Guidelines for Auditions

How to Prepare for a Dance/Movement Audition

Come at least 20 minutes early to the audition to warm yourself up. Usually auditions won't include a full body warmup. Taking care of your instrument shows your professionalism. Bring a bottle of water. Bring a sweatshirt or other extra body wear so that you can keep your body temperature regulated. Sometimes auditions required you to dance hard and then sit for a long time and then dance again. Take steps to protect your body.

Wear dance shoes appropriate to the style in which you are auditioning. You may not audition in bare feet or in socks. If you don't have dance shoes then wear soft sneakers that are flexible (no black soles). For women it is best to wear leotard and tights but if you don't have dance clothes, please wear soft pants and shirt that you can move easily in with a full range of motion (i.e. sweatpants). Do not wear shorts. (You may need to slide across the floor and skin doesn't slide.) Wear clothes that reveal the shape of your body without confining your movement. All of the above is the same for the men. Wear your hair back away from your face and no jewelry.

Dance auditions do not require prepared material. You will be placed in small groups and taught a dance phrase that could be anywhere from 32-64 counts. You are expected to ask questions if you need help or don't understand aspects of the phrase. This information will not be re-taught so if you are late to the audition, your audition will be incomplete. You will be asked to demonstrate the phrase either alone or in a group to the directors and choreographer. The best way to prepare for this is to familiarize yourself with the musical and the style of dance that is required.

(Tip: In some cases you may be asked to learn an additional more advanced phrase that is beyond your ability. Directors/Choreographers appreciate a serious and hard working attitude and sometimes cast students who may not be able to dance the phrase well because in the audition they proved that they will work hard to achieve fluency.)

As a general rule, everyone auditioning will complete the dance audition whether the role they wish to be considered for calls for dance or not. All auditioning will experience all aspects of the audition process.

For more detailed information or questions, please contact Jenefer Davies at daviesj@wlu.edu.