Dance audition disillusionment?

With more dancers than ever graduating from top dance and performing arts schools and conservatoires, there are more dancers than ever vying for jobs. This is in addition to those dancers who graduated the year before that, and many years before that, so for many dancers completing their studies, it may feel as though they do not even have a fighting chance of achieving their dancing dreams. It's all too easy to psych yourself out by pre-empting and thinking each audition is the be-all and end-all of your dance career. It is difficult to keep things in perspective, especially if you have suffered many audition knock-backs and have yet to secure a dancing job. It is easy to feel anxious before an audition by thinking of it as a life-or-death situation. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the “idea” of an audition: hundreds of dancers fighting for one position. This judgement day is ultimately intimidating, evaluating your abilities. Despite this, unsuccessful auditions do not mean that those dancers will never secure a job or get a place in a company; most dancers attend multiple auditions before landing a contract. It’s easier to approach an audition acknowledging that much of it is out of your control and is often down to luck. When the director or choreographer watches you it is just a small part of the whole. Directors see hundreds of dancers a year, so being unsuccessful in an audition is nothing personal. Many factors go into their decisions that have nothing to do with dancing ability, such as height, hair colour or movement quality, rather than ability. This can be very frustrating, however it must not be taken personally. To give yourself the best chance of succeeding arrive prepared, feeling positive and good about yourself (maybe you've got that new leotard or pair of dance shoes) and be ready to keep moving forward.