Standing out in the Crowd
Dance Calls: My top 9 tips to ensure You perform to your potential.
Auditioning is an art form in itself. It doesn’t matter how talented or hard working you are if you can’t demonstrate it when it matters most. Here are my top 9 tips to give yourself the best chance at a dance call.
PreParing for the audition
It seems simple and obvious… but you’d be surprised how often a lack of preparation can let people down. Think of it like an exam, it doesn’t matter how clever you are, if you don’t revise for the test, you’re already fighting an uphill battle.
Do your research.
In a world where endless information is at your fingertips, don’t neglect it! If it’s an audition for a specific show or project, see if you can find existing footage of some of the material. If it’s a drama school audition, have a look on their social media, see if you have a mutual connection to a previous/current student and then find out what they look out for.
“What do I wear?”
Firstly, dress like you. Don’t wear something because you want to fit in or look like everyone else, pick something you’re comfortable in which is an expression of yourself. With that being said, make sure whatever you wear is fit for both function and purpose. Firstly clothing and footwear needs to be comfortable to dance and move in without restriction and secondly it needs to suit what you are auditioning for. For a more technical dance call, they will likely want to see your lines so, something form fitting is best.
Function over style.
Fitness and conditioning.
Once. It happened to me once. We were asked to do the routine multiple times in small groups and by the end of the gruelling 5 hour total call (after multiple recalls) I wasn’t able to perform the routine to my full capacity due to fatigue. From that day I vowed to never let it happen again.
The intensity of some dance calls cannot be understated. We practice for years and years giving endless time and money to our craft, you don’t want a simple thing like stamina to be the thing that let’s you down.
During the audition
Ok, the crucial bit. Sometimes you get hours to show them how talented you are, sometimes you get a lot less.
Perform from the start.
The importance of this cannot be understated. Even if you think you can just “turn it on” at the moment it matters, if you perform from the moment you learn the first step, you are putting yourself in the best possible position. You won’t have to add the crucial layer at the last moment, it will be baked into the choreography and ingrained within every step.
It’s not a memory test.
An audition panel will care more about how you take to the style of the routine, your performance quality and your attitude within the room more than remembering every single step perfectly. Of course, there’s a middle ground here, you have to remember enough of it to show off your ability but, don’t get caught up on missed steps.
Positioning in the room.
So, here is where you will hear differing opinions. I am a huge believer of ensuring you put yourself in the best position in the room so you’re able to learn the routine and then perform it at your best. Some people will tell you “Get to mirror and stand in the middle!” however, in 2024, I wouldn’t say this isn’t as important unless it’s a HUGE open call. Ironically i’m telling you, you don’t need to stand Front & Centre!
Stand wherever you need to. I like to stand in different places around the room so i’m not thrown off when put into small groups. Stand at the front by the mirror with nobody in front of you, then try it near the back in a tighter space, mix it up - as long as you can see the person leading the call and pick up the routine, there’s no rules.
You’ll do the combination multiple times, it in groups of 3-5 at the end, usually twice, switching lines. You will be seen.
After the Audition
It’s always thought about but, we have to spare time for reflection and growth, no matter the audition outcome.
Dealing with “No’s”.
Possibly the hardest part about this beautiful industry. You will hear “no” 10, 20, 30 times more than “yes”, especially as you progress more and more into the professional world. Take the “no’s” with a pinch of salt and let the “yes’s” fuel your confidence!
There were students I trained with at college every day for 3 years. Some went to one audition… one. They were told “no” properly for the first time and then never put themselves back in the firing line.
Patience.
Days can feel like weeks when you’re waiting for an answer but, you have to be patient and try and go about your daily life. Don’t let it consume your every thought. I could do with listening to myself on this one; I’ve spent many hours refreshing my emails after a big final.
Know you did everything you could.
If you’ve got this far and you followed the previous 8 steps, all I can say is know you did your best and that’s all that matters. I’m still yet to see anyone fully dedicate themselves to their craft and achieve nothing.
In truth, there’s no rule book or “cheat code” to getting a call back, if there was, my life would be a lot simpler. However, I hope you have found this helpful and there’s things you can implement and start to work on.
Just remember, we do this because we love what we do, don’t ever let other peoples opinions define you.
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