Prepping for the Dance Call: Part 2

It’s the day of the dance callback.  Assuming you’ve read my tips in Prepping for the Dance Call, Part 1, what can you expect on the day in question?  Dance calls are largely a mind game, so don’t freak out.  Stay calm and focused, and follow these tips: 

1.  Breakfast

I think I was 25 years old before I figured out that what I put into my body will affect how it performs throughout the day. Be sure to start your day off right by eating breakfast, and not just a bowl of cereal.  You’ll burn through that on your commute.  Protein coupled with starch will last the longest.  Try an egg white sandwich or a protein-heavy smoothie and a breakfast bar.  Bring snacks if you anticipate a long day.  Complex carbohydrates are your best friend.  

2.  Tell a Story

The choreographer will almost certainly explain the circumstances to you under which the dance takes place.  He or she will tell you that the storytelling is just as important, if not more important, than the dance steps themselves.  If you are like me, you won’t believe this person.  I am the type of dancer who layers the storytelling once I’ve mastered the steps.  Here’s what I’ve learned:  in the hour you have to audition, you may never master the steps, at least not to your standards.  You need to be able to do it well enough, and then bring something to the movement that sets you apart from the others.  They can teach you the movement.  That’s what rehearsal’s for.  What they can’t teach is originality and the ability to bring yourself to the work. 

3.  Don’t sweat the small stuff

So if the goal is to stand out by interpreting the material in a unique way, don’t get tripped up over the smaller elements that may challenge you, such as a rhythm pattern here, a transition there.  The bigger steps and pictures you will need to nail, of course.  The point is, don’t let yourself get flustered if there’s a sequence you’re not quite grasping.  Fudge it, and move forward.  

4.  Ask questions

Then again, if there’s something you’re not getting, chances are, someone else isn’t getting it, either.  If you’re struggling, ask!  Find a specific way to ask your question.  Try to avoid bland phrases like, “Can you go over [x] part?”  It’s much more useful to say something like, “I’m not getting the rhythm pattern on count 8, could we go over it?”  

5.  Get in the front.

One of the simplest questions you can ask is, “Would it be okay to switch lines?”   They will most likely provide this opportunity.  But if it’s not happening soon enough, go ahead and ask.  I learn choreography best in the front.  Some people prefer to linger in the back until they’ve “mastered” it.  Once again, you may never master the choreo to your liking, and the easiest way to get overlooked is to hide in the back.  So try to swallow your fear and spend at least a little time in the front of the room.  You may be surprised to find you pick up faster.  

6.  Watch your face

Okay, so say you do mess up.  Do not let your face reveal this information!  Just keep going.  Keep smiling or glowering or whatever the combo requires!  If I get really overwhelmed by choreography– which happens to me frequently in tap auditions– I will give extra face in an attempt to distract them from my heinous feet.  Make that your mantra.  “Look at my face, don’t look at my feet.”  Once again, provided you don’t totally biff, they can teach you the choreography in rehearsal.  But it’s up to you to fix your face. 

7.  Prepare to improv

The trend in NY is to give a few counts of freestyle somewhere in the combination, usually in the beginning or the end.  Use this as your chance to make simple, appropriate choices that reveal the character within the movement.  If you’re not a dancer, you don’t even have to dance this part.  If you are a dancer, make good choices!  Know that this is not the time to try new tricks.  But it is time for tricks.  If you have a specialty (back tuck, jump split, etc), work it in if it’s appropriate.  If not, keep your choice simple.  They may ask for tricks at the end if they need them.  And in theory, they’re on you’re resume under “special skills.”  

8.  Clap for other dancers

Lastly, always take every opportunity to be a gracious, supportive performer.  The days of the cutthroat, bitchy dancers are (mostly) behind us.  It’s all about positivity and support these days.  So be kind to everyone, and applaud each group after their audition.  Your bad attitude or behavior will stand out worse than if you were to face plant in the middle of a hitch kick.  Be kind.  It costs you nothing.  

