We wanted to offer up a few tips to help you and your dancers prepare for the auditions ahead. Help your dancer understand that we are going to have many kids auditioning this year and not everyone will get cast. Discuss these tips with them so they can be prepared before, during and after whatever the outcome may be.
The Process:
- Arrive Early – Give yourself time to get registered and warm up. A good, thorough warm up is essential to any dancer being able to perform at their best. Take time to center yourself, stretch, and move. If you start to feel nervous, take a few deep, slow breaths to calm yourself down.
- Be Positive – Remain lighthearted and natural if you begin to feel nervous at all. Channel your nerves into enthusiasm for the choreography. The more you can allow your talent to shine through your dancing ability, the closer you will be to being cast!
- Don’t Compare – It is easy to be impressed by all the other dancers around you in an audition, especially in the time leading up to the audition. You will see people more flexible than you, more technical than you, appearing more confident, some with better bodies… And you will start talking yourself down. What you really need to keep in mind is that everyone here is stressed, worried, anxious, wanting to get a role and thinking the same things about YOU! There is no need to compare yourself to others, so leave your judgment at the door. Be optimistic in the time leading up to the audition and bring that passion into the studio with you. Be yourself, relax, and have faith in your abilities. When the time comes to audition, focus your mind on the present moment rather than what the results will be.
Auditioning is a skill that should be practiced often and will improve over time. Remember to learn what you can from both good and bad audition experiences. Remain hopeful in yourself and dedicated to your craft to continuing growing as a dancer and performer.
Dealing with Disappointment when not cast:
It’s okay to be sad, especially if you put a lot of effort into preparing for your audition. Rejection hurts. Acknowledging and naming what you are feeling helps you work through your emotions.
- Try naming all the things that are bothering you. For example, you might say, “I am disappointed that I worked so hard only to get rejected. I am jealous that she got a part and I didn’t. I feel left out that a lot of my friends have parts or were cast, and I won’t get to hang out with them as much.”
- Talk to a close friend or family member about what you are feeling. Sometimes talking to others helps you feel better and help you better understand your thoughts.
- Be gentle with yourself. Take a day or two to be sad. Watch some movies or whatever you like to do to chill out for a bit. Then, regroup and move on to your next challenge.
- It’s vital to understand that in auditions, it’s not the “best” dancer (often confused with most technical dancer) that gets the job, but the one that fits the best artistic criteria set by the director. You can give the best audition of your life, but you can’t control the director’s vision.
- Don’t blame yourself. Rather than tell yourself, “I have no talent. Nobody wants me for their play,” try saying “I did my best, but I wasn’t a good fit. There will be other opportunities.”
- Congratulate the person who got the part you wanted. It shows grace and maturity. You could say, “I think you are going to do a fabulous job. You have such an amazing talent!”
Final Words
If you do make a mistake…please, do not and we repeat, do not get upset or mad at yourself. We are all human and it is OK to make a mistake. Simply get yourself together, and start from where you left off.
Last but not least, remember, smile, be confident, and be yourself. A kid learns something from every audition they attend and the more they audition, the better they will become at auditioning. So please relax…and have fun!