hi all! i go to a professional school in Canada and I really want to go to SAB. Does anyone know what they look for in their dancers, i was thinking about auditioning next year, I will be in Grade 9 then. If you could help that would be great!

Hello Daughter1 - nice to see you!!<P>Have you ever gone to the summer program at SAB? That would surely give you an idea and some good experience. You could also look at their website and contact them for their written requirements.<P>Aside from that, as at any audition, they would be looking at your technique based on your age and level of study. Besides your technical level, they want to see how quickly you learn and how well you follow directions. Have you spoken to your teacher about this and what does she/he say?<P>Have you ever gone for any auditions before? If not, then you need to know that you always arrive a bit early, try to be warmed up before you arrive. Wear sweat clothes in case you have to wait a while. I always brought an apple to eat in case there was a wait and it keeps the energy up and is easy to eat and light on your stomach. Of course, hair neatly back in a bun, plain dark colored leotard and ballet pink tights. I always brought a spare pair in case a rip occurred. Have a couple of pairs of clean broken in pointe shoes and slippers with you. <P>In addition, you will have to ask them if they want a picture, letters of recommendation from your teacher and a resume of what you have performed or how long you have studied. Lots of Luck!!<P>

hi daughter1. <P>i just did a search for a marvellous article we have about auditions, which was put together by a man who assists pacific northwest ballet school with their summer schools. i am amazed that i can't find it, so i guess i have been just sitting on it, until we get our STUDIO LIBRARY up. so here it is, in full, as this seems as good a time as any to unveil it, with thanks to dave at pnb.<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR> Here are a few highlights from our recent seminar on successful Summer Program auditioning. Hope they are helpful!<P>· DO audition for more than one program, but DON'T attend an audition just for "practice" if you have absolutely no interest in that program.<P>· Get a good night's sleep the night before, and don't audition on an empty stomach.<P>· Arrive on time. Allow far more time than you think you will need to get to the audition site.<P>· Bring the audition fee in cash, exact change.<P>· Bring what the audition requires, neither more nor less. This may include photos, a resume, or letters of recommendation. If you are not sure, call the auditioning school, NOT the host site.<P>· If possible, take a barre class before the audition. At the very least, be thoroughly stretched.<P>· Make sure your hair is secure. Keep hair ornaments small and be CERTAIN they won't fall out.<P>· No jewelry.<P>· Unless the audition requires a specific color leotard and tights, wear a leotard in which you are comfortable (NOT a brand-new one) and pink tights. Wearing a leotard color other than black (again, unless black is required) will help you stand out from the pack and help the auditioners to remember you. However, avoid a leotard which is too flashy or revealing.<P>· Men should wear white leotard and black tights unless otherwise specified.<P>· Bring your pointe shoes, even if you've just started en pointe.<BR>Shoes should be broken in enough to be comfortable, but not raggedy.<P>· When you enter the studio, even before the audition begins, ignore everyone but the teacher. FOCUS. This is not the time to catch up with friends from last summer.<P>· Remove sweatshirts, leg warmers, etc., before being asked to do so.<P>· Follow the teacher's instructions exactly. Don't try to impress by doing three pirouettes when they ask you to do two. Remember, they are also looking to see how well you take directions.<P>· Be honest. If asked to do something you're unfamiliar with, say, "I'm sorry, I haven't learned that yet (or "I've only been en pointe for two months"), but I'll try it if you'd like."<P>· If you don't like a combination or if you're asked to do something which contradicts your training, don't argue, frown, or cop an attitude.<P>· Smile. Be bright and eager. Make an effort to look and feel your best, and it will show.<P>· Be polite to auditioners and other candidates.<P>· Enjoy the experience of taking a class from a talented and unfamiliar teacher. Make it your goal to learn something new in the audition class.<P>IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED...<P>· Don't let one rejection discourage you. Audition for other programs, and audition again next year for the program you didn't get if you still want to attend.<P>· Some programs will give feedback on your audition. Make the call yourself, DON'T have Mom call.<P>· Remember that your not being chosen is not a reflection on you or your ability, just a reflection of what those auditioners were looking for at that particular audition.<P>· No summer program is the only one in the world. Your second choice may turn out to be the best experience you've ever had.<P>"MERDE" and best of luck to each of you as you start this year's auditions. Remember that you can't ask any more of yourself than always to do your best.<P><I>Many of these points were adapted from "Ace the Audition" by Sheila Noone in _Dance Spirit_magazine, January 1997, pp.<BR>57-58</I> <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>

