13 Things to Prepare for Dance Auditions
It took me 5 years of perfecting my craft before I made the NBA dance team of my dreams. But let me tell you guys – taking the long road makes it SO much sweeter!
Most dancers audition multiple times before they become NBA dancers or NFL cheerleaders - the reason being is that it takes a lot of mastered skill, hard work, passion, determination, and preparation to make it to the top – just like any other professional sport.
The year I made the team I did one thing different – I told myself I had to truly change something & I prepared full out for months in advance.
This doesn’t mean just attending workshops or getting your audition outfit a little earlier this year.. I mean preparing and putting everything into every realm of the audition process. I know it sounds like a lot, but it is just a few months of your life that will be well worth it when you get to understand what it feels like to dance for the team of your dreams. Everything happens for a reason but my biggest regret in my pro journey is not putting in the time to truly prepare for auditions like I did the year I made it. It is a night and day difference not only in your true abilities but your confidence.
Even if you don’t make it after following these steps, you will not only have improved yourself tremendously, but you will get accurate feedback that truly focuses in on what you need to better improve on. Leaving an impactful first impression and giving your best, even if it is not quite there for the season yet. Remember - great things take time and it will just be that much sweeter!
Overall: You have to get a plan, get critical and drive in on your personal strengths and weaknesses, and hold yourself fully accountable towards your goal. At the end of the day, no one is going to help you get on the team like you will. You have to have your own back, perfect your own weaknesses, and be your own accountability.
Understand your strengths and weaknesses – what makes you less confident on audition day? What do you feel is not up to par for the pro dance team you want to be a part of? Is your confidence where it needs to be for you to feel your best? Do you know the basics of your team if they ask you in an interview?
Once you truly understand your strengths and weaknesses, you have to just START.
I am going to take you through everything I focused in on while prepping for auditions and how I went about the months before the big day. If you put in the time to invest in the categories below, I promise it will help guide you in the direction of your dreams (just like it did for me!)
Of course, this can only take you so far, you have to be your own hype girl and push yourself to follow through with everything you write down!
Make a plan
Create a time frame for yourself
Personally - I spent about 4 months prepping for auditions. I think this is a great time to start your audition prep, but you know yourself best so adjust accordingly! This is going to depend on where you feel you are lacking and your previous dance background of course, so just be honest with yourself when planning how much preparation you will need.
Buy a planner
If you don’t have a planner, go purchase one because it will be your visual roadmap for everything you need to prep for as we go along!
I picked up a brand new one since I knew I would be spending a lot of time in it and had a lot to write down specifically with my prep. I would suggest a larger sized planner so that you have more room on the full calendar pages (that is the section I use.) I really like Blue Sky planners and 8.5x11is great for the full calendar views! Trust me, you want an 8.5x11!
Write down everything you know about the auditions:
The day they begin
All of the information on their training camp
Audition prep classes or workshops they are offering
2019 Audition Prep
I started with a checklist and then transferred it over to my planner afterwards (dance classes, fitness classes, when I wanted to have my audition outfit by, when I needed my solo by to have enough time to have it down, what days were designated to practicing my solo, and more!)
Doing this truly does make you feel empowered, organized, prepared, and more confident. It holds you accountable and helps with time management on your preparation.
2. Feedback
Feedback is where you need to start. Not only from the coaches, judging panel, and instructors that have seen you or worked with you previously – but also yourself.
From coaches, judges, instructors, dance friends
Take their advice because they are the ones that know you and know what may be holding you back from making the team. Listen to what they have to say and use it to better yourself for the upcoming audition.
From yourself
Sometimes you may not get feedback or even hear back from the coach, and that’s okay. No one is going to get you on the team like you, so you have to learn how to teach and train yourself.
Keep training no matter what that looks like, and record yourself. I can’t tell you how many times I have thought I was doing a move perfectly, had the perfect style, or thought I had a decent audition – but then I watch footage and notice things weren’t looking as good as I had thought. You HAVE to be your own worst critic and continuously find ways to improve yourself! (of course while also finding things you love!)
Take a dance you have learned, record yourself, and find things you want to improve on. This goes for everything – technique, style, choreography pick-up, interviewing, game day knowledge, everything!
3. Mentality
This is essentially the glue to the whole puzzle. You could have prepped for months but if you walk in with a negative mentality or an unconfident demeanor, nothing really matters.
