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86. What No One Tells You About Professional Ballet Company Auditions
189 Plays16 days ago
Auditioning for professional ballet companies is very different than auditioning for summer intensives, and that reality can catch even the most prepared dancers off guard.
In this solo episode of The Brainy Ballerina Podcast, I’m pulling back the curtain on the audition process and sharing the lessons I learned the hard way while navigating company auditions across the country. All the things I wish someone had told me before stepping into the room.
Key Points in this Episode:
- Why professional company auditions operate differently from summer intensive auditions
- When the audition actually begins
- The unexpected mindset shifts dancers need when auditioning for contracts
- What directors may be looking for behind the scenes (and why you often won’t know it)
- How to mentally survive the uncertainty, rejection, and waiting that come with audition season
This episode is a must-listen for:
- Aspiring professional ballet dancers
- Pre-professional dancers transitioning into company auditions
- Dancers feeling discouraged, confused, or stuck during audition season
- Anyone who wants a more realistic, grounded understanding of how the ballet industry works
🎧 Tune in to hear the full conversation and walk into your next audition feeling more informed and empowered.
Links and Resources:
The Brainy Ballerina Audition Hub: https://www.thebrainyballerina.com/auditionhub
The Ultimate Audition Guide: https://www.thebrainyballerina.com/theultimateauditionguide
Dance Audition Materials Audit: https://www.thebrainyballerina.com/digital-resources/p/dance-audition-materials-audit
1-1 Career Mentoring: book your complimentary career call
Let’s connect!
My WEBSITE: thebrainyballerina.com
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/thebrainyballerina
Questions/comments? Email me at caitlin@thebrainyballerina.com
Recommended
Transcript
The Audition Starts at Home
00:00:00
Speaker
The audition starts when you walk out your front door. It does not start when you walk into the building. It does not start when you get your number. it doesn't even start when you do your first plie. It starts when you walk out your front door.
Introducing the Brand New Ballerina Podcast
00:00:14
Speaker
I'm Caitlin, a former professional ballerina turned dance educator and career mentor. And this is the Brand New Ballerina podcast. I am here for the aspiring professional ballerina who wants to learn what it really takes to build a smart and sustainable career in the dance industry.
Realities of Becoming a Professional Dancer
00:00:30
Speaker
I'm peeling back the curtain of the professional dance world with open and honest conversations about the realities of becoming a professional dancer.
00:00:38
Speaker
Come along to gain the knowledge and inspiration you need to succeed in a dance career on your terms.
00:00:48
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Brainy Ballerina Podcast. Caitlin here today with a solo episode and we are talking all about the things that nobody tells you when you are beginning to audition for professional dance companies.
00:01:03
Speaker
These are all the things that i really learned the hard way just by trial and error and by going out and doing it. And there are things that i wish I had known before I started the process. So today I'm sharing them with you so that you have a little bit of a heads up before you go to company
Differences in Professional vs. Summer Auditions
00:01:21
Speaker
auditions. Because the process of a professional audition is really very different than a summer intensive audition. And for someone like me, and I'm sure many dancers listening, you grow up in a pre-professional ballet school and you're used to auditioning. We had to audition for all of our roles for different productions. I went to so many summer intensive auditions. I was very comfortable with that process.
00:01:49
Speaker
And so going into company auditions, I felt like I knew what to expect. i knew what was going to happen. I had done this before. sweats. and I was in for a very rude awakening.
00:02:03
Speaker
There are some things that are still consistent and yes, having done all these years of auditioning prior to now does really set you up in many beautiful ways for success, but there are some things that are different that I want to give you the heads up about today.
Maintaining Professional Demeanor
00:02:20
Speaker
This very first one is actually applicable to any audition you go to, but I just want to lead with it because I want to remind dancers that the audition starts when you walk out your front door.
00:02:31
Speaker
It does not start when you walk into the building. It does not start when you get your number. it doesn't even start when you do your first plie. It starts when you walk out your front door. You never know who is on the same plane, the same subway, walking down the street next to you, at the coffee shop where you're grabbing your coffee before the audition, who might hear you talking.
00:02:54
Speaker
You could be standing next to the audition director while you're grabbing your pre-audition latte and have no idea. And so be really aware of the way that you are speaking to other people.
00:03:10
Speaker
treating other people and the way you're speaking about the audition itself. If you are talking negatively about it before you even get there, chances are somebody's going to hear you say those things and it can already negatively impact you. So realize that the second you walk out your door, you are already presenting yourself to the world in the way that you want to be seen in the audition. So think about how you want to be perceived. Because character really, really does matter just as much as your technique in these moments.
