Things have a way of working out.

Last week was our fourth and final mock audition for the Broadway Dance Center Professional Semester.  After attending a theater, hip-hop, and contemporary mock audition, the 36 dancers arrived at the Disco (yes, Disco) audition clad in huge wigs, platform boots, and sparkly crop tops.  The audition lasted four hours and was performed in front of an impressive panel of BDC staff, famous choreographers, and a notable New York talent agent.  The audition began with a “dance cut” which consisted of partnering work (I’m so thankful for the ballroom classes through the Claremont Colleges!), then went to a “singing cut” and a final “acting cut.”

I entered the audition hoping for the best, but expecting the worst.  Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised to make it through all three rounds of the audition.  (The main criticism I was given was that I tended to “lead” my male partner during the dancing. What can I say? It’s the Scripssie within me, a true leader!).    I was overwhelmed with excitement when the talent agent offered me representation with her agency following the audition. My dancing dream is becoming a reality!

Which leads me to the heart of this post: do what you love.  I was very close to choosing a study abroad program in London over my semester-off to dance in New York City.  I felt pressured to study abroad because it was what most of my classmates were doing.  And while a semester in London would have been a truly incredible experience, I followed my gut.  Opportunities will come and go, and I feel that Scripps has prepared me to be confident in my decision, courageous in my plans, and hopeful for the future.  Things have a way of working out, if you put the work in!

the challenge of finding a job as flexible as a dancer…

I’m on to my next week in NYC and have already experienced an earthquake and a hurricane; I’m pretty sure I can handle anything!  It makes me sad to go on Facebook and see all of the fun events happening at Scripps, and right about now I’m definitely missing the delicious Scripps cookies.  In fact, I’m missing all of the incredible amenities of Scripps that I pretty much took for granted: amazing dining service, reasonably-priced laundry machines, and free events and parties.  In New York City, nothing is free…and I mean nothing!  I haven’t figured out yet if the coffee here is more expensive than the Motley, or if I’m just requiring much more caffeine in this hectic environment.  To accommodate my necessary spending sprees, I’ve starting searching and interviewing for a part-time job.  You’d think it would be easy to find a well-paying job for a young and eager young woman here in Manhattan…but to find one that is flexible enough for a dancer’s crazy, ever-changing schedule of classes, auditions, and the occasional gig.

I applied to quite a few jobs in my area and had two interviews last week (for my first choice jobs, too!).  The first interview was for a retail position at an internationally-acclaimed dance apparel store popular with people in “the biz:” the Radio City Rockettes, Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Ann Reinking, you name it!  While I felt like I was the perfect candidate for the job, my interviewer was worried that I did not have previous retail experience, despite my tactful attempts to apply the skills from my non-retail jobs and internships to the position at hand.  I was not discouraged, however, until the woman interviewing me asked me if I had seen the movie, “The Devil Wears Prada.”  Not only had I memorized the lines in the film, I’d also read the book way back when.  But my love of the movie did not perpetuate excitement for this job…I was terrified.  I would be the “Anne Hathaway “ character, the over-worked young hopeful who (would hopefully not be) abused by her boss, forced to run around the city for countless errands, work extra hours, and complete unimaginable tasks without question.  I have yet to hear back from them, but I don’t have my hopes up.

My second interview, however, went much better, and included a free drink at Starbucks compliments of my interviewer.  The job is a front-desk position at a Pilates studio.  Maybe I’m over-confident, but again, I thought I was the perfect candidate for the job, an organized, friendly dancer aspiring to get her Pilates certification.  The interview questions were the typical: Why do you want to work here?  What are your strengths and weaknesses?  What would you do in a particular situation where…?  And so forth.  Despite all the interviews I’ve been on, I still have trouble with the strengths and weaknesses question…It’s a question that you want to rehearse, but you also want it to seem unrehearsed (genuine).  Still waiting to hear back from those jobs, so stay tuned!

