Welcome dancers, to the first Veyette Virtual Ballet School (VVBS) ‘Making a Pointe’. Here we will be discussing certain things that go along with ballet and the ballet world. Happy New Year!
We thought we would start off with something topical. It’s audition season! This time of year always comes with a lot of stress for dancers. We get it. We’ve been there.
Where am I going to go for a summer intensive? New York? Seattle, Boston, Miami, Houston, San Francisco? Ah!
Who do I send my resume’ and video to? Some companies? All of them? The director? Their assistant? Where do I find that information? Do I need references? Ahh!
IS there a company job out there for me? Am I too old? Too young? Not strong enough? Too strong? Is that code for something???? Ahhhhhh!
Every year we get a lot of the same questions and end up giving a lot of the same advice. And, mostly, it’s this…. RELAX. Cultivate a calm and confident (not arrogant!) attitude. Nerves aren’t always a bad thing, they can give you an extra edge. But they can overwhelm you quite easily if you let them. That’s the key. IF you let them. It’s up to you. Remember, you have prepared and trained for this your whole life. If you do your best, that’s all you can do. Will it be enough? Who knows. Every year there are tons of auditions packed full of hopeful young dancers like yourself. The question, really, in the end is this...
Did you give t everything you had? You better! The dancer next to you will be! What will you do to stand out? What makes you different? Special?
If you gave it your all, then it was enough. Maybe for that particular audition/director, maybe not. Maybe not for the next audition either. Just remember, it only takes one. One director. One person giving the class that really likes you. One person to notice the effort you made that the person next you didn’t. Effort is always successful! If you don’t get the job or acceptance letter you are hoping for this year, there may be a myriad of reasons why. Maybe you need more turnout, more training, more extension. Maybe they needed a tall dancer and your shorter. Maybe they don’t have contracts to give this year at all. Maybe, maybe, maybe. There are things about this process you can’t control and things you can. Here’s something you can do for yourself, don’t let the effort or attitude be the thing that holds you back. Don’t walk away saying to yourself “If only”!
And, if you need more training or more counsel for your upcoming audition season…..
We are right here! 😉
Be strong, beautiful and confident out there dancers! Merde!
-VVBS