<p>Hello! Like I've said before, I'm Abby; a senior in high school who's just beginning auditions for MT programs. The schools I'm auditioning for (Wagner, Westminster, Marymount Manhattan, Montclair) have pretty difficult dance auditions, so we've decided to get me a private instructor for jazz and ballet, since I've never been formally trained. I've done numerous community and regional musicals, but my dance skills definitely need work (mostly my technique). My first audition is December 9th, for Westminster, and I was wondering if you thought that taking these private lessons would be very helpful for my auditions?</p>
<p>Best thing you can do is get some dancing in, under the eye of a trained teacher. Since you are a beginner, having a teacher to show you some of the language of dance is really important, since at an audition, they usually show you something once, then ask you to show it back (after a little time to learn it). Having some basic knowledge of what different steps are will help you. </p>
<p>As a beginner who is older, your options in the community are often somewhat limited – there’s beginner ballet with the 8 year olds (not ideal) or open “teen” classes that don’t necessarily focus on the terminology. Ballet and jazz are good choices. </p>
<p>Does your private teacher know your goals? Is he/she willing to help you strengthen techinique? This isn’t about learning a “routine” to do at auditions – very few schools require one of MT majors (the only one I can think of offhand that gives it as an option is University of Oklahoma). </p>
<p>Good luck on your lessons. This is a time for learning, and getting comfortable in the language of dance. Best to you in auditions…and remember, in the dance call with you will be people who can dance rings around you, and those who are struggling to keep up…concentrate on YOU…merde!</p>
<p>Let me offer an additional perspective. Call the schools to which you are auditioning and ask them what occurs in the dance portion of the audition, the criteria used to evaluate the dance audition and how that is weighted compared to the monolog and voice components. There is significant variance among schools in this regard. Some schools are less concerned about technique and look more for a student who can move well, take and respond to direction and pick up combos quickly. Some schools don’t weight dance as heavily as the other components or look for students who excel in 2 out of 3 of the MT components and are satisfactory in the third. So talk to the schools on your list to dial in what will really be expected of you at those schools and then evaluate what you need to focus on in preparing for the dance component of your auditions. And if the conclusion is that you need and will benefit from starting formal dance classes at this point, then I would suggest that you include some group classes. Most dance auditions are group auditions where you need to perform with the distraction and space/positioning awareness and constraints of having a load of people surrounding you all of whom are trying to learn the same combinations at the same time.</p>
<p>I certainly understand Michael’s perspective, but I will offer another one. My daughter has had little dance training, and did not want to be in a beginner class with the 8 year olds. She did try the teen route, but it was kind of useless. We have a private teacher, and if you can afford it, we think it is the way to go. The individual attention allows for much more rapid growth in a shorter period of time. The teacher spends time on what she needs, and there is nowhere “to hide” in the back of a class. I would recommend contacting the schools (or coaches if you have them) to see what types of techniques or combinations are common at auditions, and getting familiar with them. My daughter is enjoying it so much that she wants to continue with lessons even after her auditions are over. Oh, and other schools which require solo prepared dance routines, either on prescreen or audition DVD’s, or at auditions are Otterbein, Wagner (DVD audition), Michigan, and UArts.</p>
<p>Studio classes and private lessons both have advantages. Therefore, if it is financially possible, I would take both. Many studios offer ADULT beginner classes, in both ballet and jazz. Make sure your teachers are aware of exactly what you are trying to accomplish, and the time period in which you hope to accomplish it.</p>
<p>Yes, I found that adult beginner classes worked for me, but I would recommend watching a class first to see how the teacher treats dance. Does he/she explain how to do all the steps and is willing to explain/demonstrate further, or does she just throw you into it and say “do a pique arabesque into a tourjete” and assume you know how to do it already?</p>
<p>Privste lessons are also great if there are just a couple elements that you want to master or improve. My S works with a private teacher once a month just for leaps and turns. She also helps him choreograph solos using music that he selects.</p>
<p>To clarify as to UArts: on campus audition includes a group dance component if you are called back and you then also have an option to do a solo piece. Only at Unifieds, Regionals or if auditioning by DVD, is a solo dance piece required.</p>
<p>As to group or private dance lessons, I never said not to do private lessons, only that it is advisable to include group classes because the dynamics and issues of performing well in a group setting are much different than in a private lesson. And at the risk of being blunt, it’s one thing to pursue dance classes now to refine an audition piece or hone existing skills and technique, but if the purpose is to fill a significant gap in the fundamental skills and experience being brought to the audition process, then in addition to making those efforts, it would be very prudent to make sure that your list of schools includes a couple where dance either plays no role in the audition process (ex. Ithaca, there are others) or plays a minor role or is otherwise undemanding (ex. Emerson, there are others).</p>
<p>Thank you so much everyone who replied. I did have my first private lesson yesterday, and my instructor is completely focused on all of my needs and what I need to accomplish for auditions, so I think she’s wonderful. She’s focusing on ballet and jazz technique but also incorporating picking up combinations and theatricality. I was going to also take a group class, but unfortunately all the classes at my studio interfere with night time rehearsals for Sweeney Todd (the show I’m currently in at a regional theatre). I’m going to stick with these lessons and hope they help me improve a lot before my first audition!</p>