DanceLife Blog

Whether auditioning for Mary Poppins the Musical, Fame the Musical or any of the other abundant Australian productions this week, one thing is certain, few other industries ask as much of their job applicants as the entertainment industry demands of performers. High hopes end in disappointment for most auditionees in just minutes. "Thank you. That's all we need for today." is the dreaded kiss off performing artists hate hearing.

Recently, with the release of films like Every Little Step which documents the plights of audition hopefuls through the casting process of Broadway's revival A Chorus Line production, triple threat performers are winning the respect of people on a global scale.

Tonight Channel TEN's The 7pm Project reported on this week's Mary Poppins Auditions. "57 auditioned today. 5 got call backs". When asked "Can you tell when someone walks in the door if someone has it?", associate choreographer Geoff Garrat shared that he has an instinct, and that there's a part of him that gets a feeling about it. This gut feeling is exactly what can make or break an audition for the under prepared artist. I talk about how to overcome this in the Audition Guru workshops. It's important to pitch yourself inside the range of what the audition panel are looking for. What you wear has a massive impact on that. One of the key strategies we discuss at the Audition Guru workshops is, how to create an image that has you looking like you suite the show, without looking like you're desperately trying to look like you could step onstage to perform the show.

Unfortunately there's exceptions to many audition rules, and it's important to know which rules can be broken, and which must never be broken.

Keep training to bring you closer to your goals, and celebrate your achievements every day.

Tia Jordan
www.auditionguru.com
www.facebook.com/tiajordan
http://twitter.com/AuditionGuru

BY TIA JORDAN

Australian dancers are known for their excellent training and ‘hard work' ethic. The reward? Aussies have been gigging the world including LA, Broadway, and London's West End for decades.

Clearly we're blessed to have a country full of passionate teachers in the cities and rural areas, who have been well trained themselves, and who are committed to passing on their skill and love for the craft.

Why then do some people get gig opportunities, while others with exactly the same training miss out? Hmmm?? Most people are loath to admit the questions they have about this frustrating situation... [Insert thought bubble here] "Umm am I too X, or not enough Y, and basically do I just suck at this?!!"

The truth is it takes a winner's mindset to endure the training you've already come through on your road to being a pro dancer. If you didn't have a strong success psychology to start with, you simply would have dropped out miles back. So forget your limiting questions. Those questions are what suck! Instead ask yourself how you can benefit from the following ideas.

See most people are focused on discovering a great big groundbreaking difference that will win them the career of their dreams. What's required though is rarely huge and obvious. Instead it's the subtle nuances that will put you on the path to a future so bright you'll have to wear shades!

Put it this way: Have you ever watched an elite sporting race final like in the Olympics? The winner gets the medal, their national anthem played, product endorsements worth millions of dollars, TV gigs, and they'll be loved forever as a national hero. But think about it, there's often no more than a few nano seconds between first and second place. That's the nano nuance you need to discover to be a winner in your circle. That nuance is the difference between being excellent and being extraordinary!

So if you want to make your training pay you in dream job opportunities there are a few tips I recommend:

1. Be a dance artist - Style is becoming a forgotten art. Often the emphasis is on amazing hip hop moves, classical technique, and athletic acrobatic tricks. All of these are important elements to study for sure! However dancers risk becoming stylistically stuck because time is not invested in getting cross genre styles into their body. Those who can switch gears from the innovative 2010 ‘feels' to the class of the 40 ‘s styles, for example, will endure and be the most valuable dancers on agents' books.

2. Be a dance-ologist. Dynamics is a mystery to most dancers - but even worse, they don't realize it. The way you interpret time will have a MASSIVE effect on how watchable and dynamic your dancing is. Time precision is an absolute must. Use your ears first and then your limbs. And work with a time cop teacher (there are a lot of us out there) to test your musicality, and condition in exciting dance habits.

3. Be a beginner again. The one thing that is most likely to stop your raging success is being unable to step back into the shoes of a learner. Once you're accomplished at something it can be hard to see the tiny little lessons your teachers are wishing to illuminate for you. And it's doubly hard because often students are looking for the huge lessons like I mentioned before, when what is needed is almost unperceivable actually. This is when people plateau and eventually fall off track.

To be a nuance detective ask yourself questions like: What are they doing with their face, mouth, and eyes, breathing? Where is their weight? What part of the body do they lead from? How do they use time?

And remember no two people dance exactly alike so the great news is there are literally millions of ways to become extraordinary. So always put a little bit of your uniqueness into your work and ‘own' the choreography.

Go invest time working with experts who have already done or are doing what you want to do. There is a subtle difference between someone who knows the work in theory, and someone who has ‘done' the work in the industry. Be sure YOU make that distinction. And always have fun doing it!!

Please join me at my next Audition Guru workshops. Join the www.auditionguru.com newsletter and the Facebook Group. And be sure to visit the DanceLife Events regularly to keep in touch with what's going on near you.

Check out Audition Guru's next workshop for Rock Of Ages HERE.

