Tuesday, 9 February, 2010| Comments | Make A Comment | Share on Facebook
Over the past several months I have seen a number of degree students from SSCD audition at numerous facilities and for many different company's. As a student in their third year, this strikes the fear of god to my soul as I will be in the same position in under a 12month. Throughout a dancers training advise on what to do and what not to do in audition situations is thrown at you almost every day, but with the best advise in the world does it really prepare you for what you'll actually experience.
Some people are just born with a natural ability to shine under pressure, while other excel when they believe their not being watched. Surely this is a state of mind that an individual could learn to tap into when they encounter situations their not comfortable with? Some dancers never get noticed in a technique class but BOOM man don't they shine when they get on stage. And some dancers are just average joe's at most things thrown at them, not the best and certainly not the worst. So how can one 45 minute audition separate all these different personalities into categories and prove to a panel their choosing the right dancers for their company? Doesn't every company need a combination of everyone?
Every company that holds auditions are evidently looking for the best dancers they can find, that would be most suited to their company. This for some might be how high they can hold their leg in a perfectly turned out position, or even how creative an individual can be at the drop of a hat. For others it could be about how grounded a dancer is and where they hold their centre of gravity and for others it could simply boil down to hair colour or waist size. Whatever the case, in a room filled with a 100 people, how can anyone possibly see the potential in everyone in the room?
Looking ahead to when I will be sending off applications, I now fear not so much about my technical ability as i do about my personal appearance. Could the fact that I don't have the right look possibly make my chances of being in company's I have dreamt about for years be just that, a dream?
Whatever someone is looking for, and whatever a dancer needs to be, auditions are something you can't predict or right a rule book for. Life is full of extraordinary challenges and objects to throw you off course and auditions are just another to over come and enjoy in the process,
Andrew
