How to Proactively Prepare for Dance Audition Season
With audition season just around the corner, I recently asked my community: “What do you find to be the most difficult part of auditioning?”
The overwhelming answer: the unknown.
So often our insecurities stem from fear of the unknown. When you’re stepping into a new situation, such as an audition, it can be scary if you don’t know what to expect. Feeling uneasy is a completely normal response to a high-stakes situation over which you feel you have little control.
As a dancer, there are many things you can’t control. You can’t control who else shows up to the audition or if you’re the “best” dancer in the room. You can’t control what combinations are given or if a step is thrown out that you’ve never seen before. You can’t control if the Director likes your dancing or believes you are the right fit for their company. Yet these are the things we tend to fixate on.
To overcome our fears, we need to shift our focus to what we can control. There will always be unknowns when it comes to auditions, but what you can control is how prepared you are. This comes by doing your work both in and out of the dance studio.
Here are five proactive steps you can take to feel confident and prepared as you head into the coming audition season.
1. Do your research to find a company/summer intensive that aligns with your goals
This time of year is overwhelming for dancers. You’re in the midst of Nutcracker season and the holidays, so you put off thinking about auditions. All of a sudden, January hits and you’re left scrambling. You might end up just going to auditions because they happened to come to your hometown or because your friend is going. To be fair, this isn’t the worst approach - it would be worse to not go to auditions at all!
However, when you attend auditions purely out of convenience you’re thinking very short-term. Whether you’re auditioning for companies or summer intensives, every program you attend or job you take should be getting you one step closer to your ultimate career goals. Consider the type of job you’d like to have someday. (If you don’t know yet, check out The Brainy Ballerina Intentional Career Handbook.) Then determine where the gaps are in your training and what education you need to prepare you for success. Research programs that provide the skills you are seeking and intentionally plan your auditions based on your goals, not convenience.
2. Utilize the power of social media
Every dance company has a social media presence. From the company’s standpoint, social media is used to promote and market their performances. However, you can use it to conduct research!
For instance: are you worried you won’t be able to pick up the combinations quickly? Visit the company’s Youtube page and check out their class, rehearsal, and performance footage. Practice some of the combinations at home so that they feel more comfortable in your body, paying close attention to the movement quality and stylistic choices.
Another example: not sure what to wear? The company has likely posted pictures from their previous summer intensive or company auditions. Scroll back to this time last year and see what the dancers are wearing to help you decide on an outfit. (Even with this knowledge, I always recommend bringing a few different choices with you.)
See? So many of the questions you have can be answered just by using the power of observation. Instead of mindlessly scrolling, pay attention to the media that is being put out and intentionally use it to your advantage!
3. Review and update your audition materials regularly
Auditions are already stressful enough…add in the anxiety of trying to throw together an audition package at the eleventh hour and you’re already setting yourself up on a bad foot. (Any dancer who has been at a 24/7 Kinko’s in the middle of the night trying to get their resume and photos printed the day before an audition knows what I’m talking about.) You NEVER know when an opportunity will arise. At the very minimum, have these 5 items ready to go at all times:
Resume (If you are a multi-hyphenated artist, you should have one geared toward each of your areas of expertise, aka performing, teaching, choreographing, etc.)
Cover Letter (This will of course need to be customized, but have a basic outline written)
References (2-3 people who have agreed to act as a reference and can speak to your experience, character, and skills)
Dance Reel (Again this may need to be customized for specific jobs. But have a stockpile of easily accessible class footage, variations, and performance clips you can quickly pull together)
Photos (Headshot, first arabesque, and 2-3 other action shots)
(Need a hand crafting a professional audition package? It’s all inside The Ultimate Audition Guide - your one-stop shop for EVERYTHING you need to tackle professional company auditions with ease.)
4. Cultivate your Critical Thinking Skills
Being a smart dancer boils down to being a strong critical thinker. In a nutshell, critical thinking is problem-solving. Dancers who utilize critical thinking effectively tend to be:
More open-minded
Better problem solvers
Able to self-regulate
Mentally alert
Detail-oriented
Strong decision-makers
CONFIDENT
These are all qualities that will set you up for success at your next audition. The knowledge that you are capable of solving any problem that comes your way is a wonderfully empowering feeling. Even if you can’t eliminate the unknown, you know you have the skills to turn any challenge into an opportunity.
5. Seek support from a Dance Career Mentor
When preparing for a professional dance career, you’re going to seek out the most qualified instructors and training programs to mold you into the best dancer you can be. However, when it comes to the business side of our career we often think we can just wing it.
If there’s one thing I know about dancers, it is that we are smart, capable, and determined. That doesn’t mean we don’t need help.
Being proactive is all about anticipating future events to shape your future - and who better to help you anticipate the future than somebody who has been exactly where you are now and successfully navigated a professional career? If you’re feeling overwhelmed it might be time to seek out more support. A Dance Career Mentor will help you find intention and purpose for your dance career and develop a strategy to make your goals a reality.
(Curious about what working with a mentor like myself could mean for your career? It only takes one minute to schedule a Complimentary Career Consultation, but it could be the catalyst to achieving your goals!)
To sum it all up:
The only thing you truly have control over is yourself. In a world where we’re bombarded with information, having a plan for your dance career helps to cut out the extra noise and keep you focused on your personal goals.
Being proactive takes planning, introspection, and an investment of your time upfront. But the payoff is SO worth it. You would be AMAZED how many opportunities begin to open up to you when you are prepared to take advantage of them.
Meet the Author
Caitlin Sloan is a Dance Educator and Career Mentor based in Madison, WI.
Caitlin received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Grand Valley State University and Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Missouri.
She danced professionally for nine years with companies including Ballet Tucson and Missouri Contemporary Ballet (now Mareck Dance). Caitlin has taught at schools all over the Midwest, most notably serving as Director of The School of Missouri Contemporary Ballet and Youth Company Director for Central Indiana Dance Ensemble. She is currently on faculty at the School of Madison Ballet.
Caitlin founded The Brainy Ballerina® in 2019, a virtual resource providing support and guidance for aspiring ballet dancers. Follow @thebrainyballerina on Instagram for your daily dose of dance career guidance and inspiration.
