On: Auditioning + Misnomer

I auditioned for this company last week, and I got a callback. I'm really impressed by the strength and adventurousness of the choreographer, Chris Elam, and his dancers. They place a lot of importance on the exploratory process of dance and you'd be hard-pressed to find a company that's doing what Misnomer does.



I've never been the type of dancer that hates the auditioning process. I understand it's purpose. While some people find auditions to be impersonal and unfair in that dancers aren't really able to show all that they have to offer in an hour, I think auditions objectively give a choreographer a snapshot of what a dancer can give--a spark, an emotion, a moment--in the moment. And isn't it the moment that matters most?

For me, they're a great way to see where I fit in the world of dance in terms of my technique, performance, interpretive tendencies, etc. I find that I'm better able to take chances at auditions, even more so than in class. Yea, auditions are like free class where experimenting is encouraged. You can make choices and share among your peers and be seen for free. I think, because of the nature of open classes in New York, even at spaces like DNA and St. Marks Church, there is an element of judgment that sort of makes me resent taking class; or rather, I resent paying to be looked at cross-eyed. It sounds backwards, I know, but I like auditioning. And even if I don't get it, I can walk away with new knowledge about my own limits and without judgment see what others are doing and what the choreographer is interested in, so that next time I can add all of that new ammo to my arsenal. I still like auditioning even if I don't make the cut. Hopefully, I'll make this one.

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