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Prepping for the Dance Callback: Part 1

You signed up for an ECC, showed up at 9:30, belted Q’s at 10:15, and beat out literally 100 other people to get… a callback. 

To dance. 

I dance well, so I love it when I get called back from a singer call to dance with the “movers.” Even though this sometimes led to another dance call, this time with the true dancers, I always felt that, thanks to years of training, I had a competitive edge. 

However, I know many singer/actors out there for whom the phrase “dance call” sends them into paroxysms of terror. I understand this too because I feel this way when I have to dance first.  It’s not my actual dance ability so much as the fear of the unknown that gets to me.  I am a person who likes to Prepare, and with songs and sides, I can do that.  But how to prepare for a dance call?  Here are my suggestions, which also apply to those for whom dance calls are a breeze. 

1.  Do your research.

If, like me, what you fear is the unknown, see how much you can learn before the audition begins.  Research the show first.  You will be asked to tell a story within the confines of the combination.  Know who the characters are and where the show takes place.  (Example:  cowboys and farm girls, Oklahoma.)  Then learn as much as you can about the creative team, particularly the choreographer.  See if you and he or she have any mutual friends on social media.  If so, send your friend a message asking about their experience.  Some choreographers favor big jumps, for example, or fan kicks.  Some will always do ballet first.  Then see if that choreographer or any of his/her assistants are teaching class in the city.  Which leads to….

2. Take a class.

Ideally, you’re in dance class two to three times a week to keep your #skillz up.  If not, now’s the time to cram.  I definitely pick up combinations better if I’ve been using that part of my brain in class.  You don’t have to do everything in class perfectly.  But you do have to pick up, and you do have to do your best, which is all you can do in the audition anyway.  So practice this.  It’s its own skill.  

3.  Find an outfit.

When I got to NY, I had a full suite of outfits to wear to traditional auditions… but nothing to wear to dance calls.  I mean, I had dance clothes.  But I hadn’t taken the time to put together what looked best on me and what made me stand out in the room. Through trial and error, I figured it out.  Don’t be like me.  Take the time in the days leading up to the audition to figure out what will make you feel comfortable and, yes, sexy.  Hide your flaws and accentuate the positive.  If you need to buy something new to make you feel good about yourself, I’m all for it.  You’ll get your money’s worth when you book the job.

4. Figure out your routine.

What do you need to do to feel prepared the day of?  In an ideal world I will get up, eat a light breakfast, take the barre portion of a ballet class, go home, shower, eat and vocalize (not always in that order), and then start to put on my game face.  I will do hair and basic makeup at home, but finish my eyes at the studio because I’ve learned my makeup might smear on the subway or in humidity.  There isn’t always time for all this.  Sometimes a yoga podcast will fill in for the ballet barre.  Sometimes I have a full morning and have to improvise.  Figure all of this out the night before.  And be sure to get a good night’s sleep!

5. Meditate or find a friend.  

The waiting room at a dance call may be the most intimidating stop on your way to Broadway.  People are dressed skimpily to the nines, extending legs overhead and avoiding eye contact.  I am a well-seasoned, flexible, gorgeous performer myself.  But I have to remind myself of this, mantra-style, whenever I walk into a dance audition to this day.  (“I am an experienced, gorgeous, talented performer, and I’ve got this.”) 

You can do one of two things.  You can find music that you puts you in a good head space, plug your headphones in, and pump up the volume.  (While repeating your own mantra, of course.  Feel free to borrow mine.)  Or you need to find a friend.  Eventually, you will know someone at every audition you attend.  Hopefully you will like this person.  Until then, find another person who looks like a deer in the headlights, or maybe somebody who looks familiar from that ECC.  Plop down next to them and say something like, “I hate dance calls.”  Then see if you can steer the conversation away from the subject entirely.  The point is not to make a friend so much as to kill time distracting yourself from the task at hand.  And if you make a friend in the meantime, great!  

Stay tuned for part two:  keeping your head during the dance call.