Networking and Insider Tips
00:03:40
Speaker
The other thing that I realized very quickly when I started doing company auditions is that you will see the same people over and over again. We're all looking for a contract. There's definitely...
00:03:52
Speaker
a group of dancers that you will just keep seeing at every audition. And I definitely fell into the trap of if i saw a dancer who I thought was really amazing, who I'd seen before, i would instantly get into my head about it and be like, oh, she's here.
00:04:06
Speaker
i should just leave now. What's even the point? Which is a terrible mindset to be in. And so one thing that I would really recommend is to get to know people.
00:04:17
Speaker
introduce yourself, say hi, talk in the dressing room, talk before you go into the audition, chat afterward. Again, you'll see these people over and over again and getting to know them, one, it's just going to help put some humanity to the dancers. You might see a dancer that you really admire and They can be amazing, but they're also human beings. So getting to know them helps remind you that we're all just human beings out here trying to get a job and really just gives some levity to the situation.
00:04:49
Speaker
It's also helpful because you have an ally now. You have a friend that you're going to see again, and it makes you feel a bit more at ease when you see them. You can really make genuine connections and friends from auditions and the people that you meet.
00:04:59
Speaker
And you might also get some insider info. They might know things about the audition that you don't know and vice versa. Remember that it's not a zero-sum game. Dance is so subjective. And what one company is looking for is totally different than another one. And everyone's just out there trying to find their right fit.
00:05:16
Speaker
So it can only benefit you to talk to people, to be friendly, to share your knowledge. We are really all in this together, ultimately.
Professional Presentation and Dress Code
00:05:24
Speaker
Another thing to remember, and this actually also goes for summer intensive auditions, so some of these do overlap.
00:05:29
Speaker
But I have seen this happen to dancers at company auditions especially. and while at summer intensive auditions, they might give you a little bit more slack at company auditions, they really expect to the highest level professionalism.
00:05:43
Speaker
So make sure you bring all your materials with you in a printed form, even if you email them ahead of time. even if you pre-registered, bring them with you. They may not need them, but it's better to have them than not.
00:05:57
Speaker
So many times I've seen dancers show up to the audition and they've already sent them materials in, so they expect them to be printed out as you would, and they're not, and they're asking them for materials and they're empty handed, which can be a really awkward moment. So just make sure you bring them with you, no matter what. It's better to have it than to not. Another thing that I really learned the hard way is to not wear black and pink to your company auditions. You will look like a student. You'll feel like a student. You'll dance like a student. I went to my very first company audition for the Joffrey Ballet.
00:06:30
Speaker
I wore a black leotard and pink tights. I was the only one in the room and there must have been 80 people in this audition. I was the only one wearing black and pink. I instantly kind of shrunk inside myself because I felt like I was just not on the same level as the other dancers because I was like, oh, I'm a student. So i know it's been drilled into you all your years of summer intensive auditions that you should wear black and pink because that's the dress code.
00:06:56
Speaker
and that is true as a student, as a professional, you can dress like a professional. That doesn't mean that you are sloppy. It doesn't mean that you wear a ton of warmups and that kind of thing. It doesn't mean that you have your hair down or you just do whatever willy-nilly.
00:07:11
Speaker
you still have to show up put together and clean but you don't have to wear a traditional student uniform so it really depends on the company audition you're going for and i really encourage you to utilize all of the amazing social media that we have access to now and do some research so if you're auditioning for a company go on their Instagram page, watch some of their class videos, see what their dancers typically wear, because you want to walk into the audition and have the director immediately think that they could see you in their company.
Research and Company Styles
00:07:42
Speaker
So dress for the job you want. Again, you might not wear all the extra warmup things that you might see dancers wearing that you have the luxury of doing more so once you're in the company, but you know are they wearing their tights over? Different color leotards is totally fine.
00:07:59
Speaker
Tights over is fine. Depends on the company whether you should wear black or pink tights. So kind of use your discretion there. When I auditioned for Missouri Contemporary Ballet, I talked to my friend Elise, who was already in the company, before I went. And she was like, okay, you need to pancake your pointe shoes and you need to take the ribbons off and crisscross your elastics. And I never danced in pointe shoes like that before. I'd only ever danced in my pink pointe shoes with my ribbons.
