Mia Michaels' Master Class

Broadway Dance Center held a master class with Mia Michaels last night, January 15, from 9-11 PM. The master class was posted both at the studio and online at bwydancecenter.com. The class was $35. When you arrive at the studio, you visit the information desk to get a wrist band for class admission.

Her classes are always held in studio 1, and as a rule it is usually good to show up at least an hour early if you want to get a good "spot." Any later than an hour and dancers are lined up down the hall to get into the studio. The benefit of taking her classes at Broadway Dance Center instead of at a convention such as The Pulse is that the class is very intimate - there are far few dancers than at a convention, and you can really tune into what Mia is looking for.

It was my second master class with Mia and, as usual, I had a great time. The studio was packed! Jamie and Sabra from So You Think You Can Dance came to take class. Ivan was also at the studio, but he didn't take Mia's class. Mia's assistants were amazing, as usual.

The combination she did was to the song "Because," by Dana Fuchs, from The Across the Universe motion picture soundtrack.

Mia brought up some really great concepts during the master class. During the warm-up, she had us move in two different ways: "Bony," which seemed to be like moving from your joints and very rapid and free, and "Muscle-y," which seemed to be like using resistance in your muscles. She also talked about how taking dance class is an opportunity to get inside of the person teaching or choreographing. Mia said that the class was an opportunity for us to explore her and to experiment with moving in new ways. Mia also talked about how dancing is about making smart choices with your body and the movements you make - she said that making smart choices is especially important with improv and matching your improv movement style to the tone of the piece.

In conclusion, Mia's class was an amazing and spiritual dance experience!

For more information about Mia Michaels, visit her web site at http://www.miamichaels.com/

Upcoming Auditions: Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Company

Upcoming Auditions:

Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, reproduced from http://www.giordanojazzdance.com/

NEW YORK AUDITION

What: Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago is seeking male and female dancers for the Company and Giordano II Company positions. Dancers must be at least 19 years old and have strong ballet and jazz technique. Salaried non-union contracts available. Must be willing to relocate to Chicago. GJDC consists of ten dancers, five men and five women. The company tours nationally and internationally. Company members receive worker’s comp., dance classes, physiotherapy, performance shoes, and health club memberships

When : Sunday, January 13, 2008 – 10:00am - 1:00pm
Registration begins promptly at 10:00am (No appointments necessary)
Audition will begin at 10:30 am. No warm-up will be given.

Where : The Ailey Studios
The Joan Weill Center for Dance 405 West 55th Street at 9th Avenue, New York, NY 10019
Bring :• 8 x10 headshot with resumé & references• Ballet and Jazz Shoes

CHICAGO AUDITION:
What: Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago is seeking male and female dancers for the Company and Giordano II Company positions. Dancers must be at least 19 years old and have strong ballet and jazz technique. Salaried non-union contracts available.

When: Saturday, March 1, 2008– Registration 3:00 - 4:00 pmAudition begins 4:15 pm(No appointments necessary)

Where: Giordano Dance Center614 Davis Street, Evanston, IL 60201Bring: • 8 x10 headshot with resumé • $10.00 fee• Jazz and Ballet Shoes

America's Next Top Model Casting in NYC

I attended the America's Next Top Model Cycle 8 casting call at the Park Central Hotel in New York City on August 26, 2006. I arrived at 9:30 AM, and the line was already wrapped around an ENTIRE New York City block.

I waited in line until about 12:15 before I was let into the building. A few interesting things from the line:

The writers for the show were on strike and were outside the building protesting.

There was one lady who was a particularly good line cutter and incurred the wrath of many-a-auditioner.

This line was the only audition line I've ever stood in that was advertised too. I received several advertisements from photographers and beauty consultants and even coupons to the nearby Subway restaurant.

Anyone wishing to tryout for Cycle 8 of America's Next Top Model must be over 18 (bring a photo ID with you, it will be checked at the door), over 5'7" tall, and have a valid US Passport.

According to the advertisement in Backstage Magazine, the show is shooting from October to November of this year.

After waiting hours to be admitted into the building, I was given a cute little CW11/ANTM mirror and fan. We were also given a "Scout Sheet" with a contestant number on it (by the time I got into the building, I was in the 900s). We were brought to a room full of 300-500 chairs and filled out the scout sheets (Identification information, plus a few questions to get to know you). A little advice: Bring your own pen!

Also, I had not eaten lunch before entering the building. Big Mistake! Eat lunch, or bring food with you in your bag.

There is an application form available online from America's Next Top Model. I had printed it out and brought it with me, along with the three pictures they ask for (headshot, bodyshot clothed, bodyshot swimsuit) although several people around me had not. I heard a rumor later in the day that people who did not bring applications were no longer being admitted to the audition.

