by Gavin Larsen | Jan 28, 2025 | Pointe+, Summer Study, Training
Golden State Ballet principal Miranda Giles remembers her first summer intensive. “I was so excited to be going away and doing ballet all summer,” she says. “What could go wrong?” But in addition to battling homesickness, she was rattled by the program’s high-pressure...
by Gavin Larsen | Mar 13, 2024 | Audition Advice, Career, Pointe+
Increasingly, ballet companies are moving away from traditional open-call auditions. Instead, many prefer for dancers to submit a video reel, photos, and resumé, either via email or through an online portal, in order to be considered for an in-person audition. But...
by Jess Spinner | Feb 20, 2024 | Health & Body, Pointe+, Wellness
After years of preparation, you’re finally ready to put yourself out there and take the first steps in your professional dance career. Auditioning for trainee, second company, or full company positions is stressful. You’re in a room with competitive juices flowing,...
by Rachel Fine, MS, RD, CSSD, CDN, CEDS-C | Jan 24, 2024 | Health & Body, Nutrition, Pointe+, Summer Study
Nerves and anxiety run high on audition days. Add a hectic commute or a long day of multiple audition classes, and eating can take a backseat to other priorities. For many dancers, the stress of auditions also comes alongside pressures to achieve specific body goals....
by Gavin Larsen | Jan 4, 2024 | Audition Advice, Pointe+, Summer Study, Training
For many dancers, auditions feel inherently nerve-racking. But auditioning for summer intensives, which often requires taking class at unfamiliar studios with dancers who appear stronger, might elicit a heightened sense of intimidation. Fixating on others’...
by Amy Brandt | Apr 24, 2023 | Audition Advice, Pointe+, Training
Last month, at the ADC | IBC finals in St. Petersburg, Florida, I headed to a large hotel ballroom to observe the competition’s company audition class, the second held that week. The room was packed with teenage dancers, most of them approaching their high school...
by Gavin Larsen | Mar 10, 2023 | Audition Advice, Career, Pointe+
Kayla DeGaray remembers the frustration vividly. “I’d come out of class and anxiously refresh my email over and over, just hoping something would come through,” she says, recalling her intense audition season as a senior at Butler University. “But most of the time,...
by Olivia Hartzell for Dance Magazine | Feb 16, 2022 | Career
The pandemic has contributed to many shifts in the dance world, as the community has outspokenly criticized longstanding practices and cultural norms. However, no one has called into question the structure (or, rather, the lack thereof) of the job market. As a...