Being a professional dancer, you are part of the entertainment and performance industry which means you have to have thick skin and prepare to hear “no”. Don’t take it personally because it really isn’t personal at all. Prepare for that and find ways to take the pressure off of yourself.
Find what makes you confident/self-doubting at auditions
1) What are you confident about in your dancing and what makes you proud when it comes to the dancer you are?
Are you great at interviewing?
Are you an amazing technical dancer?
Are you strong and energetic to watch?
Take those strengths and run with them during the audition! Not only are they something that you should accentuate at auditions but talk yourself up about it!
2) What makes you feel self-doubting when it comes to the requirements for auditions?
Do you struggle with technique?
Do you need to work on flexibility?
Do you struggle with hip-hop?
Are you insecure about your body?
Whatever this is - it is the number one thing that you have to conquer. If you walk in knowing you struggle with something without having worked on it - you will be in your head. Put the work into whatever it is that makes you feel insecure and stick with it. Consistency is key.
I was always dancing and improving my style, but technique was my downfall. I found in auditions I would feel confident until we went across the floor and I could just feel my confidence melt off of me. After half an hour of having to face that weakness I always put to the side, I never felt my mental go back to where I was before the across the floor.
I also got extremely nervous during interviews because I had this fear of the unknown – will I say something wrong or will they ask me a question I don’t know.
Guess how I fixed all of this? PREPARATION.
I can’t even tell you the difference this made from my past auditions to the year I made the team. Those things that normally melted off my confidence made me feel empowered – I almost couldn’t wait to showcase the things that I had previously struggled with just so that I could show off the work I put in!
Make a plan B
Of course we all go to auditions hoping that this is our year but the honest truth is you just never know!
Making a plan b for right after auditions will help take off the pressure of feeling like this is the end all be all. It will allow you to have more fun with the audition and be less in your head. Find something that lights you up and have it ready to go right after the audition (if you don’t make it of course!)
I didn’t tell anyone that I was auditioning and I told myself that if I didn’t make it that year I was going to travel for a bit. With my dance schedule I hadn’t been able to travel and I told myself if I didn’t make it that next day I was booking a trip to Europe! I love traveling so I found something that I could look forward to, even if I didn’t make the team. I almost felt a sense of relief - “if I don’t make it, no worries, I get to travel the world!”
4. Take class
No matter your level of technique or style execution, it is always important to get into dance classes. Not only will this help with technical skills but will also improve your confidence and overall dance ability.
Wondering what classes to get into? BALLET, BALLET, BALLET. It is the fundamental of everything and you just can’t go wrong taking ballet classes.
If you are not a technical dancer, get into class – even if it is just once a week. (technique is always a requirement!)
Make connections and find mentorship
Do your research and find out if any of the coaches or those with a presence at auditions have classes or privates that they offer. This is a great way to not only improve yourself, but an opportunity to hold yourself accountable while showing the hard work you are putting in to better yourself for the team.
5. Get on a stretching routine
As dancers we need to be flexible, especially at the professional level. Flexibility not only shows in itself, but in your style and technique. Even if you make a quick ten minute stretching routine once every other day it will make a huge difference, especially over a few months time.
6. Get on a fitness schedule
The audition process, as well as the season, requires high stamina and endurance so being in your personal best shape is also representing the fact that you are prepared for what is expected if you make the team. (especially an NBA season with 42 home games plus practices.)
*Sometimes it can be tough to get in the mindset of working out consistently. You have to envision the moment you walk into auditions and how good you will feel knowing you have worked hard to have the physique that makes you most confident. You definitely don’t always get an end goal when it comes to fitness, so use auditions as a way to motivate you and hold yourself accountable.
This can mean you are working out 3 days a week, you decide to join fitness classes, or maybe you like to cycle! There are so many options, so find what works best for you and what you will enjoy sticking with!
I was teaching cycling classes twice a week, attending studio classes twice a week, and stretching/running technique in my spare time. Find things that motivate you and push you to lead an active lifestyle. All of the sudden youll be loking in the mirror like, “When did this happen?!”
7. Clean eating
This goes hand and hand with getting on a fitness schedule.
I am the first to say that even if I am constantly working out, nothing gets me in better shape and having more energy than eating clean. Of course, everyone’s body is different so you have to find what foods work best for you!
Personally, I cut out: breads, dairy, products over 4g of sugar, and limit alcohol intake (even though I love my margaritas). This does not mean cut out carbs – just take in the healthy ones (brown rice, potatoes).