00:08:26
Speaker
But she was like, the director does not like ribbons. We always pinkie guard pointe shoes for performances. So prepare your shoes that you look like that for the audition. And also she said, you know, no one here wears tights. Everyone wears like bike shorts. So wear a leotard and shorts.
00:08:41
Speaker
And I did. And it really made a difference because I could walk into the audition and I felt like one of the dancers in the room. I felt like I really blended in in a good way. and it helped me tackle the choreography too. The choreography that we learned for the rep was very intense and hard hitting and no contemporary ballet. And if I'd been wearing my pink tights and my pink pointers with the ribbons and all of that, I would have felt more classical and it would have been a little bit harder to dance in that way and to show off the contemporary ballet movement that I needed.
00:09:11
Speaker
Once again, do your research, notice what the dancers wear and try to put your own spin on it, still be yourself, but really curate your outfit to show that you would be a good fit in the company so they can instantly picture you with their dancers.
Handling Rejection and Cuts
00:09:28
Speaker
Another thing that nobody told me that I guess I should have just known going into company auditions, but I really did not, was that there will be cuts.
00:09:36
Speaker
Summer intensive auditions, I never experienced one that had cuts. No matter how many people were in the room, we all got to take the whole class. Company auditions, there will be cuts.
00:09:49
Speaker
You will be asked to leave at some point. I have been in an auditions where I got cut during bar or right after Adagio and Center. And it can be really frustrating because you may have traveled a very long way for this audition and then you don't get asked to do the whole thing and that can feel really stinky. So I do think it's very important to go into it knowing that that could happen and not beating yourself up if it does because it's totally normal. The first time it happened to me, I was like, oh okay, I am a terrible dancer. I must not be cut out for this career.
00:10:25
Speaker
i did the whole spiral. And then I went to a few more auditions and realized this is very normal. As opposed to a summer intensive audition where they have a ton of spots available, right? Like they have so many spots for dancers to come pay them to go to their summer intensive.
00:10:43
Speaker
When you're going to a company audition, they may only have one or two spots, one or two paid contracts. So they have to start whittling it down to the dancers who they're really, really serious about.
00:10:54
Speaker
And it's important to remember, too, that the directors are looking for something very specific and that's often not communicated. They may only be auditioning for male dancers.
00:11:06
Speaker
That's a very common thing that happens in company auditions is that they only have spots available for male dancers. Maybe they're looking for a short soloist dancer. Maybe they have a short male and they need a short soloist level dancer to pair with him.
00:11:20
Speaker
They may be looking for a very specific spot they're trying to fill in their corps de ballet. They're not putting this on the audition notice. They're just saying we're holding company auditions, show up at this day and time, right? And so when you get cut,
00:11:34
Speaker
It's easy to think all the bad things about yourself that we all tend to do, but remind yourself that it's very possible that they just didn't have a female contract available if you're a woman or that they were looking for something very specific that they needed to fill and that was just not you on that day. More often than not, it's about them than you.
00:11:54
Speaker
So it feels really personal when you get cut, but it's truly not personal. They are just trying to expedite the process and narrow down the dancers that they have so that they can figure out who is going to fit in that very specific box that they need right now. So don't try to be what you think they want because you probably don't know what they want.
00:12:13
Speaker
Just be you. Just do your best dancing. If you're the right fit, Great, if not, you'll find the place that's the right fit for you. You can come back again next year.
00:12:24
Speaker
It takes a lot of auditions to find your place. And the other thing to remember is that they might not even have contracts available and they are sometimes required to hold auditions to fulfill union
Navigating Uncertainty in Auditions
00:12:34
Speaker
requirements. so if they're an EGMA company,
00:12:36
Speaker
they may be required to have an audition, even if there are no contracts available. And in that same vein, they may not know if they have contracts available yet or not, because often they're holding auditions in January, February, but they are not requiring their existing dancers to return their company contract to say if they're coming back the next season until March or April or May.
00:13:02
Speaker
And so they're looking for dancers in case they need dancers. But if every single dancer who's in the company is offered a contract again and they all res re-sign with the company, then they may have nothing available and they just don't know yet. So there's definitely a gap between the time that you're auditioning and the time that they really have the full picture for what they are going to be able to offer as far as paid contracts.
00:13:26
Speaker
And so I think as a dancer, again, we can get in our head and and take things really personally. But remember that there's all these other moving puzzle pieces that you can't see behind the scenes that are going on So your job is just to go out there and do your best dancing.
