My experience that I've chosen to write my observations about was from an open audition I attended and is recorded in a qualitive nature in order for me to look at the main content of what is happening.
The brief for the audition said they were not only interested in casting people who can only do street dance or theatre. They said their clients are demanding more versatility so all dancers were required to be able to turn their hand to commercial pop / contemporary lyrical / hip hop routine also. The requirements for this audition seemed so diverse that I knew I might be a little out of my comfort zone attending but should still go along for the professional ad observational experience.
I consider myself technically strong in jazz and contemporary it was more the commercial hip hop that I felt might hinder me. I thought if I were to stand any chance I would need to have the right look (whatever that means), wear the right outfit, and make sure I picked up the routines quickly.
So with my preconceived ideas I entered the audition room and queued up with everyone else. I would say there was about 90 female dancers and around 15 male dancers in total which was a normal occurrence with females out numbering males.
We were taught three different routines on mass by three different choreographers which was a great opportunity to experience different teaching styles. After lunch we were split into groups of four where we were then to perform the previously taught routines.
Throughout the audition a camera man was present recording every part of the audition process aiming to get everyone on film for later consideration as they were casting for many different jobs. It was explained to us that the camera man had vast experience recording music videos and he was part of the panel that we needed to impress. So we were being assessed from every angleat all times.
On reflection I thought this approach was quite unique in the sense we had many more opportunities to show our talents and impress the panel if we weren't noticed on the day or didn't do our bes twhen it came to perform the routines in smaller groups.
I was number 73 so I had along wait until my group went up the perform so this gave me time to observe
- Who they were putting through to the afternoon auditions
- Whether or not I felt I fitted the criteria they seemed to be looking for
- The height and size of the dancers going through
- The successful dancers hair colour so I could see if they might need any more girls with auburn hair like me
- What didn't impress the panel
and to be honest it was the most diverse selection of dancers that I was left completely clueless as to what they were looking for. I know they wanted dancers who were quick at picking up and who had 'real' figures that would look good in clothes if required to model them when dancing.This audition was turning out to be the one of the most unpredictable auditions I've attended. In the past you can usually get an idea of what impresses the panel and what doesn't, what image is right, and the style there looking for. Maybe because they were casting for so many different things it was impossible to predict what was right or not.
I know this sounds more, like a personal analysis but I felt in order for me to asses the situation as a whole I needed to understand my own stance within it.I found myself watching every dancer ones I deemed to be similar in standard to myself, others who looked funky/commercial types to try and see who I thought might make the cut. One girl in particular stood out when practicing near me she had a curvaceous figure, very pretty/edgy looks and her lyrical dance was beautiful. She attacked the hip hop routine and delivered a great performance and her commercial pop was technically sound. So I was sure she would be successful I felt she fitted the criteria they had stipulated exactly. Then when her group had finished performing she was cut I couldn't understand why wasn't she suitable I was sure she would have gone through. Was there something on her CV that the casting director hadn't liked?
This possible over analysis on my part led me to worry when it was my turn to perform the three routines. By being involved in the process myself it became difficult to stay un bias an evaluate observations I was seeing and not let it affect my personal performance.When it came for my group to perform I tried to stay focused on my personal objectives- retain the routines, show my personality throughout and remember there looking for real people. I loved the commercial pop routine so I felt this one went well the lyrical piece they were looking for more emotion so again I gave it all I had. The final routine was the hip hop I know I don't have the look of a hip hop dancer but I had to show attack and just throw myself in to it anyway if I'm to stand any chance.
Out of my group only girl went through unfortunately I wasn't one of them. Throughout the day I'd seen some exceptional dancers go through and others get cut not knowing what the difference was between them or why. Some who were good all rounder’s went through which was fair enough alongside others who were just good in one area so where was the logic?
When I’d finished I decided to stay and watch the rest of the groups perform the last 3 groups were all male they had decided to save them until the end. I wondered why this choice was made as happens so often in auditions. Male dancers on the whole seem to be accomplished in many areas and with them being in shorter supply than females so are more likely to be hired. Most males on the day went through with others being told that they would be probably required for future projects so on the whole all of them will work for the company at some point in the future.
The whole days experience made me realise by trying to combine an observation whilst being a participant makes it difficult to stay neutral and evaluate the experience in a professional manner.
I feel my pilot observation was useful and informative however if I were to apply this experience to my real inquiryy tool I would carry out my observation(s) in a very different manner.
Firstly if possible I would position myself on the panel of a dance/acting or singing audition where I could gain an insight into the casting director requirements therefore giving myself a more informed stance even before the auditions began.I now see how being on both sides of the audition process can be informative but ulitmately I feel trying to do both can have a more negative impact on my iquiry. I want to stay professioal and focused not allowing my stance as an auditionee impact on my overall observation process.
At the audition that I wrote my pilot observation about all of dancers signed a disclaimer giving permission to be filmed and given the option if they weren't comfortable to opt out. I viewed this as a good ethical consideration and something which I would include in my real observation inquiry making all participants aware that I was simply there to watch the experience and not a member of the panel that they needed to impress. All information/opinions I collected were simply for my inquiry and their identity would be kept anonymous and none of their personal details would be used in any publications. However If I were in a theatre and could remain out of sight then I wouldn't feel the need to notify the candidates of my presence as to not influence their behaviour in anyway. Either observational set up would hopefully still allow a true scenario and not alter people’s behaviour. I would however take into consideration peoples privacy and not disclose any personal information gain through this experience.
One thing that I would be interested in finding out if I were to observe another audition would be how many of the successful applicants had previously received a vocational level of training and if so in what area(s). This would fit into to my inquiry looking to see the effects on musical theatre performers (including singers, dancers and actors) success taking their training into consideration. I would be looking to see a pattern in the type of training received and job success rate and whether or not this was something that the casting director looked for or was swayed by when ultimately making a decision. Again being able to communicate with a casting director/employer and view candidates cvs in order to obtain this information would have to be correctly implemented and I would seek to gain prior permission before obtaining this information allowing complete anonynimity and none participation if prefered.
The practice of recording an audition allowing me to re evaluate the experience could be somewhat useful and allow me to focus on the performers who were successful and see if their actions throughout the audition process in some way helped their success. This would also allow me to capture more details without relying on my memory alone.I would obtain written consent for this and ensure it was strictly for my own viewing and would be disposed of when my inquiry was over.
Hopefully being able to see how the training of a performer and the weight this training may hold with a casting director would help strengthen my inquiry seeing how important the type of training could potentially have on a performer’s career success.
No comments:
Post a Comment