A Weekend with Joffrey and Ailey
Last weekend I participated in two different auditions for the Joffrey NYC Summer Intensive/Ballet Trainee program and Alvin Ailey Summer Intensive/Certificate program. It was a weekend that was quite busy, during which I did no homework, and it was also the result of the last of the snow storm aftermath.
My Joffrey audition was supposed to have been on January 30th, at Maryland Youth Ballet, which is basically my home studio. However, since the Bolshoi reschedule meant that this was impossible, I called them and had my registration transferred to the Dance Institute of Washington for this past Saturday. I arrived at 10am, registered, and then snagged a spot on the couch to wait for my 2:00pm 15-25 audition. However, at about 11, I got a call informing me that I was the only one registered for the second audition, and would I mind coming in right now? How far was I? I told them that I was in the building and I would be right over.
So I tore off my warm ups, threw my hair up, stuck my contacts in, and rushed in to take a spot at the barre.
Other than the disorienting introduction, the audition was fine. The teacher was incredibly reassuring and supportive, and she talked us through the class with added time to remind us to breathe and smile. Despite this, I had difficulty with the logical placement of feet--there was more than one combination that involved closing front when my training said close back, and there is something about years of training that is hard to override. I left the audition a little disappointed but feeling good that I'd participated, and then I went to yoga (surprise) to let the tension out.
The very next day was my Ailey audition. I went to 11am Beginner II ballet at Maryland Youth Ballet and did class en pointe, then did the 12:30pm MYB Advanced Beginner class, and then I sat at MYB until 4:30pm, doing reading for my nuclear arms race class.
The Ailey Audition was unlike any of the other three auditions I participated in this past year and unlike any that I remember from my days as a uniformed PNB student. There is no barre for Ailey--you go in and you warm up with your own barre or stretches or whatever you feel you need, and then there are various center exercises. Ailey had the best atmosphere of any of the auditions, hands down. The participants were relaxed and friendly. As we were stretching, a girl with incredible extensions and flat splits and amazing feet turned back and looked at me and the girl to my left and she smiled.
"We've got this, girls. We can do this," she said.
And we did do it. The combinations were fun and logical, and most of all, danceable. I could embellish and pour emotion into everything, and it was fun. The second part of the audition was the Horton portion. Now, that was the very first time I've ever done Horton in my entire life. Honestly, literally, I've never done Horton. This meant that I had no idea what I was doing--Egyptian arms? Four turn? T-stand and not a kickback? What's the difference? I didn't know, but I had the time of my life, and I gave it all I had.
Ailey was also the last audition that I had planned. I don't have the resources or guidance to make a video audition, so I was pretty limited, but I am happy with what I did. Now all I do is wait, and keep positive, and most importantly, keep improving.
My Joffrey audition was supposed to have been on January 30th, at Maryland Youth Ballet, which is basically my home studio. However, since the Bolshoi reschedule meant that this was impossible, I called them and had my registration transferred to the Dance Institute of Washington for this past Saturday. I arrived at 10am, registered, and then snagged a spot on the couch to wait for my 2:00pm 15-25 audition. However, at about 11, I got a call informing me that I was the only one registered for the second audition, and would I mind coming in right now? How far was I? I told them that I was in the building and I would be right over.
So I tore off my warm ups, threw my hair up, stuck my contacts in, and rushed in to take a spot at the barre.
Other than the disorienting introduction, the audition was fine. The teacher was incredibly reassuring and supportive, and she talked us through the class with added time to remind us to breathe and smile. Despite this, I had difficulty with the logical placement of feet--there was more than one combination that involved closing front when my training said close back, and there is something about years of training that is hard to override. I left the audition a little disappointed but feeling good that I'd participated, and then I went to yoga (surprise) to let the tension out.
The very next day was my Ailey audition. I went to 11am Beginner II ballet at Maryland Youth Ballet and did class en pointe, then did the 12:30pm MYB Advanced Beginner class, and then I sat at MYB until 4:30pm, doing reading for my nuclear arms race class.
The Ailey Audition was unlike any of the other three auditions I participated in this past year and unlike any that I remember from my days as a uniformed PNB student. There is no barre for Ailey--you go in and you warm up with your own barre or stretches or whatever you feel you need, and then there are various center exercises. Ailey had the best atmosphere of any of the auditions, hands down. The participants were relaxed and friendly. As we were stretching, a girl with incredible extensions and flat splits and amazing feet turned back and looked at me and the girl to my left and she smiled.
"We've got this, girls. We can do this," she said.
And we did do it. The combinations were fun and logical, and most of all, danceable. I could embellish and pour emotion into everything, and it was fun. The second part of the audition was the Horton portion. Now, that was the very first time I've ever done Horton in my entire life. Honestly, literally, I've never done Horton. This meant that I had no idea what I was doing--Egyptian arms? Four turn? T-stand and not a kickback? What's the difference? I didn't know, but I had the time of my life, and I gave it all I had.
Ailey was also the last audition that I had planned. I don't have the resources or guidance to make a video audition, so I was pretty limited, but I am happy with what I did. Now all I do is wait, and keep positive, and most importantly, keep improving.
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