Additionally, try to quietly approach the teacher at the end of the audition class and THANK them! <P>This is a really big thing for my students--not just at auditions but at every single class they take at every single studio from any guest instructor or studio trip to take a class--THANK THE TEACHER! The panel may see this, but if nothing else the teacher will remember that you know your "dance manners" My students usually shake the teachers' hand when thanking them.<P>best wishes!<BR>Jan

Thank you all for your replys, but I have been to auditions before and know how to prepare properly. My question was focusing on what exactly they look for (body type). I do go to a professional school called the quinte ballet school and have auditioned for the nbs with no luck. But I really want to go to sab. Thank-you again,<BR>Emily

I have had several students attend SAB over the years and one now is in the corps. Contrary to common belief, SAB looks at much more than body type. They want a dancer who can MOVE!. Speed, not just fast, but covering space and 'filling the room' is an important quality. Musicality is a must; we like to say 'dancing between the notes'. As I write this, I realize that probably more than anything, they look for dancers we would be able to describe or talk about with 'action' words or phrases; words like 'pretty' and 'neat' are not as preferable as 'dynamic','has an appetite for movement', 'pounces on the phrase'. Above all, don't stand and make poses, DANCE!<P>------------------<BR>It is not knowing the answer that matters, but what question to ask...

Over the years a few students have auditioned at SAB (summer program) and I remember them coming back and speaking of examiners looking at feet and testing turn-out in addition to the actual audition. <P>Even though a company may have a certain "standard", at any one audition it is impossible to state what they may or may not be looking for as so many personal unquantitative aspects come into play--what each panel member may want to see could vary greatly. Additionally, perhaps some of the panel are unable to travel to the different local auditions and the group of panel members may vary from location to location--which will result in different expectations at each locale from the panel itself.<p>[This message has been edited by *Jan* (edited January 14, 2001).]

Excellent advice Cabriole and Jan - thank you - I am sure Daughter1 will appreciated it.<P>I had a student make it to SAB - and she was able to "move" and did cover ground though she was very small. Her dancing combined both delicacy and excitement. She had very precise feet. Well, she was accepted but never got there, unfortunately her family fell apart and it ended her dancing. <P><BR>Another dancer that I was in class with for many years went on Scholarship to SAB and then after returning to San Diego, went straight into ABT company. She was also exciting to watch and also with precise feet. Her name was Dana Stackpole. You can see her in the picture following page 17 in the book "Private View, Inside Baryshnikov's American Ballet Theater". <P>And yet another dancer I was in class with for a number of years made it to SAB with a full scholarship which also included housing and a stipend. He was probably the most fantastic natural talent I have ever seen. I wrote about him - and what happened to him - about what NOT to do -in this thread: (scroll down to my January 12th post)<P><BR><A HREF="http://www.criticaldance.com/ubb/Forum7/HTML/000308.html" TARGET=_blank>THE WHIPPER SNAPPER</A><P><BR>

You all have been very helpful. Thank you very much for your replys. Another question, do u know of any good dance programs in August?<BR>Emily

Emily - here is a thread you might want to look at - scroll down when you get there:<P><A HREF=../../../ubb/Forum7/HTML/000246.html>AMERICAN SUMMER INTENSIVES</A><P>There are also some Canadian ones in there too!!<BR><p>[This message has been edited by Basheva (edited January 14, 2001).]

daughter1 - just wanted to explain, that i posted that audition info (general as it was) because i personally had nothing specific to offer you, since SAB is way outside my areas of knowledge! so, thanks very much to cabriole and jan for your personal insights. <P>i can't help with your next question either!

Agony and ecstasy
By Lin Shujuan for China Daily


It was a bleak morning when Du Juan, a 21-year-old dancer from Southwest China's Chongqing, got up and left her rented house in Beijing.
The temperature had dropped overnight and it was windy. Du trembled a little while waiting outside for a taxi.

Despite the unpleasant weather, she was excited: she was on the way to the Central Academy of Drama, the top art and drama institute in the country.

It was February 17, the day when the result of the first round of interviews was released. What that meant was 1,037 of over 5,000 participants would go through the second round of interviews. After that, the lucky few would be whittled down further in a third round and make it into the top 32 - the number of acting majors the academy is going to enroll for the coming semester.

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