After waiting in the ballroom until about 3:15, we were led upstairs to a small (very hot) hallway where we all had to squish together. As a note, you are required to bring your belongings with you everywhere you go. Also, you must turn your cellphones off while in the audition areas. So, pack lightly. We waited in the hallway until about 4:00, and then we were brought into a medium-sized room with the casting director, her team and a cameraman. We were lined up from the back corner of the room, to the front corner, along the front wall, and down the other side. All in all, I believe that they squished about 150 of us into the lineup (chest to back, your toe to someone else's heel). We were instructed to look into the camera and say our Name, Age, Height and Weight very quickly (to save time). I do believe that the way you say this information can get you cut or get you into the next round. The casting directors are looking for people who are going to be articulate on camera with good presentation skills, so try to sound excited and strong. The camera man videotaped each one of us as we spoke in succession. Many ladies were instructed to turn their body's to the camera. In other words, you need to make sure that your shoulders are square to the camera.

Out of the approximately 150 girls in the room, 4 were asked to say. I heard that, out of the nearly 2,000 people that auditioned that day, 200 ladies moved on to the next round. Things I noticed about the ladies who were chosen: They were very tall and very thin (130 lbs or less) with very pretty, symmetrical faces.

Many of the girls at the audition had never tried out for anything before. They had stars in their eyes, and desperately wanted to make it on the show. It was very sad to see them leaving the building in tears because they are not used to the rejection that comes with showbusiness.

The casting directors also plucked a few girls from the group to audition for their new Pussycat Dolls series, a reality show that is going to chronicle the making of the Pussycat Dolls' 7th bandmember.

The other rumor is that ANTM is choosing 50 girls from each city and then whittling it down to the final group.

As a note, it was rumored that Miss J was present for the morning's auditions.

A little advice to those who are going to show up later in the day: If you are not in line by 4 o'clock (or when the audition is advertised to end), you will not be seen! They give out numbers to everyone in line until 4 o'clock. If you do not have a number, you will not get into the building!

All in all, I left the audition at about 4:45 PM (over 7 hours from the time I arrived).

And that was my experience at America's Next Top Model!

Radio City Christmas Spectacular Rockette Audition #4

This audition for the Rockettes was my fourth audition with Radio City Music Hall (I auditioned for the Rockettes twice last year and, now, twice this year). The audition format for the Rockettes is just about always the same, so I have reproduced one of my entries from a past audition below the dotted line.

A few tid-bits that I haven't included before or just learned at this audition:
1. I was told by a dancer in line that the Rockettes only take dancers who look mature - basically, if you look young you won't be chosen. I don't know if this is true or not, but its an interesting possibility.
2. If you are not from America and you do not have a work visa, you will not be permitted to audition (you may be allowed to take the first combination as a class). An auditioner found this out the hard way.
3. When you enter Radio City Music Hall at the stage door, you take the elevator to the seventh floor and then walk up to the ninth floor to audition.
4. There are restroom facilities on the ninth floor. However, there are only about 8 stalls total for ALL the girls who audition (including the men's restroom that is converted to a lady's room). However, all of us still manage to get changed in time for our audition. So, if you don't want to travel around the city in your dance clothes, you should be able to change.
5. I've found that auditions for the Rockettes are usually held twice a year. Most dancers in New York City go to both auditions. The same combination is used at both auditions. Therefore, if you only go to the second audition you will be one of very few people that don't already know the combination!
6. Auditions for the Rockettes pop up very quickly - the best way to find out about them is by staying tuned to their web site (radiocityauditions.com), calling their audition hotline, or by getting a subscription to Backstage East.
7. Black and white headshots are "out" now. Color headshots are "in."
8. A large amount of graduates from Oklahoma City University's Dance Performance program go on to become Radio City Rockettes.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Rockettes cast for two different segments of their production - The NYC Production that is staged at Radio City Music Hall, and several satellite productions (Christmas Across America, or CAA) that are staged in cities across the country. I believe that there may also be one touring company.

To audition for the Rockettes, you must at least 18 years old, between 5'6" and 5' 10.5" in height, and proficient in tap and jazz.Radio City Music Hall is located on 6th avenue between 50th and 51st streets. You will be admitted into the audition at the stage door, which is on 51st street. Radio City is a very short walk to Rockefeller Plaza.Have your resume and headshot ready to hand to the audition staff. They had a stapler on hand, but it might be wise to staple it yourself at home. There is typically little to no walking room in the small rehearsal studio, so they try to keep you there as little as possible. They will call segments of names to be measured for height. They will also call segments either into the large audition hall or into the red room (holding area).

