Last week I had a dance audition for my school musical; the first one I’ve had in over a year! And, I’ll just put it this way: for me, dancing is NOT like riding a bike. I have to admit, dance hasn’t been my top priority, although it should be since it’s my weakest of singing, acting, and dancing. I’m going to take more classes eventually, but what can I do in the meantime at auditions? If you’re someone who has the same question, keep reading!
Right before Covid hit, I was planning to sign up for a dance class. Obviously, that didn’t happen. But, there are still ways to keep your body ready for a dance audition so that you aren’t limited, even if it’s one of your weaker skills.
Nail your singing & acting auditions!
If the audition is composed of more than just a dance section, be on top of your game with these other auditions. For example, the audition I had last week was for a musical, containing singing, acting, and dance portions. If I were to rank my abilities of these three from best to worst, it would probably be singing, acting, dancing. So, in preparation of my audition, I focused mainly on my singing and acting. Now, this does not mean I just threw out my dancing altogether, but focusing on your strengths can make you stand out. I’d rather go into an audition and nail my singing and acting auditions and do okay at dance, instead of being average in all three.
This is just a personal preference; we all have our different strategies. Of course, it is ideal to be the best in all three, but for now, this works great for me because I find that it makes me more memorable to the directors: instead of risking the chance of being forgotten altogether, it still lets them think of me as a strong singer/actor. And, I can at least relieve some stress and remind myself that I have something going for me! Again, still work on your weaknesses to get better at them. This is just one strategy out of thousands!
Stretching & working out
I’ve said this in several articles already, but I will never stop emphasizing it: working out will be your savior! Personally, I do not work out to change my appearance in any way; my mindset is about how it can enhance other parts of my life. I won’t go into much detail about that because I will release an article focusing on just this subject, but this article's purpose is focused on dance & theater training.
Dance involves serious stamina, and if you don’t dance, a way to gain this stamina is through working out. Find what works best for you: YouTube workouts? Running? Hiking? A sport (I know for us theater kids that’s a big no, but I thought I’d include it anyway…)? Physical activity will lead to better posture, centering yourself, and confidence, all so that you can be more graceful as a dancer. Another way to center yourself is through yoga and stretching. This is a pretty obvious one, but I want to highlight it because it’s something I always overlook. Stretching is critical in dance, since so much of it has to do with flexibility.
Finding YouTube tutorials
There are tons of dance tutorials on YouTube of all genres and levels. If you want to pick up choreography faster, it is crucial to make sure that the video you have for this goal is a strong one, designed for the purpose of a mock audition. It can be frustrating to practice this skill through a video, because in a real dance audition you are not going to be able to pause or rewind. So, ensure that you have found a video that is intended for this; they will go at a constant pace, rather than rushing through and expecting you to rewatch it.
Online Classes
By now, we all know that there are loads of live dance classes online, which I honestly prefer to videos because there’s no temptation to rewind! However, I think we often forget about these classes and how much access we have. Not only are many dance companies offering FREE classes, but they’re also from all over the world! The time differences might be a little weird, but now that everything is online you can take a class in Paris from your very own bedroom!
If you’re a non-dancer like me, I implore you to try some of these! They might sound generic or obvious, but they really will help create your dance foundation. Especially during this time where less auditions are being held, it’s the perfect time to train before starting up again!