Taming the Scrippsie within me

Yesterday was our first mock audition of the four we’ll have during Broadway Dance Center’s Professional Semester this fall.  These mock auditions are run like a normal audition: sign-in, turn-in headshot and resume, learn combination, director makes cuts, callbacks ensue, etc.  However, these are great learning experiences because each dancer receives individual feedback during and following the audition, which is completely unheard of in real life.

The audition call read: Seeking male and female dancers of all ethnicities for summer stock show of “Hairspray.”  Especially seeking versatile dancers to perform in other shows of upcoming season.  Please be prepared to dance several combinations and bring a headshot/resume.

I showed up at Broadway Dance Center at 7:30am on a ridiculously cold (and surprisingly snowy!) October morning.  I submitted my stapled-together headshot (photographed in Margaret Fowler garden by my fellow Scrippsie, Nina Pincus) and resume…

NOTE: Dance/performing arts resumes are formatted much differently than your typical career-oriented resumes – ie. include photo on actual resume, body measurements, vocal range, special skills, do not include dates, do not include descriptions of jobs/awards, cut resume to be 8×10, etc.

When all 35 dancers (small group for a normal audition, actually) entered the studio, we were lined up horizontally in numerical order and the panel of crazy-amazing authority (BDC President, esteemed teachers, agent, Broadway performers, etc.) began to give feedback to each dancer’s appearance.  Dressed in a princess-cut leotard and tap skirt, I was told that I should have catered my wardrobe more to the characters of the show (brighter colors, 60’s vibe, etc.) Next, we were taught a quick ballet combination (actually, the choreographer just “said” the steps without showing them!  I’m so thankful for Prof. Ronnie Brosterman’s ballet vocabulary exams!).  Finally, we learned and performed a high-energy routine to Hairspray’s “You Can’t Stop The Beat.”

I felt like I performed well for the first mock audition of the semester, but definitely knew I had areas to improve upon – dressing so that I stand out from the crowd of other dancers who may look just like me, executing the choreography with precision, and realizing that I am “auditioning” even when I’m learning the combinations or standing on the sides (ie. still smiling, standing up straight, etc.).  I was SO surprised, therefore, when I was told that the agent kept my headshot and resume after the audition to potentially offer me representation! I still feel like I’m dreaming….but keeping my fingers crossed!

On a less exciting note, I wanted to bring up a sort of struggle I’ve been having over the past week.  The other day I was called into the BDC director’s office to meet with her and two other program coordinators.  I felt like I was being called in to the principal’s office!  I was overwhelmed when they told me that they’d received feedback that I sometimes come across to teachers as closed-off and resistant.  They explained that my body language (sometimes hunched over when I’m standing or sitting) and critical perspective (I always ask questions!) contribute to this resistance that was not actually part of my personality.  I am thankful that they approached me about this, even though it was hard to hear, because I know that it means they see potential in me and want me to succeed in this industry.  I am consciously working on maintaining a pleasant smiling face and “open” posture even when I am tired or upset.  I don’t know how to grapple with my inner Scrippsie, as I call it.  I am proud of the fact that I have the confidence to ask questions and not accept everything that people tell me.  For example, I debated putting my weight on my resume because I believe it contributes to the looks-based prejudice of the dance industry.  I am trying to figure out how to maintain my critical perspective without coming across as doubtful or rude to those who are maybe not used to being questioned (whereas Scripps is a world of questioning!).  Please comment on this post if you have any advice!

Myers-Briggs in the real world

I can’t believe it’s already week five for me here in New York City.  I am exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally, but still LOVING every minute.  I came into the first day of orientation for the Broadway Dance Center Professional Semester over-caffeinated in an attempt to sustain an extroverted veneer, hoping for people to meet me and remember me as “Mary Callahan, the California girl, super-friendly, outgoing, confident, and always happy.”  I wouldn’t consider this strive for perfection to be a bad thing, especially in a professional environment where you want to make your best first impression.  However, I’ve discovered that maintaining this extroverted state can be incredibly exhausting.  I am, after all, an INFJ (heavy on the I and J) according to Myers-Briggs.