Attire:
Most girls wear a colorful leotard (flattering cut - I saw a lot of halter tops this year. French cut leotards make your legs look longer) with nude fishnet tights. Tan LaDuca Character shoes (high heeled) were the most popular for footwear. No matter what, make sure you bring high heeled character shoes and tap shoes! You want to present yourself as a Rockette, and you can't do that without the proper footwear. The management staff says that some girls have become Rockettes without the proper footwear, but be sure to tell the audition director the reason you don't have proper footwear. Most girls wore their hair down or in a pony tail with classic make-up.

THE AUDITION

They will bring 30-50 people into the audition room and teach a short Rockette Jazz Combination. No Jumps, No Spins, maybe one Kick. Mostly just straight arms and legs. After teaching the combination, the room will be split into two groups and each group will get to try the combo to the music 2 or 3 times. Then they call names 3 at a time to perform the piece in the center of the room. There are three Xs on taped on the floor. The X you stand on wkill depend on whether you are called first, second, or third. Pay attention! Your ability to follow directions factors into whether you will make the next cut or not.

The two most important aspects of dancing in the Rockette Audition are 1) Precision and 2) Performance. The choreographer is very picky about where she wants hands and bodies. Pay attention to angles. Learn to hold your hands on your hips with your thumbs on the front of your hip and your elbows out. Break your wrists. Smile Smile Smile! Also, make sure that you remember the combination! Often times, they will use the same combination for the first cut in a few auditions a year.This was my second year auditioning, and they used a different combination with pretty much the same elements they used in my first year of auditioning. So, you will see the same themes and moves repeated year after year. In my first year of auditioning, they took far more people from the first cut then they did this year. We auditioned for both the director of the NYC show (Linda Haberman) and the Christmas Across America director.I'll let you know about the rest of the cuts when I get to them! Good Luck!Visit RadioCityAuditions.com for frequent Audition updates.

So You Think You Can Dance

If you are looking for the latest information about So You Think You Can Dance, visit Etchings Dance Web Site at http://www.etchingsdance.com.

For all music used in the top 20 show, for the latest information about the Top 20 dancers, and for the latest information about judges -

Top 20 Dancers: Musa Cooper, Travis Wall, Stanislav Savich, Benji Schwimmer, Ivan Koumaev, Jaymz Tuaileva, Dmitry Chaplin, Ben Susak, Ryan Rankine, Jason Williams, Donyelle Jones, Natalie Fotopoulos, Joy Spears, Allison Holker, Ashlee Nino, Jessica Fernandez, Erin Ellis, Martha Nichols, Heidi Groskreutz, and Aleksandra Wojda.

Radio City Musical Hall Rockettes Audition

The Rockettes cast for two different segments of their production - The NYC Production that is staged at Radio City Music Hall, and several satellite productions (Christmas Across America, or CAA) that are staged in cities across the country. I believe that there may also be one touring company. To audition for the Rockettes, you must at least 18 years old, between 5'6" and 5' 10.5" in height, and proficient in tap and jazz.

Radio City Music Hall is located on 6th avenue between 50th and 51st streets. You will be admitted into the audition at the stage door, which is on 51st street. Radio City is a very short walk to Rockefeller Plaza.

Have your resume and headshot ready to hand to the audition staff. They had a stapler on hand, but it might be wise to staple it yourself at home. There is typically little to no walking room in the small rehearsal studio, so they try to keep you there as little as possible. They will call segments of names to be measured for height. They will also call segments either into the large audition hall or into the red room (holding area).

Attire: Most girls wear a colorful leotard (flattering cut - I saw a lot of halter tops this year) with nude fishnet tights. Tan LaDuca Character shoes (high heeled) were the most popular for footwear. No matter what, make sure you bring high heeled character shoes and tap shoes! You want to present yourself as a Rockette, and you can't do that without the proper footwear. The management staff says that some girls have become Rockettes without the proper footwear, but be sure to tell the audition director the reason you don't have proper footwear. Most girls wore their hair down or in a pony tail with classic make-up.

THE AUDITION
They will bring 30-50 people into the audition room and teach a short Rockette Jazz Combination. No Jumps, No Spins, No Kicks. just straight arms and legs. After teaching the combination, the room will be split into two groups and each group will get to try the combo to the music 2 or 3 times. Then they call names 3 at a time to perform the piece in the center of the room.

The two most important aspects of dancing in the Rockette Audition are 1) Precision and 2) Performance. The choreographer is very picky about where she wants hands and bodies. Pay attention to angles. Learn to hold your hands on your hips with your thumbs on the front of your hip and your elbows out. Smile Smile Smile! Also, make sure that you remember the combination! Often times, they will use the same combination for the first cut in a few auditions a year.