With the FAME and MARY POPPINS AUDITIONS coming up next month it's really important that you're prepared. I was chatting with an icon in the musical theatre world last week about auditions and how some performers go into an audition with a "if it's meant to happen, I will get the gig". He completely disagreed with this way of thinking and believes you are either under prepared or not right for the role. Why not get one of those objections out of the way before you walk in the door and be PREPARED. For this reason we have some information below about the workshops that Tia Jordan is running to assist performers who are going for Mary Poppins and FAME. If you want to make the most out of your audition check out Tia's workshop.

Tia's Point Of View (POV)
With SYTYCD auditions underway, and Fame and Mary Poppins auditions about to begin, October is shaping up to be an audition fest. It's a time of excitement, but for many performers there's no escaping the nerves and anxiety that go with it.

CONFIDENCE vs VULNERABILITY
The words and actions of accomplished people are like an elevator towards success . No-one needs be told the importance of confidence in our industry. But if you don't allow your vulnerability to shine you'll be stuck in the basement. Listen up below because the door to your success elevator is now open.

MAX LAMBERT, Musical Director on the upcoming FAME, is like an encyclopaedia when it comes to Musical Theatre. He really understands dancers' minds, and shared this exquisite jewel of information at the 2008 Audition Journey Workshop hosted by Audition Guru.

"Curiously, the more insecure people were, the more they gave of themselves. If you're bulletproof you miss out on giving the exchange. - Max Lambert

Tia's POV - As Triple Threats we are conditioned towards looking and sounding perfect. The problem is, most audience members don't really care about perfect people. And if the
audience doesn't care, the show won't work. My tip when auditioning for Max is BREATHE, big, deep, low breaths, (air is power to singers) and be YOU.

GENEVIEVE LEMON, who played Mrs Wilkinson in BILLY ELLIOT, is an instinctive genius of her craft. Here's a dollop of the delicious advice she offered at the Audition Specific Preparation Workshop hosted by Audition Guru in Melbourne in June 2009.

"Over confidence could be just nerves masked in another way. Everyone gets nervous. The trick is to acknowledge the nerves and perform your best in spite of them." - Genevieve Lemon.

Tia's POV - The world's most loved performers reveal their flaws, and the chinks in their armour. This is how we come to care about them. Be confident in your imperfections.

Cultivate powerful relationships with your peers but be careful about taking on their advice. Instead seek the help of mentors who are working experts in your chosen field.

AND have FUN! Chookas!

Tia Jordan

Audition Guru is hosting Audition Specific Preparation Workshops this week.

MELBOURNE
Saturday 26th September
Fame Focussed Workshop
ADULTS $57
2pm - 6pm

Sunday 27th September
Mary Poppins Focussed Workshops
KIDS $37
9:30 - 11:30am
ADULTS $77
12 noon - 5:30

SYDNEY
Monday 28th September
Mary Poppins Focussed Workshops
ADULTS $77
9:30 - 3pm
KIDS $37
3:30 -5:30pm

Wednesday 30th September
Fame Focussed Workshop
ADULTS $57
10am -2pm

DANCELIFE SAVING!!
Do both the Mary Poppins & the Fame focused workshops. Pay only $107 for
both & SAVE $67 ($174 full price***)

Please email tia@auditionguru.com for more information

Hairspray auditions are coming, and sooner than soon. This news is like many industry bites, unofficial. But we can officially state the following: Aussie performers have been cracking their wigs back in preparation for this audition for yonks. So if YOU want to be remembered by the audition panel, get cracking NOW.

The show is set in Baltimore, USA, in the early 1960s. There are roles for all types of people so if you'd like to shine in the audition, follow these foundational steps...

There are great coaches offering this kind of training all over Australia. Consider signing up for a workshop or lessons to get an edge, and sharpen up your skills before stepping into your audition. Right now you can:

1. Train for stamina. This show go go goes! You'll need to be physically fit to keep in the game.
2. Choose your songs NOW, and get your 16 bar, 32 bar and full length versions rehearsed with intro and outro. For details of singing teachers check the www.dancelife.com.au directory or email me on tia@auditionguru.com for teacher suggestions.
3. Work to a higher standard. Professional experience is not compulsory (everybody has their first job sometime). But showing you have worked harder to prepare than your competition is a must.

Statistics show less than 1% of auditionees will attend a specific preparation workshop. That's still more people than there are roles. But of those that attend workshops, approximately 5% *will be successful in being offered a role in the show. * Based on statistics from recent Audition Guru preparation workshops for West Side Story.

Be Prepared... SIGN UP FOR THE WORKSHOP!

AUDITION SPECIFIC PREPARATION WORKSHOP - HAIRSPRAY FOCUS
This independent one day workshop is designed to help you be more successful in the audition process for this and other shows. Your coach Tia Jordan who has been to Broadway to research HAIRSPRAY, will be your coach. Whether you intend to audition for HAIRSPRAY or not, this opportunity should not be missed by singer dancer actors.

Read all the workshop details HERE.