Must Do List for Dance Auditions: June Edition

Let’s dedicate some time this summer to build and check off your marketing to do list so you can start the next season ready for success.

contemporary white tulle with crop top dance audition photos

 

Allison Lang

First up, we are talking about landing and completing successful dance auditions.

If you just landed your job, and you’re ready to think about continued marketing for your career, make sure to check back in here next week. I’ll be talking to you guys next.  In the meantime, share this advice with your fellow dancers who haven’t signed contracts yet.

3 Must Dos for Dance Auditions

You’ve made it – or almost made – it through the year.  A few well deserved weeks off are coming to you now before your summer intensive begins. So let’s take a few hours of that time, maybe an hour a day or two hours every other day, to get yourself headed down the right path.  Your next year or two need to be full of focus, eye on the goal, pedal to the medal.

Start now, not in December, and you have time to be fully prepared to take on the audition season with confidence and ease.

red leotard cutout dancer jumping black background

Angeli Mamon

1) Research dance companies and audition opportunities

A little at a time  will give you a head start on having the information you need to know in 6 months. This takes time and effort but it’s well worth it. For notes on where to start check out this post.

2) Evaluate where you are in your training

Be objective. You are putting yourself out there into the marketplace, so you need to take the personal out of it and look at what the strengths and weaknesses of your ‘product’ are. Fill in the gaps. Now.

Some of dancers may not be able to rely on their dance schools for all of the necessary training for audition prep. If you don’t get enough contemporary classes, add them yourself. If you don’t get enough ballet/acting/improv/singing… whatever it is, add it. Now.

black leotard classic arabesque en pointe

 

Ainsley Sorenson

Do not wait until you hit dance audition season to realize you can’t pick up contemporary choreography.  Do not wait to find out 6 months from now that you don’t know how to ‘turn it on’ in a class situation (you know if this is you, you shine on stage but not in the studio).

If you are not sure, ask someone you trust, make an appointment to speak to your teacher, call me. If you are auditioning next year you have now 6 months to get ready.  Use this time well!

3) Start researching and putting together your audition package (means photos, video and resume)

This also takes some time, and I love working with my dancers on this over the summer. Your strategy is to look at all the aspects of yourself that you need to get across in your images and on video and to choose your options accordingly.  If you are an adagio dancer, for instance, select those variations to start working on.

Work with your photographer to come up with styles that highlight your personality and your technique.  Start thinking about what you want your images to say in the two seconds that you have a director’s attention.  Stack the deck, making sure that your investment in the last 10 years is going to pay off by working towards a marketing package that gets your foot in the door.

white tulle crop top blue background dance photo crisp classic

 

 

Allison Lang

Once the year starts you have Sept to get back at it, October starts Nutcracker rehearsals and it just keeps getting more crazy from there. It’s optimal to have as much of this done in the summer months as you can.

Bonus Must Do!

If you’re in the NYC area in July, come check out my one day marketing workshop for dancers.

Stay tuned, more to come…

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