This was my second year auditioning, and they used a different combination with pretty much the same elements they used in my first year of auditioning. So, you will see the same themes and moves repeated year after year. In my first year of auditioning, they took far more people from the first cut then they did this year. We auditioned for both the director of the NYC show and the Christmas Across America director.

I'll let you know about the rest of the cuts when I get to them! Good Luck!Visit RadioCityAuditions.com for frequent Audition updates.

New B-Boy Dance Show Led by Bad Boy

From "Diary of a Dance Mom" Blog:

"'MTV and Bad Boy Entertainment, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ production company, are teaming up as dance partners for an as-yet-untitled series that will center on street dance troupes across the country. Combs will executive-produce the pilot episode.'

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6337533.html?title=Article&spacedesc=news"

New England Patriots Cheerleaders Auditions

For complete audition information, visit http://www.patriots.com/cheerleaders.

Preliminary Auditions for the New England Patriots Cheerleaders were held on Sunday, April 30, 2006 at the Dana Farber Field House (at Gillette Stadium) in Foxborough, MA. The Field House is affectionately referred to as "The Bubble." Since this blog is about Dance auditions, you may be confused as to why a cheerleading audition is included here. The Patriots Cheerleader audition is a nearly 100% dance-based audition. The style of dance may be more drill team/cheerleading team in nature, but it is still primarily a dance audition.



I arrived at Gillette Stadium quite early in the morning. We were instructed to wear an aerobic outfit and sneakers, and to bring warmups, a good lunch, a photo ID, an optional photo/resume, and the $15 registration fee.

You must be over 18 years of age to audition for the Patriots Cheerleaders.

This is a good time to note that it is usually a good rule of thumb NEVER to pay to audition in dance. If you have to pay to audition, you are usually being scammed or will not get your money's worth. However, the Patriots are a reputable organization. I do not know why they charge an audition fee, but I chose to pay it and everyone must make their own decision.

Attire

There were a variety of dress styles at the audition. We were instructed to wear an aerobics outfit and to dress in a "glamourous" fashion rather than "sporty."

I'm still not 100% sure about what was meant by "aerobics outfit." Some girls were wearing aerobic-style bottoms (basically, black or decorated bikini bottoms) with tan tights underneath them and colorful, sports-bra style tops. Some girls had very flashy attire, while others did not. Some were wearing shorts, or long pants.

The most important thing is to wear clothing that you feel comfortable in and clothing that will compliment your shape.

Most everyone wore their hair down. The Patriots Cheerleaders usually dance with their hair down, and I think that it adds a little extra pizzazz to a movement that allows the movement to be seen "in the 300s"... a tuck or head roll is accentuated and becomes sharper when you have to toss your hair. Straight or neatly curled were the hair styles of choice.

Facilities

The Dana Farber Fieldhouse contains an indoor astro-turf field. You WILL be dancing on astroturf! I danced in dance sneakers and was perfectly comfortable. Other girls were wearing regular sneakers and also coped fine.

There are adequate restroom facilities at the fieldhouse. However, it does get chilly when you're not dancing!

The Audition

All auditioners (approximately 250-300 ladies) were brought onto the astroturf field at the same time for a warmup and to learn the first audition routine. Tracy Sormanti, the cheerleader director and choreographer, conducted the warmup and taught the first audition routine from atop a platform using a microphone.

The first combination was very easy. There were no kicks, jumps, or turns. It was simply team-style dance, and was very basic. Emphasis was placed on using spotting when pivoting from front to back, accurate use of rise and fall (plie and releve) and making movement clean + big. The routines were taught at a fairly slow pace, and we were given several chances to try the dance with the music. It was easy to become overtired!

We performed the routines 4 people at a time (in numerical order) for the eight judges. Numbers 1-8 performed the routine again after all the other contestants had danced.

While the judges tabulated the scores and prepared for the first cut, we were given a brief lunch break and then returned to the field to learn the second audition routine. The second audition routine was more complicated than the first. It was still a team-style dance - without jumps, kicks, or turns - but it repeated twice and was much more winding than the first dance. Again, it was taught slowly and we were given several chances to try it with music.

Then, the judges returned and the first cut was announced. After the first cut was finished, we were given 5 more minutes to practice the routine. Then the remaining dancers lined up once more and performed the routine, four at a time, for the judges. The first eight dancers performed for a second time after the other contestants had danced.

Once more, the judges left to tabulate while we learned the third dance. The third dance was a bit more urban in nature, but it was still basic and was taught slowly. The second cut was made, and the remaining dancers performed high kicks and the third combination before final cuts for the day were made.

Dancers that made it through all three cuts were asked to return the following weekend for an interview, swimsuit modeling, and further auditioning. Approximately 50-75 dancers were asked to return the following week.