Do I have to choreograph my own steps at auditions? (Answers 4 Dancers).

YOUR COLUMN HAS ALREADY ANSWERED A LOT OF QUESTIONS I HAD. DANCERS LIKE ME ARE LUCKY TO HAVE PROS AROUND LIKE YOU. I'VE BEEN DANCING OFF AND ON SINCE I WAS 9 YEARS OLD, DOING JAZZ AND HIP-HOP. A FEW YEARS AGO, I MOVED TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TO GET A DEGREE IN BIOLOGY. AFTER CLASSES, I TRAINED AT A STUDIO IN SAN DIEGO AND BECAME A DANCE TEACHER. I TEACH ALL LATIN AND BALLROOM DANCES AND AM ALSO THE HIP-HOP TEACHER. I WANT TO GO SOMEWHERE WITH DANCE AND DO IT FOR A LIVING. I'M READY TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO MAKE IT, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF I HAVE ENOUGH EXPERIENCE. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO IN AN AUDITION? DO YOU HAVE TO CHOREOGRAPH YOUR OWN DANCES? DO AUDITIONS LAST ALL DAY?--JACKI Rest easy. At 95 percent of professional auditions, you won't have to choreograph your own steps. The choreographer and/or assistant will teach you combinations that, in most situations, are designed to reflect the type of choreography used in the show. Once you've had a few chances to run through the combination and absorb whatever directions are offered, you'll be asked to perform it in a smaller group of five or six. The first cut usually occurs within the first hour.

The length of the audition can be determined by several factors, one being the extent of the project's choreographic demands. Lots of movement translates into longer auditions. Also, the number of dancers who show up can determine how quickly the choreographer is able to move through the process. Heavy turnouts translate into lengthy auditions.

Bottom line: While there, listen carefully. Be adaptable. Tune in to what's going on in the room, and be prepared to work quickly. After the cut, one of three things will happen. You'll either be released, asked to stay, of given a call-back time. Regardless of the outcome, you'll come away with another experience that will help you meet the next casting opportunity.

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