This post was created by guest bloggers Britt and Jess of ProMotion Dance. These ladies have dancing in their blood - with over 15 years of combined professional dancing experience, they are now small business owners dedicating their time to helping other dancers achieve success with audition prep and choreography services. Read on for their audition advice: the top 3 mistakes to avoid at tryouts!
How to Stand Out with a Pro Dance or Cheer Coach Without Being Pushy
We know the feeling of walking into a dance or cheer team audition, looking at the sea of faces and wondering how you’re ever going to stand out and make the team amongst all of these talented, beautiful people! Well, with over 15 years of pro dance experience, we know the business inside and out, have seen what gets coaches’ attention without being desperate or arrogant, and have all the tips you need!
First and foremost, it is important to be hyper aware about out how you might come across to a coach. He or she is the ultimate decision maker and you should be watching your every move, anticipating their perception of you, and thinking through your plan before you make any interaction. Your actions, words, and intentions around the coach or potential teammates can be very telling, so let’s dive into how to succeed at this!
Research The Coach
First things first, you want to look at the audition schedule beforehand, and plan far enough ahead to make an effective connection BEFORE audition workshops begin. This may require some skill and a little investigative research.
You want to find a personal connection to the coach. Whether it be a veteran on the team, or someone at the studio or salon that sponsors the team, or maybe you came to a game as a little girl and always wanted to be on the team. Whatever it is, make that connection so you have something to go off of when speaking to them.
Get to know a little bit about the coach through Googling them, asking around the current team, looking at their social media. Yes, it may sound creepy, but you want to know what their values are and what they care about most and keep that in mind when making the connection.
Introduce Yourself Mindfully
Once you think you have a good feel for the coach’s personality, values, and vision, you are ready to make a connection! Before you ever step foot inside an audition prep workshop, do your research, get his/her contact info, and send a quick email introduction (at the very least). If you have a chance to introduce yourself in person before audition workshops, go ahead and do that!
When you speak with the coach, you want to tell them about the connection you have to the organization or him/her personally. Talk a little bit about your excitement for the upcoming workshops, and ask politely if she/he has any advice for the upcoming audition and what their vision for next year’s team may be so you can work on the skills and attributes she’s looking for.
This will not only show that you plan ahead and are outgoing, but also that you are mindful about being coachable. This is one of the key factors look for in a team member is how they are able to grow and develop over the year.
Stay Top of Mind
Finally, once you get to an audition WORKSHOP (NOT the day of auditions), introduce yourself! Here is an example of what you may say to him/her. “Hey, I’m (NAME), I’ve been looking forward to meeting you in person. I shot you an email before the workshop, and I know Jess who was on the team last year (or whatever your connection was), and I’m so excited to get started with this process. Thanks so much for having us tonight.” Then, let the conversation flow from there, and don’t be offended if they don’t say too much. Many times coaches are conscious not to show favoritism, so they will keep it short and sweet.
This will do a couple of things. It will let her know that you’ve done your research, that you have a connection to the team already, and that you’re ready and eager about putting yourself out there. Extra brownie points that you’re at an audition workshop!
These are simple, yet effective tips that we have used personally in our own pro audition life and ended up making both teams that we tried this with!
Want more help and personalized guidance on pro dance or cheer auditions? Check out our online training program here or private coaching sessions here.
Watch the video version of this blog here.
Best of luck with auditions!
About the Authors:
At ProMotion Dance, we believe in the power of movement and dance. We live for those goosebumps moments when something bigger than you comes alive on stage. We are energized by the roar of the crowd. We want to create those moments again and again.
Whether you dream of becoming a professional dancer for a team or leading a high school, college, or professional dance team through an amazing season, we believe you have the power to light the dance world on fire. We've been there and done that, we are a dynamic duo that have both danced professionally for the NBA and NFL for a combined 15 years in the business. We have been honored to achieve such roles as Pro Bowl Cheerleader, Captain, Cheerleader of the Year, chosen to go abroad to represent our respective teams, and the list goes on. We know pro dance and cheer inside and out.
Now it's your turn to experience this. We would be honored to help you in your journey to get there. Here are some of the ways we can do just that: Team Choreography Intensives, Master Choreography Intensives for Individuals, Auditions Prep Workshops, Private Audition Coaching, Private Team Choreography Camps, Audition Teaching/Choreography and Judging, Choreography On Demand, and Music Cutting/Preparation.
