Emerging auditions

Artez January 2023-March 2023. Codarts 4, 5 and 6 April 2023. Lucia Marthas February 2023-April 2023, ATD January -April 2023.

These are some upcoming auditions that you may have been looking forward to for a long time. This is what you have worked so hard for almost your entire life, it must happen NOW. Maybe you are still in high school and you want to go to a pre-education or you are graduating this year and you want to go to an MBO or HBO education. It has always been your dream to make dance your job and now is your chance to take the next step.

Fear

Chances are you've never auditioned before . When you are young you start dancing at a local dance school. You find out that dancing is your passion and then start taking lessons several times a week. At some schools you have to audition for a demo team or selection class, but it doesn't go any further than that.

When reading the above data, a certain fear will arise. Anyone going to audition or standing in an audition will have the same feeling. Yes, including the dancers who look like they don't. A little tension is healthy, but if it gets in the way of your performance, it's good to already look at what you can do to minimize the stress.

What is asked of you

Auditions for dance academies consist of several rounds. With most of them you get lessons in different dance styles in the first rounds to see if your technique is sufficient and if you can still develop. In addition, your motivation and whether your artistic aptitude is sufficient will be examined; are you creative, are you original as a maker and do you have a sense of style. If you have gone through all this, the last step is the physical / medical examination. How can you prepare yourself for this, besides physically, also mentally?

Positive self-talk

The dancers who have attended my workshop know that I am a huge proponent of positive self-talk. The more I read about mindset, the more often I see that people who have studied for it also indicate that in addition to training your body, it is also important to train your mindset. 

The Wellness Consultant for NYCB, Linda Hamilton also says that the way you talk to yourself really matters. “If you predict that you are going to fail, you can get so upset that you can't concentrate, which can lead to more mistakes,” she explains. Positive self-talk, on the other hand, can help you feel capable of tackling the task at hand. “If you worry too much, practice stopping those thoughts,” says Hamilton. “Then replace them with something constructive. If all else fails, think of what you would say to your best friend, write it down and use it on yourself.”

What else?

You take several lessons every week. Check with yourself how you generally feel about the lessons; do you have fun, do you deal positively with corrections, do you grow a little more and more? If that's the case, try to hold on to that for the auditions, you'll also get 'normal' lessons there. Try to recall a lesson(s) in which you felt really insanely good. Try to find out why that happened and take that into account when preparing for an audition.

Research

Do research in advance about the school/schools where you will be auditioning so that you know what they stand for, what kind of students they are looking for, where their students work after the training. You can then prepare yourself for this. The unknown often creates stress by doing research you remove this. Also be realistic. Do not audition for the National Ballet Academy if you are not a very strong ballet dancer. Focus on your strengths and look for the most suitable training.

Even more tips

In addition to the above, here are a few more tips that you can apply:

1. Take people to the audition you trust who will accept you no matter what. They don't have to be crazy about dance. They must be crazy about you.” When you're in an unfamiliar environment, it never hurts to see a friendly face.
2. Go visualize. Imagine the entire audition in advance, what are you wearing, where are you, what are you doing. Be as detailed as possible. I have done this myself many times and it gives peace and confidence.
3. Sometimes you will be asked to do a solo. This can be a nerve-wracking thing for many. The other option that is even scarier for some is that you have to dance one by one. The only way to get better at this is to practice. Not only will you feel more comfortable after a lot of practice, but you will eventually develop your own personal style. Record your practice moments so that you can learn from them, grow and gain confidence.
4. Take classes in a different environment with other people around you in dance styles that you don't do often. If you come to an audition then this situation is not completely new, you are already used to it.

“You never fail. You win or you learn”

We have no control over the decisions that take place behind closed doors in academies, so the best thing you can do is prepare well and after an audition, let go and get on with your day. Although that may be easier said than done. Audition at multiple schools. The more you audition, the better your chances of honing your skills and eventually getting hired somewhere. 

Toi toi toi and remember: You never fail; you win or you learn. If you would like to receive additional guidance after reading the above, please contact me.

Sources: www.Dancespirit.com, https://www.corps-de-ballet.org/honorary-members/linda-hamilton-phd/