and I be as EXTRA as I possibly can be, whether it means putting on a character, running around the room demanding energy and hype, or adding impromptu props that in no way add to my dancing ability but sure as hell demand the attention I want. And if I stuff up, I laugh it off; we're human, and so is the panel, so we're all on the same page about mistakes being inevitable. As a dancer, it's always how you come back from them, or pretend like they either:
1. Never happened in the first place; or
2. Were completely intentional.
So if we now look at 'audition etiquette', I would like to redefine it so that we only do the following:
- Be YOU! Unapologetically, wonderfully yourself, and let them hire your light;
- Be SELECTIVE! Audition for the things you know you'd be a good fit for or will push you in the right direction for your own personal development; and
- Be GRATEFUL! Show your gratitude to other dancers and to the panel. In this industry, it's not what you know but who you know, and if everyone knows you for your positive energy, why wouldn't they want you?
Go out there and conquer, fellow dancers! You've got this xx
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