For those now applying to colleges

Please take a look at the series I wrote over the summer about choosing and auditioning at colleges for dance! Also, here's a great article that I found titled "East Coast, West Coast, It Don't Matter", which may help you in your quest to decide between New York and Los Angeles (or somewhere in between!).

Below is my audition series for becoming a dance major in college:

College Dance Auditions 101: Choosing the Major: Is dance in college the right path for you?

College Dance Auditions 102: Choosing Colleges: Where should you apply? What criteria should you take into consideration?

College Dance Auditions 103: Auditioning Live: What should you take into consideration when you're traveling to a school to audition for their faculty?

College Dance Auditions 104: Video Auditioning: When should you choose to audition via video? What should you take into consideration if you have to video audition?

College Dance Audition 105: Making the Decision: Now that you've gotten in, where should you go? Or...think about rejections in a new way.

One last tip: if you have the chance to take classes when you visit a school, take them! Or at least go in and observe the class, if it's allowed. I was too scared to take class, so I watched a ton of classes. It gave me a good feel for what the dance environment was really like. But if you take class, you get to interact with the dancers who have already made it in. You get to see who your classmates will be, who you'll be living with and dancing with for the next three or so years (maybe), and how the teacher connects with you and fits into your style (or not). If you're brave enough to take class, though, don't become a recluse. Talk to your fellow dancers and pretend you're all on the same level and you're all just taking a class. Remember that you're auditioning the school as much as they're auditioning you. Make the most of your visit and it will make the final decision (or letting go of the rejection) so much smoother and simpler.

Last but not least: if you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment! If you have any other tips you'd like to add, or if you'd like to share your experience, or if you can correct a tip that I've given, please do! I would love for others to benefit from the knowledge of the entire dance community!