Right now, in 2021, audition season seems almost impossible. Ballet Companies and Schools are flooding their programs for the sake of recovering dollars lost during COVID, and parents are questioning whether or not sending their student away is even an option. I get it. 2021 is a mess. So, I am blogging today to help you find some clarity. Most students have already completed their summer course auditions, and are now juggling what program to attend. Normally, we would be asking ourselves questions like, “Where do I really want to train? Is joining the school year-round even a possibility?” This year we ask ourselves, “Is this program really going to happen? Do they actually like my kid, or is this about money?”

These are all the subtle realities of ballet right now, and everyone is going through it.

Here is how we recommend our summer courses to my students:
1. Could you see yourself dancing in the company? Do they move like you? Do they look like you? Do you want to move like that?

2. Is the training on par/the same level with what you are currently getting?

3. Can you see yourself living there? Location matters.

4. Did you receive a scholarship?

5. Will this provide more opportunities for you in the future?

Parents right now are really facing a financial burden, as the economic toll of COVID is bulldozing through. Spending $6-10K on a summer course that may or may not happen in person is stressful. Beyond stressful. No one wants a repeat of last year.

While most students in ballet right now are figuring out which program they will be attending, many are just starting auditions because of the lack of information provided to them. Many schools do not help their kids audition and try to find summer placement because of the financial factor. Keeping kids guarantees dollars. If you are just getting to auditions, make sure you hit the live, record a good video, and take beautiful photos!

Generation Lost
There is a whole generation right now, searching for work, searching for answers, and most of all, searching for hope. Dancers ages 17-22 are in an endless spiral, trying to piece together any shred of hope for a job. Here are some helpful tips:
-Don’t e-mail the school registrar, find the audition email or the company manager’s email.
-Edit the video to be the exact requirements a company is looking for. Don’t make 1 generic one and just send that, different companies are looking for different things.
-Have good audition photos, remember when auditioning for jobs, second companies, and trainees, you don’t have to do standard audition photos, you can change it up a bit.
-Clean up your social media, and anything else that will allow them to see you dance.

Don’t give up hope! There is nothing wrong with repeating a graduate year, or simply taking a year of training, or going to a smaller company for a couple of years and moving on to a bigger company. With companies really unclear what the future holds, there is nothing wrong with just staying in shape and working on your artistry. But, if patience, money, and time are not on your side, making peace with ballet and moving on isn’t bad either. Just make sure you give it your all before you decide.

If you have questions about auditioning, please email us, or book a consultation.