You truly can’t function as a professional dancer without carbs. So make sure you are keeping your diet healthy! We are athletes after all.
8. Study the team and sport
Becoming a professional dancer means you are an ambassador and employee of that sports team. It is important to understand the sport and your organization, even if it’s just the fundamentals. There are some teams that require tests related to the sport and team during their audition process, so be knowledgeable on what they’re expecting of you!
Make a study guide
Whether the team requires a written test or not - put time into truly understanding the team and the sport.
Not only will this make you more confident in the interview but it will also show the judges how serious you are about being a part of that dance team. If you end up making it, you’ll be happy you put the time into that when fans ask you questions on the team!
Personally I went into Microsoft Word and made a little study guide: general information on the sport, information on the sports team, wrote down the team roster, and really anything I felt I wanted to be knowledgeable in.
2019 Study Guide
9. Interview prep
Being a professional dancer means being an ambassador for your team’s organization - constantly being out in the community, representing the brand, and mingling with fans. The interview is a huge part of auditions so give them the opportunity to really get to know who you are and how you will represent the team in the future.
I think this gets looked past as something to prep but it is just as important as taking dance classes or working on your fitness! This is a huge part of the job so you have to make sure you put the time in to having an interview that accurately reflects who you are!
Prep general interview questions
Put the time in and make yourself some interview prep questions. Some basic information about you, reasons why you want to be a part of this organization, and knowledge on the team. Once you have your answers, have someone do a mock interview with you!
When they ask you, “Tell us a fun fact about yourself!” You want to be prepared verse coming up with something on spot (which usually doesn’t make sense because we’re nervous.)
Google interview questions or jot down some general questions and answer them tailored to how you want to represent yourself. Once you have the general questions answered, everything else can be easily modifiable on spot!
Interview Prep Questions
Plan your interview outfit
Just like any job interview your outfit should reflect your professionalism. Make sure that you show up in something professional, typically business casual. Nothing short or revealing.
10 . Audition attire
A good audition outfit helps you to stand out, reflects your personality, and helps you to walk in feeling good.
Something that stands out
You want to walk into auditions with an outfit that catches people’s eye. This doesn’t mean find an outfit that is full of neon colors but something that works with your look!
Add some rhinestones, maybe embed the team logo, and make sure the shorts/top flow together.
2019 Audition Outfit
Something that makes you feel your best
If feeling your best means a pair of Nike shorts and sports bra - do it!
Your audition outfit doesn’t have to be covered in rhinestones if you are an incredible dancer and being in something more sporty makes you most confident. Your outfit is all about wearing what will make you walk into auditions feeling your best so make sure that comes first!
Additional attire
There is typically always a training camp so make sure you are prepared with training camp attire. A lot of the time it will be an all black outfit in whatever style you would like. I like to prepare my training camp outfit like I do my audition wear - take the time to get something that makes you feel good and confident.
2019 Training Camp Outfit
11. Solo and solo outfit
If you are attending auditions and are serious about it, you need to prepare a solo - no matter how far you think you will get.
Solo
Your solo should reflect what you are best at and that you know makes you stand out as a dancer. If you know you are strongest with hip hop, do a hip hop routine. If you know you are best at contemporary, do that!
*I would suggest making sure you are still showcasing the overall style of being a professional dancer or cheerleader (style, energy, performance ability, etc.)
This is your chance to shine, get creative, and really showcase what makes you thrive as a dancer. Spend time on this so that you are giving your absolute best come the day for solos.
2019 Audition Solo
Solo outfit
You want to have a solo outfit that matches the dance you have chosen so make sure that they flow together.
You also want something that shows off your personality and makes you feel in character, whatever that may be for you.
12. Your look
This one is important because every team has a different look/image. If you are auditioning for the Miami Heat Dancers then you probably don’t want to come in with a “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader” look. Study the dance team you are auditioning for and really understand the look of the girls already on the team.
Make sure you are prepping and perfecting how you want to do your makeup, hair, nails, and all of that fun stuff!
13. Prep your audition bag!
The last thing you want to do is GET YOUR AUDITION BAG READY!
It can be so hectic to pack everything up last minute and hope you didn’t forget anything. You want to get everything together for your audition bag at least a week in advance.
Make sure you have a good gym bag that will fit everything, maybe a small portable fan to throw in there, extra pairs of tights, a mirror, all of the goodies!
“I hope this can help someone else on their journey to their dreams. Maybe even a bit sooner than me!”
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