Audition Tips: How To Survive Audition Cuts

So, you have just spent anywhere from 3-12 months preparing for this audition. Dance classes, prep classes, stretching for hours on end to get your splits. Skipping meals, and staying away from everything you love to eat, like buttered toast, hamburgers, ice cream the list goes on and on. 

It’s all worth it though because it’s audition day and you are ready! Your outfit is on point, hair and makeup flawless. They call your number in the group that you will audition in. After a short introduction, the music starts and you dance your heart out for what seems to be a lifetime but in actuality it was 30 – 60 seconds.

First round is over. You nailed it. No matter if it was freestyle or choreography, you nailed it.

The judges come back to announce who made it to the second round. You are dismayed. “Wait, this can’t be right? Are you serious? I didn’t even make it past the FIRST ROUND???”

Or maybe, you made it to semi-finals, or even worse. all the way to finals. Maybe even for the second or third time and it happens. CUTS.

They call them “cuts” for a reason. THEY HURT! Just like physical cuts, if we don’t tend to them, it can lead to emotional infection and keep us from moving forward.

I know it hurts and can be devastating right now, but you can survive this!  At 44 years old I have been to 23  auditions and been cut 19 times. However I have had the privilege of being a member of 4 different pro and semi-pro teams. I had to work a lot harder than most because I wasn’t a trained dancer and I was literally always a minimum of 7 years older than everyone in the room!

I had to learn to pick myself up, dust myself off and muster up the courage to show up again and again and again and again and again.

Resilience is the key to seeing your dream come true. Every time I showed up at another audition, I was building resilience. How resilient are you? How bad do you want to dance/cheer on the sidelines? How many times are you willing to try?

Check out this video on 5 steps to surviving audition cuts.

1. Acknowledge the hurt.

2. Talk it out.

3. Recognize what you did RIGHT.

4. Assess where you can do better.

5. Make a plan to try again next year and be better prepared.

Download a copy of my free Game On! Goal Planning Guide to help get you ready for your next audition!

YOU GOT THIS. 

GAME ON!