Hang in there: when the going gets tough, try these tips.The "God I hope I get it" stress of auditioning can sometimes take an emotional toll. To help you deal with the pressures that crop up pre and post audition audition /au·di·tion/ (aw-dish´un) hearing. chromatic audition color hearing. au·di·tion n. The sense, ability, or power of hearing. , DANCE MAGAZINE talked with psychologist Dr. Harlene Goldschmidt, Ph.D. (www.harlenegoldschmidtphd.com). Here are a few of her audition tips. 1 Safety net: Work with teachers who are invested in your performance and believe in your ability. That way you will always feel secure in class, even if a bad audition has left you shaken. 2 Breathe and visualize: Before you walk into an audition, take a few minutes to center yourself. Close your eyes and up the level of oxygen to your brain with some slow, rhythmic breathing. This helps you calm down. Then build confidence by visualizing visualizing, v 1., holding an image in one's mind. 2., forming an image of a goal or destination in one's mind before undertaking it, so as to facilitate success. a memory--a performance or class when you were dancing fully and freely. 3 Avoid self-sabotage: When you do walk in, don't immediately size yourself up. Comparing yourself to others in the room can make you lose focus. Instead, keep your eyes on the prize Eyes on the Prize is a 14-hour documentary series about the American Civil Rights Movement that aired in two parts. Part one, six hours long, originally aired on PBS in early 1987 as Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years (1954-1965). . Listen, dance your best, be energetic, and have fun! 4 Eat well: On the morning before, don't increase your jitters jitters 'Butterflies' Psychology An episode of nervousness or anxiety that often precedes a public event; jitters is a type of performance anxiety which may affect actors in a stage production–stage fright or soloist musicians; it may respond to anxiolytics by replacing breakfast with a large cup of coffee and a sugary sug·ar·y adj. sug·ar·i·er, sug·ar·i·est 1. Characterized by or containing sugar: sugary foods. 2. Tasting or looking like sugar. 3. Danish. Eat small meals throughout the day that include protein, and bring a bottle of water with you. 5 Remember why: If you are disappointed by your audition performance, reconnect with what brought you to dance in the first place. When you go back to class, savor the movements, listen to the music, and acknowledge how far you've come. 6 Be positive: Misery loves company, but don't let others drag you down. Having friends who dwell on dwell on or upon Verb to think, speak, or write at length about (something) Verb 1. dwell on - delay linger over the negative can make you lose touch with the enthusiasm and strength it takes to move forward. Try to surround yourself with peers who have fun and can find humor humor, according to ancient theory, any of four bodily fluids that determined man's health and temperament. Hippocrates postulated that an imbalance among the humors (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile) resulted in pain and disease, and that good health was in every situation. 7 Evaluate: Don't just tell yourself you're the worst dancer in the world. Look back on your audition experience with a teacher or friend and assess what happened. Work on your weaknesses so you are more prepared for next time. |
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