the beginning of something

The audition season has finally begun.

I've done four in a span of two weeks, and I haven't had a day off for about 20 days. Here's a short summary of how they went:

Audition 1: Hessisches Staatsballet Wiesbaden (15.01.17)

This was definitely a good choice in terms of location, just a stone's throw from Gießen, where S still lives. It was on a bright sunny winter's day that I had to spend underground. I was auditionee number 58. The ballet class was actually rather enjoyable, in spite of being very classical. To my surprise, I was kept for the repertoire round. I didn't particularly enjoy the material, nor the somewhat snooty atmosphere of the place which probably showed, because I was cut in the next round. On a positive note, I met some really lovely people and some old friends, and I also got to spend the rest of the evening with S in Frankfurt, which definitely did me some good. 

Audition 2: Staatstheater Braunschweig (16.01.17)

I've actually been interested in working with Gregor Zöllig since I was in Gießen. As my luck would have it, we did a collaboration with his company (then Bielefeld) in my first season in Osnabrück, so I got to meet his dancers and see a bit of his work. I don't think I was mature enough then to work with him, but four years later I feel that I am ready. Luckily, they are looking for men for the next season, so naturally, I applied. I felt quite at home there, as I already knew some of the people and the audition was very relaxed (we didn't have numbers, and Gregor greeted each of us individually). As like with any audition, there were lots of boys trying to push to the front to be seen but I tried my best to stay calm and dance as well as I could, which was just as well because I was selected for the next round. Four of the dancers were there to teach us the repertoire, which I felt quite comfortable with, and at the end of that round, I was chosen for the group interview along with 7 other guys. It was going well! He told us we had to come back for a second round to spend time with the company and to work with some tasks and improvisation, which I will write about later.

Audition 3: Staatstheater Nürnberg (21.01.17)

I've always wondered what this company was like, and of course the promise of living and working in a beautiful, rich city has its appeal. Out of curiosity, I sent my application and was invited quite quickly. The audition, however, didn't last very long for me. The class was very much the kind of training you would get in the Vaganova School or something. I did my best, but I wasn't sure if I would be happy doing that everyday. It would have been nice to do some repertoire, but unfortunately I wasn't what he was looking for. On the other hand, it probably was for the best so that I could go to Regensburg early and get a bit of rest before the next audition. The assistant came up to me as I was eating lunch in the canteen and told me that he noticed me in class and I was a very good dancer, but I didn't fit the type he was looking for at the moment. It was all positive in the end.

Audition 4: Theater Regensburg (22.01.17)

It was a beautiful day in Regensburg, but at -16ºC I was happy to be inside a theatre. There were about 18 boys in the small studio, including many familiar faces and some new ones. I even met someone who went to WAAPA, who graduated 5 years after I did (which made me feel a bit old). The class was simple, but actually quite fun. The director came in and out of the studio and watched us at the corner of his eye. They made the first cut after class, and I was lucky enough to have my number called. We had a long break before the repertoire, which was incredibly challenging but with lots of positive energy. It was actually a very nice audition atmosphere; everyone was working hard, but there weren't any pushovers. We worked till the sun went down, and learned 2 different choreographies, both difficult in their own ways. I was happy to be called for an interview, in which he told me that he was interested, but would not make a decision right away. In any case, a successful and enjoyable day.

Beautiful Regensburg at sunset

Audition 2.1: Braunschweig (25.01.17)

The callback was a lot less stressful than the audition. We did class with the company, which was, thankfully, a contemporary class. I was so happy to do floorwork! After that, Gregor gave us a task which we had to work on in another studio in the theatre. We watched a bit of rehearsal, then had three hours to put something together, so I put my choreographer's hat on and got straight to work. There were two other very talented guys there, but we were all very different. My piece was certainly the most theatrical of the three, but we were told to show our personalities and be ourselves, and my work is ususally much more theatrical than physical, but I figured he had already seen me dance enough. He told us he was very happy, but we would still have to wait until the last callback before he would make a decision. I was satisfied with what I produced, and I can safely say I gave it my best shot, so it doesn't matter what the outcome is. 

Now the waiting game continues. I have an audition next weekend in Münster, and if nothing happens till then, I have also been invited to Danish Dance Theatre which I would like to try if I don't get any replies until then. I'm kind of exhausted already, even though the audition season has just begun. It must be my age. I remember auditioning until the end of March the last time. Anyway, only time will tell if I will be employed in the near future. Let's cross our fingers till then.