Disney Cruise Lines: Dancing on the Decks.

Disney has gotten into the cruise line industry, and it means more work for dancers. The entertainment giant has put together a package so that families and friends can enjoy a couple of days at DisneyWorld and Epcot Center in Florida and then board a Disney Cruise Line ship for a four-day sail to the Bahamas to Disney's private island, then back up the Florida coast. The inaugural ship is Disney Magic and the second is Disney Wonder. Dancers on a Disney cruise sign on for six months and perform three shows a night, earning somewhere around $700 a week--more for principals--and receiving full health benefits.

Disney choreographer Rich Bittner filled us in on the dancer opportunities:

Dance Magazine: Give us a feel for the new cruise line. Will there be Disney characters all over the place, just like at DisneyWorld?

Rich Bittner: Not only will there be characters in the three major shows but they'll also be all around the ship.

D.M. Where did you hold the audition, and how many dancers did you hire?

R.B. We have twenty-two entertainers in the cast. Of course, we auditioned here in Florida. We also went to New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Toronto, and London, which really makes this an international cast.

D.M. Did you advertise in local papers and trade papers?

R.B. Yes. Especially in New York City, it was all over Back Stage.

D.M. What were you looking for and what was the most difficult part of casting?

R.B. Again, there are twenty-two in the cast. Ten to twelve are dancers and the others are principals. The shows are going to be very fable-oriented, with dance, song, and a story line.

The difficult part was that we needed very talented, very versatile dancers who not only had to be triple threats--sing, dance, and act--but also had to be the right type for the principal roles. Because every dancer will understudy a principal role, all had to be incredibly gifted.

D.M. What combination did you give the dancers at this audition?

R.B. The audition was just like any other audition. We gave two musical theater-jazz combinations and one that was a little more hip-hop. Then everyone had to sing, and in this particular job, it's not just carry a tune, it's sing. To audition, you need an uptempo song and a ballad.

Most dancers were prepared for the dance section but not for the singing, which was equally important. They would prepare only one song or they wouldn't know all the words to the song. We are very specific about what we need to hear, so dancers should take the singing as seriously as they would the jazz combination.

D.M. Okay, they're hired. Now what?

R.B. If they're hired, they get an information packet that is so complete it's unbelievable. It has times, dates, and places. Disney will fly them in for rehearsals from the city where they auditioned. They will stay in a large, privately owned townhouse, but they will have to share it with one or two other dancers.

D.M. Tell us about the showroom.

R.B. It's state of the art. It'll seat 1,000 people in regular theater seating and it has no obstructed views. The stage is the best part. There's nothing like it on cruise ships today. We're talking full hydraulics for sets and scenery, front and rear projection, forty-foot fly space, great sound system.

The shows will be fable-based, with new and old characters. Now, when I say characters, I don't necessarily mean Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck. I mean other fable characters. The ship holds 3,000 passengers and theater holds 1,000 passengers; each night a different 45-minute show will be performed three times. Dancers will get probably a half hour to an hour break between shows.

D.M. Will dancers also perform some type of crew duty during the day?

R.B. Not on Disney Cruise Line.

D.M. What about living arrangements?

R.B. Each dancer will have his or her own room, complete with a TV, VCR, and I believe a small refrigerator. No one has to share a room, as on other cruise lines.

D.M. But anyone who's a dancer with Disney had better like kids--right?

R.B. Oh, yes. There will be lots of kids. In fact, there are decks of the ship geared specifically for kids, and I'm talking about one area for toddlers and another for teens and older kids. There are also adults-only restaurants and nightclubs. There really is something for everyone.

D.M. Let's go back to the amount of work for the dancer. This is a four-day cruise, but is it continuous?

R.B. Yes, that's a good point, and a lot of dancers don't understand this part. First of all, they will sign a six-month contract. But the cruise is continuous. On the fourth day they will arrive in Cape Canaveral early in the morning. One group of passengers will disembark and that afternoon a new group will come aboard. Dancers will have this day to do some things onshore in the Cocoa Beach area--you know, phone calls and banking--but it's really their only time off.

Bittner closed by urging dancers who apply to any cruise line to ask specific questions about living and eating arrangements, as well as about salary, health coverage, and rehearsal pay.

Contributing editor Don Mirault is the author of Dancing ... For a Living--Two.