It’s the time of year when my phone starts ringing and email starts pinging with dancers setting up audition photo shoots to prepare for the season.
It’s funny, when I ask dancers in their intake form about their concerns for the photoshoot and their audition process in general, the concerns are almost always the same. For the shoot, dancers are worried about what poses, what to wear, and if their hair and makeup will work. For auditions, dancers are often concerned about being able to stand out in the crowd. These are all valid questions indeed. As we go through the consultation process, dancers soon find out that these points are quite easily answered if we do the right prep work first.
Being well rehearsed and prepared is drilled into us dancers: you train for hours a day, finesse your movements and work on strength and nuance. Watching videos, performances, taking in art in all forms and having life experiences, you build up your artistry. If you are an auditioning dancer this year, now is the time to start the metal preparation as well.
At the Olympics, an athlete who has worked with a sports psychologist often has the edge over one who hasn’t. Having worked and prepared for the competition in all aspects, not just the physical, gives them an edge. As dancers facing similar odds when looking for a contract with a dance company, it begs the question, where are you in your preparation?
What is going to give you that edge? And where does that edge come from?
One of the questions I ask my clients to answer in consultation is ‘if an open audition came down to you and two other dancers, all about the same height, weight, physical attributes and capabilities, why would the company select you?’ because it is about knowing both who you are auditioning for and who you are when you go into an audition. When I ask this question I am looking for the answer that allows me to pull out of you when we are shooting. But some of these questions I ask are also a great way to start thinking as you go through the next 4 months before the first wave of auditions hits.
For those of you who are in or able to travel to the NYC area, I highly recommend booking your shoot now so we can get this conversation started soon. Aside from shooting awesome pictures, there’s nothing I love more than helping my clients prepare powerfully for and succeed in their auditions.
If you’re not in NYC, I am now offering phone or Skype consultation appointments. Contact me to schedule your consultation today.
[contact-form subject='[Rachel Neville%26#039;s Blog’][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Website’ type=’url’/][contact-field label=’Comment’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form]
