I’m asking generally in terms of “normal” Unifieds, not the 2021 COVID-19-impacted season:
Is there any benefit in being at Unifieds (i.e., in the hotel) even if you are not auditioning yourself? Are there any activities or “side-hustles” that a high school freshman/sophomores/juniors can participate in (e.g., workshops. masterclasses), or is it really just a bunch of seniors sitting in hallways outside conference/banquet rooms getting in the zone and waiting to be called?
I ask because I travel a lot on business, often to Chicago, and The Palmer House is one of my favorite places to stay when in town.
I was just idly wondering if there would be any value in bringing my D along if I found myself in Chicago during Unifieds week?
Not really. The various coaching agencies and summer programs have rooms for relaxing, warm ups and connecting but there aren’t organized master classes or networking opportunities. It’s a frenetic atmosphere and though the kids do tend to find each other/their friends in the downtime, it’s not the type of situation that I think a kid NOT participating would gain any benefit from attending.
We attended junior year to audition for a summer program and it was helpful to get a sense of the set up, realize there’s no central organization and you have to hunt for the right room. But most of that you can get by arriving early and giving yourself time to settle in, find rooms the year you go. Hearing kids crying and freaking out in the bathroom, while others bust out of dance calls radiating or pissed was a wake up for my d in terms of the stress and energy you’ll encounter, which I’ve heard can throw some kids off. The audition itself was for BOCO’s summer program and she was in the actual dance call with seniors auditioning for school so that was really helpful.