Auditions....A Dancer's Life

SPAA Pre-Professional Student Stephanie Cotton in Class During our 2010 Summer Intensive

January marks the beginning of the mayhem that will forever be a part of a dancers life: AUDITIONS.  From students to professionals, summer intensives to company and college dance programs, the audition process isn't going anywhere. This mayhem continues until mid to late February and to Early to Late March for some.  The audition process is hard and almost no dancer likes it, but it is a necessary evil of the art form. Day after day in class, year after year in auditions, you are constantly trying to prove yourself to someone else. To prove that you're focused, talented and want to reach your full potential. At a young age, dancers must learn how to deal with rejection and disappointment, jealousy and excitement. Now tell me which other art form will give you all that plus self confidence, determination, a solid work ethic and all the benefits of classical music?

This past December we held our 2nd annual Winter Audition Preparation Workshop with students from Ballet schools all over San Diego coming in to participate. The program features daily pilates, ballet technique (modern is added in years where students are auditioning for college programs) and pointe classes, with seminars on topics pertinent to the audition process, allowing dancers to feel confident and ready to put their best foot forward.  So far, our students and workshop participants are doing quite well. To date they've collectively received acceptances to summer programs with American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, The Gelsey Kirkland Academy, Joffrey Chicago and New York programs, The Harid Conservatory, Houston Ballet's Ben Stevenson Academy, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, The Rock School, San Francisco Ballet School, School of American Ballet, Walnut Hill, Washington Ballet School and the letters are still coming in.

If you're still in the throws of the audition season, I encourage you to take a moment to pat yourselves on the back. Pre-Professional Ballet training is hard, going to auditions is hard and you are doing it, nonetheless!