It was a great lecture at the Juilliard School for the Senior seminar class. The topic was Securing a job in Europe. Thank you Alicia and team for a great class. Here are a few of my favorite quotes I collected for the lecture………
Be aware. Be informed. There is really no excuse in this day and age to not know what type of company you are auditioning for. My friends from other companies say the same and it can come off disrespectful. Make triple sure that you have the names spelled correctly and are addressing the person in a very polite way. You can never be too polite. Try not to give the I need any job template email attitude.
-CRISTIANA SCIABORDI -Ballett Theater Basel Ballett Master
Within the process of an audition I always want to first get to know the background, experience and technique of the dancers who apply for a position with our company. Therefore we ask them to forward video(s) with whatever material they can provide and if possible contemporary variations. It can be an improvisation as well as a sequence from the repertoire they are dancing at the moment. For me as ballet director it is just vital to get a closer view of the dancer’s technical abilities and her or his personality. Any video material over-sophisticated or too elaborated camera work can blur the view on the individuality and uniqueness of the respective dancer. Therefore my overall advice for the presentation is to keep it simple and honest.
-GOYO MONTERO – Staatstheater Nürnberg Director
Present videos that are clear, well lit and show you dancing to music, not with music overlaid on a bunch of movement. Make an impression by presenting how you work, not only relying on being a good mover.
-TAMAS MORITZ – Royal Ballet Of Flanders Assoiate Director
Personality. Physicality. Like a sponge, ready to learn and to work. Hungry. To complete yourself not only as a dancer, but also as a person. I always say its pretty easy these days to find good dancers, but not so easy to find good people.
-STEPHEN DELATTRE – Delattre Dance Company