<p>Okay, all you well-versed audition parents and current MT students....we could really use some good information as to what to expect for the "dance call". Both on-campus and Unified Auditions. What is the protocol for most? Do they have you warm up together in the "room" independantly, or do they lead you in warm up exercises, or are you expected to be warmed up before you come in? Approximately how long does the "call" take? How long is the actual dance learned? Any and all comments and insights are greatly appreciated!!</p>
<p>This is a hard one to respond to because it is all very different for each school. You could always tell the rooms they were held in because kids were outside stretching but every dance call was different. Some long some short, some small groups some large groups. You might get more replies if you are specific about the schools.</p>
<p>And did most young women wear jazz pants/top or leotard/tights?</p>
<p>I was wondering the same type of things. My S’s CCM audition, on campus, has the dance call at 8:30 and his audition is 10:06. So thinking the dance call can’t be more then 45 minutes to an hour??</p>
<p>My son applied at 8 schools and all had dance calls which ranged mostly from 45-75 minutes with the exception in his London school which was a one hour each “class” in tap, ballet and jazz followed by a fitness assessment. Dance is a huge part of the curriculum there.
My son is a dancer but even if you are not, I would recommend looking the part. I am not saying go out and obtain expensive dance attire (and it is pricey) but ensure the clothing is form fitting, not baggy and hair out of the way. Black jazz pants and a tight shirt for boys is usually a basic rule and if girls have a leotard and tights-great but if not, jazz pants and a tight tank would probably be just fine…hair pulled back!!! They want to see how you move and not be distracted by a lot of clothing-basic is always good.</p>
<p>e95mum: I would say the vast majority of the girls wore leotards and tights. Some wore dance skirts over their leotards. I actually don’t recall seeing anyone wearing jazz pants at any of our auditions although I’m sure there were some that did.</p>
<p>Zonolo - Could you recommend jazz pants for a male? My son is not a dancer. He is a big guy and looks like he should be on the football field. He went to CMU pre-college, and I bought him the recommended “loose” jazz pants. I realize now that they are not at all flattering, so form fitting would be better (he has dance belts). I have been searching old threads because a brand was mentioned that was pricey, but looked great. I wasn’t ready to invest the $$ then, but am willing to now for auditions. I can’t find the right thread for the life of me.</p>
<p>Good advice so far- like someone else said, this varies a huge amount by school so it is hard to generalize. Definitely be warmed up and ready to go at the beginning of the call. They are seeing a huge number of kids and are not going to spend much time warming up. At most dance calls they will be seeing a group of kids. They often spend the first part teaching everyone the dance, as a group. After that, they will watch as each auditionee does the dance. It may be as an individual, or in a row, or if there aren’t many, as the whole group, where they may have rows rotate. It just depends. The length depends also by school. Try to look the part, and no loose fitting clothes as noted. If you can’t get part of the dance, at least keep moving and above all look like you are having fun. Some schools may have you do their choreographed dance and then may ask for a “self-choreographed” section ( I remember UCLA doing that, I believe for a 16-count, but it has been a while so I could be wrong) so it is a good idea to have a basic idea of what you might want to do during that time. My daughter was just an OK dancer but did well in her dance auditions because she went in with a positive attitude and a lot of energy. They want to see if you have potential and presence, not necessarily that you are already a great dancer (although of course that doesn’t hurt).</p>
<p>Some repeats from Attire for Unifieds:</p>
<p>For dance call, be sure tights and shoes are the same color - tan and tan or black and black - the tans should match as close as possible for the best lines - buying the same brand of shoes and tights can help with that. Ballet pink is not the best option for an MT dance call. </p>
<p>Among dancers, dance skirts are primarily worn for ballet class. Be careful if you are choosing to wear a dance skirt because they can really break up your lines - i.e., chop you up and make you look shorter and wider than a good fitting leotard and tights (with shoes to match your tights). </p>
<p>Other things that break your lines and give a choppy look: Capri jazz pants, dance shorts/any shorts, footless tights, not matching tights and shoe color (bears repeating…).</p>
<p>If you aren’t comfortable in a leotard and tights, a better option might be black jazz or long yoga pants and a yoga/sports tank top - whether you tuck it or not, be sure it is long enough to stay in place while you move.</p>
<p>If wearing black jazz pants (girls and guys), wear black tights (or at least black knee highs) and black dance shoes. </p>
<p>As an alternative for jazz pants, guys can wear black sports pants like what you would find a REI or Lululemon - fitted but not jazz-pants-fitted. Also, invest in supportive bike shorts to wear underneath (Starter makes some that would work just fine). And black socks to fill the gap between your shoes and your pants when you are moving. </p>
<p>Tappers should bring tap shoes, although many dance calls will just have tappers do time steps or whatever in their jazz shoes.</p>
<p>Dancers should bring character heels, but most dance calls are fine to do in jazz shoes; non-dancers should not attempt a dance call in heels. </p>
<p>At Chicago Unifieds, especially, be prepared to dance on carpet.</p>
<p>Merde!</p>