Audition Time: Are You Having Fun Yet?

Whether you're aiming for a summer dance program or a job in a show or dance company, dancers are trained to compete from early childhood. So why are you feeling stressed out before an important audition?

Actually, it's normal to get anxious when you perform. Just ask pilots, students taking exams or dancers facing huge crowds. The good news is that a certain amount of anxiety can actually help you perform at your peak. Why? Besides motivating you to get into shape, anxiety makes your dancing more intense during an audition.

The trick is to create an optimal level of arousal while taking care of the basics, such as resumes, dance clothes and overall fitness. Check out the following dos and don'ts for each stage of a successful dance audition.

Stage 1: Selecting Dance Auditions

As far as choosing auditions, more is better if you want to increase your chances of success. Many talented dancers fail to get callbacks because of an artistic director's whim or lack of openings in a dance school or company. According to Faith Petrides, the author of The Dance Directory of Ballet Companies, "doing a lot of auditions helps you to gain confidence. By the time you get the company you really want, you're ready." She recommends attending between five and ten auditions a season, whether for a summer program or dance company. Auditions are listed on the bulletin boards of your local dance school, as well as the February issue of Dance Magazine and weekly installments of Backstage. Petrides also issues a calendar of audition dates through her Web site, www.dancepro.com.

Once you select an audition, remember to pay close attention to the requirements. While a dance resume is the centerpiece of your audition package, a director may also look for current 8 x 10 black-and-white glossies of a head shot and one or two body shots that show off your strength in a jump or flexibility in an arabesque. If you can't afford a professional photographer, ask your dance school if there are any amateur photographers in the area.

Stage 2: Getting Ready to Audition

Preparation is essential for auditions. This means eating enough to meet your energy needs (dieters should never go below 1,400 calories a day), sleeping eight to ten hours a night and staying in shape. In the latter case, cross-training produces the best results for dancers, similar to elite athletes who do aerobics and work out with weights. However, don't overtrain or you may get injured, making you appear weak, tentative or accident-prone. It's also self-defeating to go overboard on weight loss. Directors want strong, healthy dancers who can handle a demanding schedule. If you look too thin, they may skip over you in an audition, fearing that you're anorexic.

What should you eat? The three main energy sources come from carbohydrates, protein and fat. In general, you're better off if you avoid eating meat and other foods high in fat before you dance, as these are harder to digest. Instead, complex carbohydrates are the best energy source for dancing. Food choices include fruit, yogurt, milk, rice, breads, cereals, pasta, dried beans and lentils. Protein is also necessary to rebuild muscle tissue damaged from exercise. To maintain your zip, spread out your food throughout the day and refuel ten minutes after dance class. It's also important to drink at least eight glasses of water daily to prevent dehydration (and rev up your metabolism).

Stage 3: Psyching Yourself Up or Down During Auditions

Unlike weight lifting, which requires high levels of intensity, dancing depends on fine motor control. As a result, moderate levels of arousal work best. If you're too calm during an audition, your performance will be flat. Too much intensity, on the other hand, can cause tremors, muscle tension, stomach butterflies, breathing problems and excessive sweating. To find your optimal level, which varies depending on the person, think back to how your body felt prior to and during your best performance--even if it was only in class. Also note your thoughts and feelings. Repeat the same exercise, paying attention to your worst performance. The next step is to replicate your best performance with the following strategies used by elite athletes.

While it's unusual to be too relaxed for an audition (unless you're overconfident), dancers who need to get "up" can do so with a vigorous workout combined with high-energy music and self-talk ("Let's go!"). In contrast, dancers who are overly stressed need to calm down. Begin by focusing on your breathing, taking a few slow, deep, rhythmic breaths to increase the supply of oxygen. This helps to reduce fatigue, muscle tension and loss of coordination due to stress. You can also reduce stress by reframing negative self-talk ("I'm a nervous wreck" to "I'm excited and ready to go"). If your thoughts stray to others' evaluations, bring them back to your dancing. Then focus on what you can control, such as listening to the music. Smiling will also help your performance by releasing neurochemicals that relax you. Just hold the smile for sixty seconds and feel your tension decrease.

On the day of the audition, wear attractive dancewear (minus leg warmers) and give yourself time to warm up. It also helps to look attentive. According to Garielle Whittle, a faculty member at the School of American Ballet, dancers who talk in the back of the room in an audition show a lack of discipline. Last but not least, bring your resume and photos, along with extra essentials, such as hairpins, shoes, dance clothes, makeup, water and snacks. Most of all, remember to have fun!

Dr. Linda Hamilton, Ph.D., is a former dancer with New York City Ballet and now a psychologist in private practice in New York City. She writes the Advice for Dancers column for Dance Magazine.