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.

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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.