Dance Videos for Auditions
Some questions:
1) What percentage of dancers create videos (DVD/VHS) for their auditions?
2) How do dancers create these videos and how much money do they spend?
3) Does creating a good quality video make a big difference in terms of the odds of getting a job?
4) If you don't have an audition video are you at a disadvantage?
5) What are dance companies/shows/schools/others looking for in a good video?
6) Are there many auditions where you can submit a video instead of performing at a live audition? What are pros and cons?
I was thinking about these questions as I was searching for articles and resources that had to do with either making dance audition videos or guidelines for submitting these videos:
- Dance Magazine article by Eric Wolfram, "Fast Forward: 12 Tips to a Winning Audition Video"
- Photo and video tips for dancers from Mark Twain
- Jazz Dance video specifications for NFAA.ARTS Awards
- Video audition guidelines for Rockette Summer Intensive (PDF)
- Summer Dance Institute auditions
- Julliard Summer Dance Intensive video/DVD requirements
Posted by Doug Fox on November 17, 2005 6:42 AM
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From what I've experienced, acceptance of audition videos tend to correlate to a lower-quality job or student work.
Just about all choreographers and casting directors want to see a performer in person. There was recently an article in Back Stage Magazine about this. For a movie, the director cast a small part from tape. The condition was that all actors on tape had to be over 5' 7" before the director saw the tapes. So, she casted the small part on video and when the actor arrived he was 5' 4"! She ended up taking the lot security guard, putting him in costume, and using him instead (What a way to make your film debut!). The same thing is true for casting dancers - you have to see dancers in a space because what dancers do is manipulate space. The choreographer also doesn't get the chance to see how the dancer takes direction.
Therefore, if you were to submit an audition video and your evil twin who dances the same as you were to attend the audition, your evil twin would probably be cast.
The exception to this is student work. I'd say that a lot of dancers (especially ballet and modern dancers) create audition tapes for summer intensives. In this case, I don't think video quality matters so much as clear demonstration of talent.