Answers 4 dancers.

TONY AWARD-WINNING CHOREOGRAPHER GROVER DALE IS EDITOR OF DANCE & FITNESS MAGAZINE. FOR THIS COLUMN, HE DRAWS ON HIS EXPERIENCES AND ASSOCIATIONS WITH 16 BROADWAY SHOWS, 8 FEATURE FILMS, AND OVER 100 TELEVISION SPECIALS.

IF I'M NOT ACCEPTED BY THIS SCHOOL, I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'LL DO!

I want to be a pro dancer when I grow up. I'm in the eighth grade and already starting to think about professional training. Is going to a performing arts high school like OCHSA going to help? My parents are letting me audition, but if I can't go or don't make it, will it affect my chances at a career? If I do make it, it's really expensive. I'm not sure my parents can afford it. I'm just beginning, but I'm already hating the idea of auditioning.

Laurie

Auditioning, even in the best of circumstances, can be hateful. It's a flawed and timeworn system that's managed to haunt dancers for decades. We step up to the line with others, are thrust into movement we're barely given time to digest, and are expected to perform it flawlessly within minutes. Frankly, I don't know of any other profession where artists are put to the test in the presence of each other. In a word, it's awful.

OK, are we on the same page about auditioning? But hey, complaining isn't going to change anything. Maybe in the future someone will come forward with a better way to choose dancers. That would be great, but until then, we owe it to ourselves to make the best of the system we've already got. You might want to read "Auditioning: What Keeps Me Going" on page 76 of last month's Dance Magazine.

If OCHSA is the Orange County High School of the Arts, it's got a fine reputation. If you're worried about not being accepted, take some comfort in knowing that the experience of auditioning, regardless of the outcome, will benefit you. You will learn a lot about yourself and the way the "real world" works. Going through this at 14 will give you legs up on going through the same process should you decide to go to college when you're 18.

Let's talk about your situation. Putting all your eggs in one basket (in your case, one school) has added extra pressure. Plus there's more! With financial uncertainty lurking in the background, you've dealt yourself a tough hand.

I suggest that you and your family sit down ASAP and talk through all of the potential scenarios. If you need a way to initiate the dialogue, start with a big thank you for everyone's willingness to hear you out. In addition to sharing your concerns, let your parents know how much this opportunity means to you. Let them know how hard you're willing to work at it. If financial issues come up, nothing is stopping you from contributing to the cost of tuition by taking on extra babysitting jobs in the neighborhood. Right? That kind of offer sends a message that any parent would respect: You're ready to take on some of the responsibility.

You asked if not being accepted by the school would affect your career. It will probably affect your feelings more than it will your career. Frankly, I hardly know a dancer who hasn't been turned down by a school, a college, or a dance program of some sort. So, Laurie, those of us who endured it all before you simply picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off, and moved on to the next audition.

The next time you feel doubt getting a grip on you, please remember that not everyone is invited to audition for OCHSA. Remind yourself that someone (a teacher, a school counselor, or a principal) believed in you enough to suggest that you pursue this opportunity. If you can't find comfort in your own beliefs, find it in someone else's until your own gets a little stronger. It's okay to borrow traits from others, you know.

History (and the odds) tells us that, as professional dancers, we will face the unfavorable end of auditions far more often than the favorable end. It's part of the system. Little good comes from fretting over it.

FOLLOW-UP:

This is an exciting time for Laurie. She's confronting one of the most valuable lessons she'll ever learn as a dancer. In time, she'll see that auditioning, along with the realities, can provide her with useful info. She'll be shown her strengths as well as her weaknesses. She'll see where she can improve her efforts. She'll start to identify her potential. Best of all, she'll come to see that reacting to auditions can go two ways--they can either lift her up or bring her down. God willing, she'll make the choice that serves her well.

CONTACT GROVER DALE AT www.dancemagazine.com, www.answers4dancers.com, www.auditions4dancers.com.