00:13:41
Speaker
And their job is to find the dancers who they think will be the best fit for what their company needs. And it's all about just finding the perfect
Auditions as a Matching Process
00:13:49
Speaker
match. You know, it's like dating. Like you go on a lot of dates to meet a lot of different people. You might meet a really great person.
00:13:56
Speaker
who's just not the right fit for you. Think of it that way sometimes and you go
Pointe Shoes and Center Work
00:14:00
Speaker
into auditions. You might both think each other are really great, but there's no like spark, right? That happens sometimes. It's okay. Another thing to remember is that they are going to expect you at professional ballet company auditions to wear your pointe shoes in the center.
00:14:17
Speaker
So when you go to a summer intensives, you're typically doing an hour and a half ballet class, half an hour in pointe shoes, much like you would do for your training. When you're in company auditions, it's bar, typically bar, you can wear flat shoes for, although sometimes I have been asked to wear pointe shoes for bar as well, but then definitely point and center. So if you are not taking the center of your ballet class in pointe shoes right now, you need to start. We all know how different point classes versus taking ballet class in pointe shoes?
00:14:50
Speaker
Because you might be really proficient in releves, asia pays, the things that you're really working on in your pointe class. But what about things like adagio in pointe shoes? We all know how terrible that can feel sometimes.
00:15:03
Speaker
Petite allegro in pointe shoes, like being able to work through your feet and you know, that cramping that happens if you're not used to it A lot of different things like that feel totally different. So if you haven't been, make sure you're wearing your pointe shoes in center and also be prepared for anything at auditions.
Being Prepared for the Unexpected
00:15:22
Speaker
If you make it all the way through your ballet class without getting cut, you may be asked to do repertoire.
00:15:28
Speaker
You may be asked to do partnering. There are so many other things they may want to see from you, So again, like use the power of social media, watch some of their repertoire, see what they do, what's their style, get familiar with some of that so that you aren't totally surprised when they throw something at you. Bring every kind of footwear that you think you might need. Bring snacks. I remember one time, this was not my audition, but I was watching when I was already in the company, one of the auditions for Missouri Contemporary Ballet. It went for four hours. They just kept asking the dancers to do more and more things. And that was not how long it was scheduled for. It was scheduled for two hours. So the dancers were not necessarily prepared for that long of an audition.
00:16:13
Speaker
So bring snacks, bring electrolytes, bring things that you can like very quickly Just eat and get some extra energy. if for instance, they ask you to stay longer, they ask you to do more things, like you just want to be prepared.
00:16:28
Speaker
Or sometimes, too, they'll split the audition. If they happen to have too many people come, they might split it into two different groups and you might have to wait around. So you just want to be prepared in the case that you don't have the opportunity to go grab food. Make sure you are fully stocked. for longer than you think you might need
Connecting and Resources for Audition Prep
00:16:46
Speaker
to be.
00:16:46
Speaker
If you're looking for more support on your auditions this year, I have a ton of resources available. i have the ultimate audition guide. This is like your one-stop shop to everything you need to know about auditions.
00:16:59
Speaker
It's all in there. Resumes, cover letters, photos, videos, mindset, how to save money on auditions, where to find auditions, like anything you can think of, it's in this guide. Another really popular resource that I have is my audition materials audit, where you send me all of the materials you want me to look over, and then I send you back a video with all of my feedback and critiques and things you can do to improve them so that you can feel super confident about everything you're sending in I'm going to link all of my audition resources in the show notes for you. and if you're not sure
00:17:35
Speaker
what is right for you or what you need, just reach out to me. Send me a DM on Instagram at thebrainyballerina or email me. thebrainyballerina at gmail.com. And just let me know what you need help with. And I can recommend what would be the right service or guide or handbook for you. i know this time in your life can feel really intense and I am here to support you. I want the best for you. We all want the best for you. Everyone you meet along on this journey just wants the best for you. And we're all just trying to find our place in the dance world. I know you're going to find yours and I am rooting for you this season.
00:18:16
Speaker
Thank you for tuning into the Brainy Ballerina podcast. If you found this episode insightful, entertaining, or maybe a bit of both, I would so appreciate you taking a moment to leave a rating and hit subscribe.
00:18:29
Speaker
By subscribing, you'll never miss an episode. And you'll join our community of dancers passionate about building a smart and sustainable career in the dance industry. Plus, your reigns help others discover the show too.
00:18:42
Speaker
I'll be back with a new episode next week. In the meantime, be sure to follow along on Instagram at The Brainy Ballerina for your daily dose of dance career guidance.