2003 auditions guide: employment * education * training * summer study * single piece/special project.

WHOEVER SAID THAT LIFE IS NOTHING MORE THAN THE TRYOUT for a performance that never happens clearly knew nothing about real auditions, and never had to package himself as an audition videotape. While many life events mirror the stress of dance auditions, from exams to job interviews, an audition is one of the most loaded tests we can endure. Not only does it appear to have the power to irrevocably define the future, but our whole being can seem on the line, even when it's not. * Inside our 2003 Auditions Guide, writer Jody Sperling reveals that being an apprentice dancer is also a kind of trial. Directors choosing apprentices want to know: Are the dancer and the company compatible? Can the ballet or modern dancer's move as well onstage as during class? Luckily, it isn't only the dance company head that has power; the dancer, too, Sperling tells us, gets to decide if the fit is right and whether the life offered is the life she really wants. * On a down-to-earth note, Darrah Carr presents a nuts-and-bolts view of virtual auditions. Her "how to" guide on making the best videotape offers tips from the experts on how to craft a document in the most effective, least expensive way. * And to ground the advice in opportunity, we offer you our annual Audition Guide listings, with national and international audition information in the areas of employment, training, summer study, and more. Life may be nothing more than an endless tryout, but, at least in the dance world, even an audition is a performance.

Ann Murphy, Special Section Editor, Auditions