AUDITIONS
Below you will find information on all the amazing programs we offer, what you need to do when auditioning and the audition schedule. If you have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out via email. We are always happy to help!
Company Program
Our competitive program is an intensive training program aimed to train students in a positive, safe environment, as they strive for excellence in dance. Throughout the year, students will be entered into regional competitions, recommended dance conventions, as well as one travel competition. Our 2024 travel event will be announced soon! Dancers are expected to commit to their pre-requisite classes, Company Preview Show (February), and ALL competitions. Jazz Competitive dancers are required to take our Summer Company Technique classes on Tuesdays. And we are opening up a Junior Accelerated Dance Camp for our Junior company dancers! Company Dancers will participate in The Nutcracker Ballet in December, 2023!
Comp Lite Program
Our Comp Lite Program is for dancers who wish to participate in dance competitions, but with less weekly class commitment. This program moves dancers along at a comfortable and steady pace yet pushes them to set goals and achieve them. We will be offering Comp Lite programs in Jazz, lyrical/contemporary, hip hop and stage! Comp Lite dancers will participate in 2 local competitions and our year end recital. They are not entered in our travel events.
Studio West Musical Theatre Productions
Our Musical Theatre Program is for all aspiring triple-threat singers, actors & dancers! Students hone their skills in a safe and welcoming environment while learning the professional ropes of live theatre! Come and audition for next year’s musical… this will be announced once Peter Pan Jr closes! Tickets are almost sold out… come see us!
Students wishing to audition for our musical must attend the dance call to learn a short and fun dance combo as well as prepare a song to sing for us. This is typically 8-10 bars of a song that shows off their vocal range! Students may sing acapella or they can request us to play an instrumental version of their song they can sing along to.
If they do not feel comfortable singing by themselves they can sing with a partner, or just attend our dance call.
Auditioning at Studio West
Students who wish to be considered for any of the above Programs must audition for placement. However, teachers can recommend and invite students to audition or join a Company or CompLite program. Auditioning can sound scary, but this is a part of being a dancer and performer! It lets us know you want to be here with us! And please don't worry… we make auditions super fun!!!
Here's an example of what will happen in the specific dance auditions. It's just like taking a regular dance class… but with a few teachers watching! Students will be taken through a warm up and stretch, across the floor combinations to showcase skills in the specific genre, and last but not least, a short dance combination! Dancers will learn everything when they get there, they do not need to prepare anything!
Auditioning lets us teachers know where a child is at with their skill development. It also lets us see the growth that the child has had in the current year. At Studio West Dance, we take pride in making auditioning fun! All we want to see is for each dancer to try their best and have fun!!
Each dancer must audition each year. Auditions are open to ALL dancers, not just dancers currently enrolled at Studio West Dance. We welcome anyone who wants to join our team! See our audition schedule below and our poster attached to this email.
Placements
How do placements work? We keep it very simple. For competitive dance, it is important that each child gets to dance with other children who have skills that are alike their own. This way we do not place a dancer who is too advanced or not advanced enough together. We do not want to have any dancers feel like they are struggling, nor do we want a dancer to be bored and not feeling challenged enough. Our team of professionals have had a lot of success in this industry, and we are confident that we will place your in the best group for their own success and safe development. Please understand that we may not have a company that is a good fit for your child. If this is the case, we will happily place your child in a class where we can develop their skills more, whether it be the Comp Lite or a Recreational Program.
Once decided, placements will be FINAL. A great deal of time from our staff goes into carefully placing the kids where they individually will be the most successful. We base our decision on where the kids are technically at the time of the audition. We also factor in their progress in class throughout the year, attendance, attitude, and performance. We will also take another look at the dancers in September after dancers have taken any summer technique classes to see if we need to make adjustments for the competitive dance season ahead.
Placements will be announced for the 2023-2024 Dance Season in mid-June 2023.
Once placements have been sent out, please feel free to reach out to the studio if you have any questions or concerns regarding placement. We would love to schedule a meeting to discuss things with you personally. Please do not reach out to individual teachers. All meetings need to be organized through the studio, so we can ensure all the required parties are in attendance. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation regarding this matter.
Dancers Under the Age of 7 Years Old
We will invite dancers under the age of 7 to a competitive program. They DO NOT need to audition. We may invite children as young as 5 years old to a competitive group!
Audition Requirements
Please show up on the appropriate day & time and allow your child to sign in and receive a number to wear. Please make sure they have dressed appropriately for their specific audition and have a water bottle with them.
Please see below for all specific audition requirements & details!
AUDITION SCHEDULE MAY 2023
JUNIOR JAZZ COMPANY AUDITIONS
Date: Tuesday, May 2nd @ Studio 2
Time: 4:45pm-6:00pm ~ Ages 7-10
INTERMEDIATE & SENIOR JAZZ COMPANY AUDITIONS
Date: Wednesday, May 3rd @ Studio
— 3:30-5:00pm ~ Intermediate Jazz Audition (ages 10-13)
— 6:30-8:00pm ~ Senior Jazz Audition (ages 14-17)
*Dancers must wear form-fitting dance attire, jazz shoes, and their hair up in a bun.
HIP HOP COMPANY AUDITIONS
Date: Tuesday, May 2nd @ Studio 1
— 3:30-4:30pm ~ Junior Hip Hop Auditions (ages 7-10)
— 5:15-6:30pm ~ Intermediate Hip Hop Auditions (ages 10-13)
— 8:15-9:30pm ~ Senior Hip Hop Auditions (ages 14-17)
*Dancers may wear comfortable clothing, hair secured up off their face and clean sneakers
ACRO COMPANY AUDITIONS
Date: Thursday, May 4th @ Studio 3
— 3:30-4:30pm ~ Junior Acro Audition (Ages 7-10)
— 5:00-6:30pm ~ Senior Acro Audition (Ages 13+)
— 7:00-8:30pm ~ Intermediate Acro Audition (Ages 11-12)
*Dancers must wear form fitting dance attire and bare feet with their hair up in a bun.
THE NUTCRACKER BALLET AUDITION
Date: Friday, May 5th @ Studio 3
— 4:00-5:30pm ~ Senior Dancers
*Dancers must be well versed en pointe and have advanced ballet knowledge. Dancers must wear ballet attire, proper footwear, hair in a bun and bring their pointe shoes.
MUSICAL THEATRE AUDITION
Date: Monday May 8th @ Studio 1
— 4:00-5:00 ~ Dance Call
— 5:00-7:30pm ~ Singing Auditions by appointment. Please email the studio for an audition time!