SOLID GOLD\More than 300 hopefuls endure the exhausting bump and grind of\auditions for a chance at high-visibility jobs on Monday's Academy\Awards telecast.

Byline: Jenifer Hanrahan Daily News Staff Writer

Stacey Harper needed to find a phone to call her mother. Fifteen years of dance training had just paid off.

After two days of writhing and sweating to a techno beat - and painfully dropping her derriere to the floor in a one-two count - Harper became one of the chosen few who will dance for an estimated 1 billion people Monday on the 68th annual Academy Awards telecast.

"This is my first really big job in California," said Harper, 23, of Hollywood. "I've been watching all the time on TV, and now I'm going to be part of it."

More than 300 dancers auditioned in late February for the awards show, one of the most prestigious dancing gigs in Los Angeles. Some touted years of paid experience. Others spoke of a lifetime of dance classes.

They wore leather vests and high-heeled sneakers, body suits and spandex, trying to get noticed.

Choreographers needed 12 women and nine men to perform in three production numbers on Oscar night: Bryan Adams' "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman" from "Don Juan DeMarco," Vanessa Williams' "Colors of the Wind" from "Pocahontas" and a surprise fashion-themed number with runway models.

The dancers will earn from $2,200 to $3,300 for their services - plus bragging rights. There are plenty of jobs for hoofers in Hollywood on music videos, commercials and at corporate functions, but television specials are hard to come by.

The Academy Awards is far and away the biggest.

"You get the chance to work with some of the best choreographers," said Stevie Ray Anthony, 26, of Long Beach. "You have one of the biggest audiences you can get."

On audition day, music thundered through the mirrored walls of a West Hollywood sound stage while dancers were given 30 minutes to master a 20-second sequence that looked nothing short of painful.

"Sometimes they're looking for stage presence more than the highest kicks," said Billy Blanks Jr., a 19-year-old West Hills resident. "I just have to stay focused."

Again and again, dancers repeated a series of moves that combined jazz with street dancing to test their strength, precision and flexibility. In a one-two count, they dropped to the floor with their legs stretched out in front, thrusting their arms behind their backs to break the fall.

"This has been the hardest audition in a long time," said Shawnette Heard, 25, of Van Nuys, explaining how she tightens her stomach muscles to brace her body for the fall.

Dani Lee of Hollywood, who iced the bruises forming on her wrists, had to change from high heels to sneakers to complete the difficult steps. Lee was once a regular on the old TV show "Fame," with 15 years of training in ballet, jazz, tap and modern dance.

"It's not about the look anymore," said Lee, who wore black fishnet stockings, a purple suede halter top, kneepads and sneakers. "It's about getting through the combination."

Choreographers Jamie King, 24, and Barry Lather, 29, whispered to each other as they watched the tryouts. King said they made the moves difficult to make sure they got only the highest-caliber dancers who could perfect the routines in 10 days of rehearsals that began March 11 and end with a final dress rehearsal Sunday.

"We want dancers who are very strong, very passionate, very hungry," said King, host of MTV's "The Grind." He and Lather, who has choreographed music videos for Janet Jackson and Sting, took over the responsibilities this year after Oscar veteran Debbie Allen bowed out. "And of course they have to look good."

By day two of auditions, choreographers had narrowed the field to 50 hopefuls. Those who were invited back got phone calls.

"This is where it gets really tough," Lather told the dancers on the second day. "You guys all look really great."

With that, that grueling process began again.

Dancers learned their fate quickly as King's assistant whispered "Please stay" into the ears of those who got the job. The rest were thanked - they knew this meant they didn't get the job.

Among those chosen were Heard, a professional dancer for five years who recently finished a tour with Janet Jackson. "I feel good," Heard said as she toweled off her forehead. "This is one of my big gigs that I always wanted."

There were no tears among those who didn't make it.

"You get used to it," said Liz Gandera, 25, of Burbank as she packed her gym bag. "Most of us have been doing this for a long time, and it goes with the territory. Then when you do get the job, you feel all the better because you know how hard it is."

Rehearsals have lasted up to eight hours a day in preparation for the show (they'll work through this weekend). There is plenty to cover: In the "Colors of the Wind" routine, dancers will move about in colored cloth, and two will be suspended above the stage in harnesses to achieve an overall effect of nature coming to life.

In "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman," dancers will dress in red velvet robes and the steps will incorporate flamenco style. In the third number, dancers will don slim black pants and black turtlenecks to re-create a fashion shoot as runway models show off togs from movies nominated for Best Costume Design.

Dancer Melissa Williams, 22, of Sun Valley is predictably nervous about her prize gig on the Oscars. Her family will be watching the show on TV, and she wants them to be proud - particularly since they weren't so keen on her last gig in "Showgirls." Williams played one of the stage dancers.

"This is better than 'Showgirls.' My mom was worried they were going to show me topless (in the movie)," Williams said.

Indeed. The standards are high in this show, the choreographers say.

"It has to be perfect," Lather said. "So many people are going to see it, and it's going to be live. You have no second chance."

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Photo (1--Cover--Color) Lisa Ratzin, foreground, and Dani Lee test their limberness during auditions. (2--Color) Hopefuls execute a controlled backward fall - a very difficult move - at auditions for dancing jobs on the Academy Awards telecast. (3--Color) Arriving at auditions, Lori Mave, left, of Burbank clings to her good-luck bear, while Mekhell Cassagnol hands over her resume. (4--Color) Assistant Aurorah Allain looks through a stack of resumes. (5--Color) Jamie King, host of MTV's "The Grind" and the Oscar program's co-choreographer, watches for superhuman effort; he expects nothing less from the dancers he'll choose. (6--Color) Oscar silently watches an audition participant. (7--Color) For those who survived the audition, congratulatory hugs are in order. (8) Readying for Oscar night, dancers rehearse with strips of fabric - which will make it seem as though nature is coming alive - in the "Colors of the Wind" number. David Sprague/Daily News