What Company Directors Are Looking For: Stand Out Positively at Your Next Dance Audition
I was a nervous wreck during my very first professional audition season. I walked into the room and immediately felt inadequate. At 5 feet tall, I was constantly told by people (mostly strangers when they heard what I did) that I looked more like a gymnast than a ballerina. Although I knew this was a common, but inaccurate perception, it still started to slowly seep into my subconscious. How could I compete with all the long, lanky dancers around me who were clearly born to be ballerinas?
Turns out, I did have what it takes to hack it and danced professionally for almost a decade. I learned pretty quickly in my career that the type of facility you were born with is way less important than what you do with it. I may not have been born with perfect feet, but I sure learned how to articulate the heck out of every muscle.
The work you do doesn’t have to be flashy to gain attention (in a positive way). When holding auditions for ballet companies, directors aren’t looking for their next star. They are looking for dancers to join the corps de ballet. So while the ability to nail 32 fouettés or put your leg behind your ear doesn’t hurt your chances, it’s not what is going to get you your first job.
So what will land you a contract? Here are five qualities Directors are really looking for in dancers to join their company:
Strong Technique
There’s no replacement for strong technique. It’s absolutely non-negotiable. Professional dancers take daily company class to maintain their technique - key word maintain. Classes move incredibly quickly and are no longer about taking time to break down a step or analyze a correction as they are when you are a student. The main focus of company class is to get dancers warm, on their leg, and ready for a full day of rehearsals. This is not to say that your technique will not continue to improve as a professional dancer. However, you are expected to come into the job at an incredibly high technical level. The hours you spend at the barre honing your pliés and tendus will pay off big time when you head into professional dance auditions.
Psst…if you are auditioning for classical ballet companies you’ll be asked to put your pointe shoes on in the center, if not at barre as well. Start wearing them in your daily classes like yesterday!
Musicality
Musicality is paramount for a professional dancer. It doesn’t matter how many pirouettes you can do or how stunning your balance is if you are constantly behind the music. As a dancer, you are an extension of the music. Your job is to take the auditory and make it visible to the audience.
Of course, it goes beyond just being able to count. You also have to be able to take your musical abilities and make smart choices. Know when you have to stay with the group (hello Swan Lake corps de ballet!) and when you have the luxury to improvise a bit. As a soloist or principal, you have more freedom to steal time from one movement to hold another longer - however, you still have to be hyper-aware of the music so that you know exactly how to get back on track after pulling off a stunning feat.
Not sure what’s appropriate in an audition? Listen to the Audition Director. They will give instructions (some obvious, some more subtle) as to what they prefer. Either way, show that you can make good choices with the information presented to you.
Attention to Detail
As a professional dancer, you are learning a vast amount of repertoire in a very short amount of time. Attention to detail is paramount to being able to use rehearsal time effectively. There’s not always time to go back and clean each detail - you’ve got to get it from the beginning. This means being able to not only capture the “big moments” but the in-betweens as well.
A detail-oriented dancer can imitate movement accurately down to the slight nuances, pays close attention to transitions, dances with precision and accuracy, pays attention to timing and spacing, and is organized and prepared. You can show you possess this quality in an audition by following directions. (This starts by making sure your audition materials are meeting the specifications listed by the company before you even step foot in the door.) Listen and watch closely for any specifics given by the Audition Director and be sure to hit those moments accurately.
Hint: Upper body is the place most dancers falter in attention to detail. Pay close attention to port de bras, head placement, and eye focus.
Versatility
There’s no such thing as a strictly classical ballet company anymore. You could be out on stage performing Sleeping Beauty one night and an Jiří Kylián work the next. Directors are looking for versatile dancers that can perform a vast amount of repertoire. If you have spent the majority of your training in only ballet (except for a few modern classes at a summer intensive), it’s time to start exploring other styles. You never know what you will be asked to do in an audition - step out of your comfort zone and learn other styles ahead of time to give yourself a big leg up (pun intended 😉).
Movement Quality
I’ve spoken at length about the importance of technique, musicality, and attention to detail. However, this doesn’t mean that companies are looking for robots. Ultimately, they want somebody who can truly DANCE!
Your movement quality and the way you tell a story will connect to audiences on a much deeper level than any trick ever could. Find opportunities to show the dynamics in your movement quality. For instance, adagio shouldn’t have the same quality of movement as petit allegro - show your diversity by giving each its own unique flavor.
Sometimes nerves can get in the way of movement quality. Whenever I feel nervous, I take a deep breath and smile to remind myself how truly happy and lucky I am to be dancing. If you are having fun, that joy will radiate out of you nobody will be able to resist watching you. In the end, that’s the kind of dancer Directors want to work with.
Audition season never became my favorite part of being a professional dancer. However, I did learn to relish the opportunity to step into a new experience and show my stuff. I learned to stop worrying about what I didn’t have and to focus on all that I do bring to the table as a dancer, knowing that the right job was out there for me.
Ultimately, I want you to remember - you are doing an incredibly hard thing. It is no small feat to put yourself out there again and again. You’ll hear hundreds of “no’s” in search of that one “yes”. It’s not easy, but you’re doing it. And you don’t have to do it alone.
I am currently offering 1-1 Dance Audition Power Ups - 45-minute mentoring sessions to get individualized audition coaching from a former pro ballerina. I’ve been in your shoes and I know exactly what it feels like. I also know how amazing it feels to come out on the other side of audition season with your dream contract.
Tap here to book your session and put your mind at ease with the real, no-fluff advice you actually need to give you that added boost of confidence.
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.