So, I admit to you all that I am still learning.  I initially stepped up to the front of my dance classes, challenged myself to do more than the required twelve classes per week, woke up energized and excited, and felt anxious butterflies in my stomach at every mock audition and seminar.   But I suddenly feel like a different person, and people have noticed…I shy away to the back of the dance studio and get frustrated over every mistake, I am exhausted even after I sleep for ten hours, I feel sickness and dread during auditions and seminars, and I don’t smile as much (which is what people noticed the most).

We have all heard that it’s important to give 100% (or as my dad says, 110%) in all that we do: sports, academics, relationships, jobs, and so forth.  But I have come to disagree; I do believe that it is important to do your best, but maybe give 95%…and save that 5% for you.

And if you do feel burned out, try not to feel discouraged. Take a day to recuperate.  A walk in Central Park was exactly what I needed to get my head above water and really see the bigger picture – I am good enough, I can do this.

Little Scrippsie in the “Big City”

Hello, hello to my fellow Scrippsies in sunny Claremont, California!  I’m writing to you from across the country in the “big (and rather rainy) apple,” New York City.  I am halfway through my college career (oh my goodness!), and was planning to study abroad along with many of my Junior classmates.  As a Dance major, I was determined to spend a full semester dancing my heart out at the Laban Conservatoire in London.  I applied, was accepted, and began planning my six months in the UK.

Yet, I couldn’t ignore the voice in the back of my head doubting my impending fall plans.  While dance is my passion, my real dream is to join New York’s Radio City Rockettes, a legendary group of talented and technical precision dancers.  You’ve probably seen the Rockette kickline on the Macy’s Thanksgiving’s Day Parade or in the annual Radio City Christmas Spectacular.  My plan to study modern dance in London, however incredible, seemed to diverge from my dream to become a professional theater dancer in New York.  Trusting my gut, I put to work the skills I’d learned in CP&R and began researching semester-long dance programs in New York City.  I struck gold when I discovered the Professional Semester Program at Broadway Dance Center and scrambled to send off my resumes (dance and professional), cover letter, application, recommendation letters, and audition video…without my parents’ knowledge or permission (not something I would necessarily recommend!).  After I was accepted (hurray!), I composed a sort of “report” for my parents, explaining that my leave of absence had been approved by the Registrar, a semester in New York would cost less than my excursion to London, I would still be able to graduate on time, and I could “look out for” my brother as a college freshman at NYU.  How could they say no to that?

So here I am in bustling midtown Manhattan, a place that, unlike Scripps, has no “quiet hours” and no “dorms like palaces” (at least on my budget!). Quite frankly, one might even consider New York City to be the polar opposite of Scripps College. But never fear; I will not let this overwhelming city intimidate my confident, courageous, and hopeful inner Scrippsie, nor will I let the stereotypically competitive, conformity-based dance industry mask my feminist, forward-thinking personality!

I realize, however, that this task will not be easy, as I’ve already had several program seminars focusing on the incredible importance of a dancer’s physical appearance.  I suppose the same is true, to an extent, in the business world where one is expected to dress professionally in order to be taken seriously (button-down shirt or blouse, long skirt or pants, closed-toed shoes, clean makeup and hair, etc.).  At a ballet, hip-hop, or theater audition, a dancer is expected to wear a leotard with tights, tennis shoes with contemporary attire, and character heels with stage makeup, respectively.  Yet, many casting directors and choreographers may also insist on a dancer losing ten pounds or undertaking other physical alterations that are either unhealthy or uncomfortable.  I would never partake in unethical behavior to further my academic or professional career, so why should it be any different now?  I realize how important it is, in the business, academic, and dance world, to trust your instincts and stay true to your values in the face of adversity. I am certain that the pressure to look “perfect” will require me to reflect on how my dance dreams can coexist with my personal values, and that process of reflection will certainly help me gain further self-assurance in all aspects of my life.