A woman told me recently that she likes ballet for not being competitive, as there is no scores or winners. I figured she just recently went to the ballet galaxy, and let her live on with her illusion for as long as it lasts.. But for you, dear readers, let me assure you, she is wrong.

Take auditions.

Whenever a dancer wants to get a job, he or she needs to go for an audition. It’s kind of similar to “so you think you can dance”, really, except you’ll never get the chance to show yourself alone with the jury, as on TV. You might be able to do a private class where you are the only one auditioning, but it will still be with all of the dancers of the company you wish to get a job in. Still, the most common way to get a job, and something all dancers have experienced, is the open auditions, aka cattle calls.

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Example of a typical audition-announcement. Not an actual announcement.

Companies that have jobs to offer usually holds a cattle call. They put up an advertisement, stating a time and date, and let you send your applications. Some let all dancers come that shows up, some has a “invitation only” policy, taking dancers CV’s (or resumés) first, and then inviting those they find promising. The result is similar with both solutions:

300 dancers. 1 job. Game on!

Have no doubt, it will get ugly. All the 300 dancers are there for the same reason. They might have travelled around the world, they might have lied to their bosses about going there, or spent their last money getting there – they all want that job more than anything!

Young ladies auditioning for the School of American Ballet

An audition usually consists of a ballet class, like the one we do every morning, although often with a bit more punctuation on the presentative dance – it’s not their job to teach you how to dance. They want to see that you know it already. A ballet master is showing exercises, and the dancers do their best to persuade whoever’s watching that they are the right person for the job. It’s brutal! Often, the director or one of his crew walks along the line of dancers doing their first exercises at the barre (don’t know what it is? Find out!), tapping the shoulders of those he doesn’t find interesting, maybe saying; Thank you for coming. For that unfortunate person, the audition is over. 1 down, 299 to go.

Before starting, you are provided with a number on a tag, to put on your t-shirt. You are now officially labelled as one of many trying to get the job. Like groceries in a shop. After the barre, it is common for the director to read up the numbers of those he wish to see more of. “…and for the rest of you, well, thank you very much for attending.”

Let’s say the director calls back 60 out of the 300. If he calls out the number on your shirt, you are one step closer than the 240 people now packing their bags and heading home, heads lowered.

The class goes on, and the remaining 60 gets the chance to show what they are good for on the floor. There might be more eliminations.

After the class, there is usually another elimination. The remaining dancers will normally go on to show variations from known ballets, present their partnering skills or do some modern work, depending on the companies profile and what the director is looking for. At this point, there is usually let’s say 10 dancers left. They have been working in front of a jury for at least 3 hours, but it can easily be 5 as well.

Some ladies caught mid-air while auditioning for the Grand Theatre Geneva © Olivier Vogelsang

Now, it’s time for interviews. Sweaty and tired, also mentally, you are supposed to present yourself from your very best side, showing how much you want the job and so on and so forth. (If I get to this point, I usually just act as I would in any situation. I’m done with the “hey, I’m Henrik! I’ll do anything..”. If someone will hire me, then I like to think that they hired me, not some happy-go-lucky guy.) The interview is usually the last step on your long and tiring way to a job. The director will make up his mind, choose to offer contracts for some of the dancers remaining, or just simply tell them all that he will contact them. For most of them, that call never comes. After all that work, all the energy, you are left with a “I’ll call you” that very well may never come. Like a first date, except it’s with Angelina Jolie.

There are definitely winners in ballet. The guy that gets the phone call wins! Although all the dancers that came to the audition are in the same boat, they are also each others greatest enemies for a day. I will not go in details about the dirty tricks I’ve seen (let’s not give anyone any more ideas, right?), but I’m sure you can imagine. Desperate times needs for desperate solutions. And if its mid July, you’re broke and without a job for next season, I’d say you qualify for desperate.

Did you attend an audition? It was harsh, wasn’t it? Oh, you don’t want to talk about it?! Yes, you do – in the comment-field! Go for it! I’ve been there, too, remember…

Ta-ta!
H

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