English Article –
It’s that time of year again – when dance school graduates from around the world face the biggest challenge of their lives – getting their first job. There are so many hopefuls for so few positions, with the bar being raised ever higher for physical perfection and prowess that it is not a quest for the faint hearted. But if you have what it takes, and the desire and determination to follow your dream, then do not in fact lose heart. It is only the start of the journey, and if you convince enough to be allowed to begin, then those potential flaws can either be erased or become part of your charm.
What Directors Say
Having had the opportunity over the years to ask Directors exactly what it is they are looking for in their auditionees, they all concur on one point – as Ingrid Lorentzen (Norwegian National Ballet) puts it – the ‘X’ factor. There is often little ‘wrong’ with them, but that specific is missing. Tamas Detrich (Stuttgart) says that there are rules to follow, but if your heart or gut instinct tells you that someone is special, then you have to go for it.
So there you have it, you have to wow with your personality, the certain something that makes you stand out from the crowd. Of course there are many other pre-requisites, the body shape, the physicality, the solid technique, and, as David Nixon (Northern Ballet) asks: How open are they? Do they listen? Are they musical? For Aaron S. Watkin (Dresden Semperoper Ballet) it is very important to see how fast the dancer hears, responds and processes corrections and to see versatility between classical, neo-classical and modern styles. Goyo Montero (Nurnberg Ballet) says that he relies on this sixth sense – do I want to see this person, this face, this energy every day for years? For Thomas Edur (Estonian National Ballet) it’s the physiology, the fastness of the muscle response and the stamina to begin in the corps de ballet and to be able to stay in line!
What Dancers experience & So – The Grand Audition – is it worth it?…
Author: Viki Westall-Eyre
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