What Are They Looking For?

 
It’s mid-audition and your mind is racing with questions. Am I learning this fast enough? Am I making a good impression? Will I look silly if I ask a question? Dance Magazine got the inside scoop from top artistic directors and choreographers about what turns them off, what blows them away, and what you can do to make the cut.Interviews conducted by Siobhan Burke, Michael Crabb, and Hedy Weiss
 

Jim Vincent Artistic director, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago

I’m not after a particular shape or size or physicality. I’m looking for an individual, for the unexpected. It’s all about having the power to direct my focus, to have a core strength that is capable of pushing me around the room.
Some dancers are quick studies, but then they flatline and never grow in the work. Before I hire a dancer I try to get a sense of their growth over a period of time—have them spend a week coming to classes or doing a summer intensive. It’s rare to just find someone in an open audition; usually it’s a relationship developed over time.
I want no pretense, no arrogance. All the dancers in Hubbard Street must do ensemble or corps work and drop their egos to be part of the greater good. In a company of 20 dancers there is no room for cliques, and there is no room to hide.

Benoit-Swan Pouffer Artistic director, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet

A natural mover can be better than somebody who does 10 pirouettes or is super turned out. I respect those things, but because our repertory is so diverse, I’m looking for a chameleon, someone who can morph from the world of Ohad Naharin to the world of Crystal Pite.
It’s OK to ask questions, but sometimes the most intriguing people are the ones who don’t say a thing. One dancer, who is now with the company—I didn’t notice her right away at the audition. She was always right behind me, observing the step very closely. My rehearsal director said, “Look at this girl behind you.” I stopped and looked, and she was incredible, and I hired her. And she didn’t say one word. The body itself was amazing.
As for what to wear, I suggest being clean-cut, sober, not too extravagant. Once you’re in the company, then you can show your true colors. We need to see what you’re doing with your body, so don’t hide the tool.

Karen Kain Artistic director, National Ballet of Canada

When you’re running a company you’re always thinking of the repertoire and the kind of bodies suited to it, so I pay attention to body type, especially height. But what I’m really alert to is training. A dancer needs to have good form and good line and to understand phrasing, partnering—things you might assume are so basic but which not everyone has. I can intuit a lack of discipline. If dancers come in with these ridiculous outfits, huge dangling earrings, tons of bracelets, and so on, you right away think this isn’t a serious artist, a person who is going to turn themselves over to the work. I’m looking for people with a good work ethic, sincerity, and humility.
In an audition with a lot of dancers, it helps to wear a distinctive color and fasten your number securely back and front so it doesn’t flap. But above all, breathe deeply, control your nerves, and give all you can.

David Dorfman Artistic director, David Dorfman Dance

If you’re going to an audition, commit to it. Get there early, with time to warm up. The earlier you are, without any other worries, the more ease you’ll have to be yourself. Be present, and hear all the artist has to say.
I give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but if a dancer is standoffish or aloof, it raises a touch of suspicion. Our process is very collaborative, so I want someone with a team spirit, a desire to work with others. If a person is standing there with their arms crossed, their hands in their pockets, or leaning against the wall or barre, it suggests some level of disinterest or unnecessary confrontation.
Try to stay away from feelings of, “Oh, I’m not doing well.” That can get you into a downward spiral. Sometimes I might ask, “OK, who wants to be part of a little guinea pig group? Five people wanna give it a try?” And if you could be one of the first five seen out of 200, why not? If a choreographer is looking for someone who takes chances—who can be risky, audacious, innovative—then that’s the person who says, “Hey, I have a hunch that I can do this.”