Audition tips

Auditions... some people like them, others hate them and will avoid them at all costs. Nevertheless, to dance professionally, you need to take chances. And that means you need to audition.

As well as the other posts that you'll see on this blog, this post will be updated with a new audition tip every week. Because everything is going international, posts will be in several different languages, such as English, German, Greek, Luxembourgish and French. Hopefully this will help you calm down and make you feel a little more comfortable, going into an audition.

1	Sleep: Make sure to get enough sleep before any audition. Not just the night before, but preferably at least one week before the audition. This will ensure that your body is prepared going into the audition (your muscles recover the most while you’re sleeping). On the other hand, make sure yo don’t get too much sleep, because this will also affect your performance during the audition. On the day of your audition, wake up early enough to give your muscles time to wake up. This way, you’ll minimise the risk of getting injured, and your muscles will look more lean and flexible (!).
2	Nutrition: I’ve done a separate blog post about general nutrition for a dancer, but I think that this is especially important leading up to an audition of performance. Although nutrition is always important, it’s especially important to take care of your body when you’re preparing for an audition or a performance. Don’t try to take any last minute drastic changes, and don’t start to eat healthily only a few days before your event. If your body is used to eating unhealthily, switching to eating healthily just before a performance, can actually decrease your energy levels and your general performance. I recommend to make sure that you get enough carbohydrates and protein into your diet starting at least 2 weeks before your event, and of course making sure that you don’t over eat. Make sure that you get as many meals as your body needs, to make sure that everything is working properly and that nothing is going to go wrong, because of something as simple as the food that you eat. With food, staying hydrates is just as important. It recommend to drink 1-2L a day, and do not start this the day before your event, as your bladder may not be used to the quantity of water (you don’t want to have to go to the restroom in the middle of a performance). Feel free to snack in-between your meals, but remember that being nervous can sometimes makes us think that we’re hungry when we’re really not.
3	Warmup: It’s important to warm up before an audition or performance. Some auditions include a class, and even when they do, it’s important to warm up and stretch beforehand. You never know what they’ll be expecting from you – it could be something that you’ve don’t before, but it could also be completely new to you, and when it comes to doing new steps and combinations, its best to be warmed up, to decrease the risks of getting injured Don’t feel weird if you’re the only one stretching and warming up – it shows that you’re dedicated and hardworking. Also, remember to take your time while warming up, if you need 30 minutes to warm up, make sure you have that time before you start the audition – which means that you need to be there long before the audition begins.
4	Haar & Makeup: Schminke ist nicht immer nötig. Es hängt davon ab, ob es für die Bewerbung oder für den Auftritt nützlich sein wird. Für eine Bewerbung, sollte das Makeup (wenn du es tragen willst) so natürlich wie möglich aussehen, damit der Regisseur und Produzent genau sehen können, wie du aussiehst. Leider ist es so im Tanzen, dass das Aussehen einen groβen Einfluss darauf hat, ob man eine Rolle bekommt oder nicht. (Für einen Auftritt sollte man sich auf jeden fall schminken – sont sieht man auf der Bühne total blass aus) Mit dem Thema Makeup, sollte man auch auf seine Haare achten. Man muss auf jeden fall sehr viel darüber nachdenken, ehe man sich die Haare eine sehr unnatürliche Farbe färbt. Allerdings ist dies für Ballet sehr wichtig – geh bitte nicht mit grünen Haaren dahin(!) Auβer von der Haarfarbe, sollte man auch auf den Style achten. Für Ballet, wäre ein „Knoten“ oder irgend ein updo am besten. Für Jazz ist ein Pferdeschwanz normalerweise genug – bring aber trotztdem ein paar Haarklammern mit. Man weiβ nie wann man sie gebrauchen wird(!) Sieh einfach nach, dass deine Haare dein Gesicht nicht verstecken – sonst können der Regisseur und der Produzent deine Emotionen nicht sehen(!).
5 6 7	Traiter les nerfs : Traiter les nerfs peut parfois être difficile. Surtout quand on est nerveux, se calmer peut sembler comme une tâche très visible. Voici quelques petites choses que vous pouvez faire pour vous calmer: 1.       Respire (!) 2.       Bois un ped d’eau 3.       Écoute de la musique 4.       Méditer 5.       Parle à tes parents (ou à ceux qui sont là avec vous) Quoi qu’il arrive, n’oubliez pas que vous avez fait tout que vous pouviez. Ne vous inquiétez pas si vous êtes assez bon ou pas: si vous n'obtenez pas le rôle que vous vouliez, il peut être pour le meilleur(!) Souvent on demande trop de nous-mêmes, et ça peut facilement montrer. Calmez-vous,  concentrez-vous, et finalement, bonne chance! Caffeine and energy drinks: Caffeine… that beautiful liquid that makes us all feel a little less like a zombie: Don’t drink it in the week coming up to your audition or performance, and especially not on the day! Too much caffeine can harm your adrenal glands. Instead, try a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice – the sourness and the vitamin C should wake you up. Even if you’re like me and you’ve gotten used large quantities of caffeine, it might agitate you on your big day, and it might affect your dancing. Also, Amanda told me that too much coffee can actually stiffen your muscles - so be careful and try some green tea instead! Heat creams and Ice packs: (If you’re injured going into an audition, it’s best to not go at all. If you injure yourself during the audition, you definitely won’t be getting the part. And if you injure yourself after the audition and you get the role, you will have to refuse the part.) Be really careful when you are using heat creams before an audition. A heat cream should never replace a good warmup, and should only be used if you really need it. Don’t use it as a precaution for injuries. If you have a habit of icing your feet or any other parts of your body that may ache, do not(!) ice yourself before an audition. It’s pretty self-explanatory: icing your muscles cools them down, which will not benefit you at all during your audition or performance, and will increase the chances of injuries yourself. Marina https://www.instagram.com/marinaalexandreas Amanda https://www.instagram.com/amandakuznetsov/ Follow BalletforBrains on insta: https://www.instagram.com/ballet.for.brains