Does anyone know of any online videos of dance combos that have been posted that are representative of the things that are typically experienced at dance calls? I know that each school is unique. I’m just looking for dance combos that are presented (preferably with spoken instruction) as they would be in the call so that D can try to pick up a few at home, in addition to her dance classes. Many posts suggest trying to learn combos in conjunction with lessons as the best practice for auditions, but her lessons frequently focus on drills in favor of learning combos.
Here is Ithaca’s from last season:
http://www.ithaca.edu/hs/depts/theatre/prospective/programhighlights/mt/?item=7106
My daughter loved doing the Ithaca combo. It was a really fun dance to learn and perform.
@artskids and @sopranomtmom - is this type of combo (regarding level of difficulty) akin to what an auditioning student would have to learn in 15 minutes in a live audition? Or is the Ithaca combo more inline for pre-screens, where you have ample time (even days) to learn the choreo?
@beachymom I asked my S. He feels it is in line with what they would learn to do a live audition for most schools. However, some schools have notoriously difficult dance calls. My S year, Pace/Boco were known for tough dance calls; last year I heard Point Park’s was tough. However, many MT programs want to see that your student can move (not necessarily execute complicated dance moves). They will train the dance!
@beachymom I asked my daughter your question and she said the Ithaca dance was on par with a couple of her less difficult dance calls but most were actually harder. Part of it may be because they are learning the dances quickly but I will say that she came out of most of her dance auditions feeling like they really put her through her paces. She is a decent dancer and picks up choreography fairly quickly but it was harder than she anticipated and some like BoCo were particularly difficult and demanding. I do think there is more at stake for girls with the dance because the competition is so great that she sometimes felt the dance test might almost serve as a tipping point if say two applicants were pretty matched on singing/acting skills. I sometimes think the importance of dance is underestimated or understated here, but with the exception of a few schools that don’t do dance auditions, my daughter got the distinct impression that dance ability is a very important consideration, especially for girls.
@sopranomtmom No doubt dance is a very important element to the audition. I certainly did not mean to understate that fact. My D feels a bit behind on her dance - she spent more than 10 years as a gymnast and has little formal dance training. She is spending time catching up on basic ballet/jazz (and will continue into the school year). She will not develop into a dancer’s dancer but will hopefully be proficient with basic lingo and dance combinations.
@artskids I wasn’t really directing that comment to you or your comment but more in general that sometimes I think the importance of dance is downplayed in the overall commentary here with the focus being more on singing and acting. I think my daughter was surprised to find how actually challenging the dance calls were and how seriously many programs seemed to take them so I’m just sharing her experience. She felt for the girls in particular they were paying very close attention to the dance ability demonstrated. And that certainly doesn’t mean you have to be an amazing dancer, although many girls were, but in the final analysis it may be that extra something that tips the hand in the acceptance process for some.
@sopranomtmom I totally agree with your observation