Step, kick, kick, jump, kick, hit.
Understood?…Continue. And…
Turn, rotate, touch, down, back, step,
Turn, step, walk, walk, walk.
Right! Let’s do the whole combination.
With your face away from the mirror.
From the beginning. A-Five, six, seven, eight!”
(Text by Edward Kleban, ‘A Chorus Line’)
Dance auditions are terrifying beasts. The famous 1975 Broadway musical, A chorus line, and the opening track, “I Hope I Get It,” perfectly captures the atmosphere of an audition and a dancer’s fears and ambitions. To test your courage, difficult steps are quickly thrown at you. As you try to pick these up, you will have many conflicting thoughts, such as: there are so many dancers auditioning; oh no, I screwed up; and yet it might be yes; I need this job; how many people does he/she need!?
Photo by Johnny Harkin, courtesy of the Queensland Ballet Academy.
To quote Marcia Hines from Australian Idol, “Take a deep breath, honey, take your time.” And I will add: act confident, be kind – no one needs to know that your boots are shaking. Most importantly, read on as I will reveal some facts that are less talked about but are vital to you. The unspoken truths about what companies are really looking for in a dancer, and why each audition you go to, will differ subtly depending on the company.
Creative versus repertoire-based companies
Does the company you are auditioning for have a fixed repertoire, or are you auditioning for a specific show? Perhaps the artistic director of the company emphasizes new creations? The type of company or show determines the varying content of the audition, depending on what qualities the director needs.
Repertoire companies, such as the major classical ballet companies – and most contemporary companies – look for dancers who can easily adapt to their existing repertoire or style. Your specific aesthetic, technique, strength and coordination will be assessed. Additionally, for men, their partner potential will be examined. Typically, a panel can choose a good partner by observing a man’s natural coordination and upper body development, but sometimes they may ask you to perform a partner phrase.
Musical theater, opera, and one-off shows are looking for someone more specific to fill the required steps and parts. Musical theater works in particular have a variety of styles and strengths—from the classically demanding role of Mr. Mistoffelees in Cats to the hip-hop dancing in the musical Hamilton (it also helps if you can hold a melody). In opera productions, the dance parts are usually contemporary and classically based and more focused on movement. As Aida revival director and choreographer Shane Placentino noted when casting for the production, he was looking for dancers who demonstrated “energy, strength, and physicality at the peak of their abilities.”
Creative companies, often led by a director, are looking for dancers who excel in the creative process. Auditions for these companies involve learning choreography or completing a movement-based task. Sometimes these tasks can seem strange to the unfamiliar (I remember being asked to produce movements based on the idea of scooping seeds out of a pepper, using every part of my body except my hands!?). To the choreographic director, their sometimes strange and wonderful tasks will clearly show whether a dancer’s creativity matches theirs, and whether the auditionee works well together.
The new audition: internship programs
Over the past decade, there has been an increase in the number of apprenticeship programs at dance companies. In my time (1996) – when I graduated from ballet school – there were only a few internships or apprenticeships available (usually an unpaid or low-paid position). American Ballet Theatre (ABT) 2 – now called ABT Studio Company – was one of the first programs to embrace a paid position for young graduates aged 17 to 21, with a special performance schedule.
Today, the paid apprenticeship model has been embraced by many more dance companies, most notably Queensland and West Australian Ballet’s Young Artist programs, Hamburg Ballet’s National Youth Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet 2, Netherlands Dance Theater 2 and Rambert2. These youth programs act as feeders for their respective companies. ABT notes that nearly 80% of the company’s current dancers are alumni of the ABT Studio Company, “including 14 principal dancers and six soloists.”
Photo by Johnny Harkin, courtesy of the Queensland Ballet Academy.
For the director, a dancer in a company this year or two is answering some very important questions that are hard to figure out in a 90-minute audition, such as: are you consistently good, are you creative, are you a good fit for the company’s culture and repertoire, what is your work ethic? My prediction is that the current trend of youth companies and young artist programs within ballet and contemporary companies will continue to expand and develop in the future. They meet many requirements and have proven to be a very effective bridge, for pay, between the student and professional worlds. So for you, the prospective auditionee, the first group audition is usually just part one, with part two—the paid internship—being the real test.
Now not every company has training and youth companies. Many of the major classical and contemporary companies, especially those with affiliated schools – such as the Australian Ballet and Royal Ballet – still employ dancers directly within their full-time ranks. These institutions hold more internal auditions; such as a panel assessment or an open lesson. Today’s companies typically use unpaid internships and internship opportunities as a testing ground.
Musical theater, opera, film, and independent dance contracts are seasonal affairs and exist for the duration of the show. As such, word of mouth and networking runs deep in these environments, often inviting strong, trusted artists to audition for roles again.
The final closing of auditions
Dance auditions can be confusing and confronting at times. Even within the same dance genre, for example ballet, an audition and application can take many different forms. Therefore, there has been an attempt within certain dance communities to bring an international standard to the audition process. One result of this is the International Audition Pre-Selection Guidelines, supported by several ballet companies, which aims to simplify (and standardize) the application requirements, for example: suitable dance attire (tights and pointe shoes for female candidates, soft shoes for male candidates), 3 to 5 minutes of center and barre work, and a short classical and contemporary solo. However, after the application process, auditions are held in various ways, depending on the priorities of the Artistic Director.
Matthew Lawrence is a former principal artist with the Australian Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Queensland Ballet.
Photo: David Kelly
The good news is that there are more jobs on offer now than ever before. Since my days as a performer, the number of dancers in ballet companies in Australia, Qld, WA and NZ has increased by 30% to 100%. Likewise, the contemporary and independent dance scene has continued to grow. The bad news is that with the increase in full-time dance institutions over the last decade, there are more auditions than ever before. Luckily for you, you are reading my article so that you are better equipped to understand what dance companies and directors are really looking for: talent will get you in, work ethic will carry more weight.
This article first appeared in the April/May/June print issue of Dance Australia. Subscribe and never miss a copy!
Have you seen Matthew Lawrence on what impresses an audition panel? Watch our exclusive video interview.
